Interview Skills

[bigruss]

So I have been invited up to Lake Forest, IL for a second interview after having a terrific on campus one. Its for an IT internship at WW Grainger. Anybody have experiences with these types of interviews or advice? I really have no idea what to expect. The first interview was standard HR, behavioral/personality type questions.

[StrangeSox]

I used the many links here to prepare for my interview recently.

 

http://markthispage.blogspot.com/2009/06/s...-you-going.html

 

Prepare answers for standard questions. You don't want to be reciting a script but you want to be able to have examples and explanations right at hand.

 

Good luck!

[Tuna]

My brother in law has worked for Granger for about 12 years. He started in the mailroom when he was like 19, they paid for his schooling and now does all the maintenance and stuff for their website. He works out of Lake Forest as well. Anything specific you want me to ask him for ya?

[RockRaines]

So I have been invited up to Lake Forest, IL for a second interview after having a terrific on campus one. Its for an IT internship at WW Grainger. Anybody have experiences with these types of interviews or advice? I really have no idea what to expect. The first interview was standard HR, behavioral/personality type questions.

At Grainger? Mention how much you love HP. Then I wouldnt focus on what skills you have now because most likely you will have to relearn alot of stuff, be honest focus on how you pick up things and also what you want to do next after this position. You'll kill it if you are well spoken and honest.

[bigruss]

I used the many links here to prepare for my interview recently.

 

http://markthispage.blogspot.com/2009/06/s...-you-going.html

 

Prepare answers for standard questions. You don't want to be reciting a script but you want to be able to have examples and explanations right at hand.

 

Good luck!

Wow, lots of good info there, thanks!

[bigruss]

My brother in law has worked for Granger for about 12 years. He started in the mailroom when he was like 19, they paid for his schooling and now does all the maintenance and stuff for their website. He works out of Lake Forest as well. Anything specific you want me to ask him for ya?

Im pretty concerned about the technical type questions, I have some experience in IT as I worked for Astellas Pharma last summer in their IT dept but still dont have much overall experience in the field and havent taken many classes on it yet (just a soph this year).

 

So if he knows of any type of technical type questions that would be great. I know a fair amount about the company culture as my manager over the summer used to work their for like 17 years and she already called in a recommendation for me.

[bigruss]

At Grainger? Mention how much you love HP. Then I wouldnt focus on what skills you have now because most likely you will have to relearn alot of stuff, be honest focus on how you pick up things and also what you want to do next after this position. You'll kill it if you are well spoken and honest.

Do they really like HP?

 

Yea, thats pretty much what I said in my first interview, I said that I worked with SOP and CSV mainly but was interested in learning about SAP and other parts of IT. I did really well in the first interview, the guy even said that my resume was fantastic and I had the exact personality they were looking for. Not bad for my first campus interview! I feel like they are a good company to work for, supportive yet demanding for top quality work, exactly what Im looking for.

[RockRaines]

Do they really like HP?

 

Yea, thats pretty much what I said in my first interview, I said that I worked with SOP and CSV mainly but was interested in learning about SAP and other parts of IT. I did really well in the first interview, the guy even said that my resume was fantastic and I had the exact personality they were looking for. Not bad for my first campus interview! I feel like they are a good company to work for, supportive yet demanding for top quality work, exactly what Im looking for.

Yes, large HP shop. SAP is a good in there, they have many ASUG members that go to meetings and events. Its a well organized dept.

[southsideirish71]

Im pretty concerned about the technical type questions, I have some experience in IT as I worked for Astellas Pharma last summer in their IT dept but still dont have much overall experience in the field and havent taken many classes on it yet (just a soph this year).

 

So if he knows of any type of technical type questions that would be great. I know a fair amount about the company culture as my manager over the summer used to work their for like 17 years and she already called in a recommendation for me.

 

I wouldn't worry so much about the detail of technical questions. Coming out of school they are probably more worried about how you will fit into their culture, their vision, their plan. If you have the basics, and look to be a quick learner and a hard worker probably means more than what you can regurgitate in an interview. Down the road when you start to interview for more senior level technical positions is where you get the kitchen sink thrown at you from a technical standpoint. But for your first few jobs its about how you fit their culture and what kind of raw talent you have.

 

[bigruss]

I wouldn't worry so much about the detail of technical questions. Coming out of school they are probably more worried about how you will fit into their culture, their vision, their plan. If you have the basics, and look to be a quick learner and a hard worker probably means more than what you can regurgitate in an interview. Down the road when you start to interview for more senior level technical positions is where you get the kitchen sink thrown at you from a technical standpoint. But for your first few jobs its about how you fit their culture and what kind of raw talent you have.

Great to know, thanks! I feel like I have a good grasp on what their culture as it seems very similar to the one I worked in earlier and I really connected with my first interviewer so I feel pretty good now about this interview. I jsut need to remember some few things to highlight in it, making sure that they see that I am a hard worker, fit in their culture, etc.

 

[bigruss]

Yes, large HP shop. SAP is a good in there, they have many ASUG members that go to meetings and events. Its a well organized dept.

The campus recruiters were talking up alot about SAP work so I figured that would be a good path to follow, plus it sounds interesting and there seems to be a good market for people who have SAP experience.

 

This company is growing on me, everybody I have met has been extremely friendly and real, and they have been really generous to. Theyre reimbursing all interviewees for travel expenses up to their location, which was really unexpected. Hope it turns out well.

[bjm676]

The headquarters in Lake Forest is amazing. I used to go there a lot. I worked for a company that did a lot of their IT work. If used Novel : ) then you will enjoy working for Grainger......Not sure this is really helpful advice.

[RockRaines]

The campus recruiters were talking up alot about SAP work so I figured that would be a good path to follow, plus it sounds interesting and there seems to be a good market for people who have SAP experience.

 

This company is growing on me, everybody I have met has been extremely friendly and real, and they have been really generous to. Theyre reimbursing all interviewees for travel expenses up to their location, which was really unexpected. Hope it turns out well.

SAP is the 800 pound gorilla in the ERP space. If you know it, there will be work.

[Jenksismyhero]

Since I just recently ended my 1.5 year attorney job search, my advice would be the following: go into it with a "f*** it" attitude where you're not concerned/worried about impressing anyone or making sure you say the right things. Be yourself completely.

 

I've been on a fair amount of interviews the last year, and the first few I was really tense and really prepared and probably came off as a weirdo in the interview because I was so concerned about answering questions with the perfect answer, or asking the perfect question to show how interested i was in the position. The last few I basically said f*** it, and decided to be myself. I was still professional (and prepared), but I made more jokes/comments, and was generally more relaxed and more personable. I focused more on connecting with the partners I would be working for, and the interviews were a LOT better.

 

For me when I changed my attitude from "you have to nail this interview" to "meh, it's just an interview" I got a job. You know who you are, you know what you can do, and you know what you want to do (at least generally). Sell that. 95% of interviews are about your personality, and 5% are about getting more info on your experience. Since you're fresh out of school, its 99.9% personality and how you'll fit into the companys culture. They know your experience from your resume, and if you didn't meet the minimum requirements you wouldn't have been chosen to get where you are. If you feed them with prepared answers, you're doing the same thing some of the other interviewers are doing, and ultimately will be forgettable.

 

(in reality all of this is more difficult than I make it out to be. It's like telling a 5 year old to just hit the baseball for a homerun. It's just not that easy. Each interview is different because each interviewer is different. Some are personable and want that response, others are cold and closed up and don't. Generally though, if you focus more on showing who you are versus what you've done, your chances of differentiating yourself from your fellow interviewees is going to be greater)

[G&T]

I recommend preparing a couple questions for them as well. I always ask about the the work environment. This puts them into a position to sell the workplace, and you will get to know a lot more about what day to day life will be like. It's a great way to get an interviewer talking, IMO.

 

Also, everything Jenks said is right in my opinion. They know your experience, so they want to know if you will fit in. However, you are in a position to find if that business is right for you. People get very intimidated by trying to sell themselves, but you are natural about it, both sides will figure out whether you fit in. Frankly, if you be yourself and they reject you, chances are you would have hated working there anyway.

[CanOfCorn]

Two things: One, preparing a question or two is great, but for a first interview, don't make it about your specific job. Make it about the company. For instance, "I just saw the local business journal named you one of the top place to work for, what is it about your company that your employees like?" This lets them know you've done your homework, which is a good thing.

 

Two, this is the best advice I ever got for interviewing. Sit back, shut up and listen. Make your answers short, don't go off on tangents that don't relate to the question, don't interrupt and listen to what/who they are looking for. If you do that, your answers to the following questions come easier because you can tailor your answer to what they are looking for. If you are truly listening, this isn't hard. Trust me, I was nervous about this in my last interview, but I sat back, shut up and listened and I nailed the interview.

 

 

[dasox24]

Not to hijack your thread bigruss, but...

 

I had an interview last weekend on campus with General Electric that went great, and I got a call today asking me to come in for a 2nd interview at their distribution center here in Knoxville as well as tour of the facility/meeting the managers, etc.

 

Obviously, I accepted the chance for a 2nd interview. It's for a 6-month Co-op/internship, which would be an awesome experience.

 

Anyway, any pointers/advice for an on-site interview? There has been some good stuff in this thread about actual sit-down interviews (though I already know most of that stuff), so I'm more wondering what can I expect actually visiting a place and getting a tour, etc? Any tips not already mentioned in this thread? Or does anyone here know much about GE's Industrial Systems division? I imagine not, but I thought it was worth a shot. I'm doing research online as well, but anything would help.

[bigruss]

Not to hijack your thread bigruss, but...

 

I had an interview last weekend on campus with General Electric that went great, and I got a call today asking me to come in for a 2nd interview at their distribution center here in Knoxville as well as tour of the facility/meeting the managers, etc.

 

Obviously, I accepted the chance for a 2nd interview. It's for a 6-month Co-op/internship, which would be an awesome experience.

 

Anyway, any pointers/advice for an on-site interview? There has been some good stuff in this thread about actual sit-down interviews (though I already know most of that stuff), so I'm more wondering what can I expect actually visiting a place and getting a tour, etc? Any tips not already mentioned in this thread? Or does anyone here know much about GE's Industrial Systems division? I imagine not, but I thought it was worth a shot. I'm doing research online as well, but anything would help.

No problem at all, those would be great tips to know since I too have to go on-site and have no experience with that.

 

Also, goodluck! I have a friend who was just offered an internship at GE.

[Y2HH]

Lot's of good advice here...

 

Since this is for an IT internship, you have to basically show them you want to learn on the job, but that you are going into this with some standard knowledge of the field.

 

For the technicals, they won't get too crazy, but they'll probably ask you a few questions such as:

 

What port is http?

What port is https?

What's one difference between TCP and UDP? (this may be a little advanced, but it's something they may ask)

 

Regardless of what they ask, show them that you are willing to learn...this is the only important trait you need to display to them since it's for an internship. If you don't know something, admit you do not know it but that you will research it. This is basically what they will want to hear.

 

Tell them that you've found the best way to learn in the IT field is to actually do it, hands on. Reading is great for knowledge, but say you've found that actually getting in there is a different story than reading text (because it is). Tell them a story of replacing a power supply in a home PC or something similar, and though you had never done it before that despite being simple, it was fun. Show them that you love working on computers. Things like this sell interns...at least, to me they do.

Edited October 28, 2009 by Y2HH

[Tuna]

I'm looking for an intern right now. I'm not sure if any of you are qualified. Watch the Seinfeld episode when Kramer has an intern and that's generally what I'm looking for. Let me know.

 

-Mike

[G&T]

I'm looking for an intern right now. I'm not sure if any of you are qualified. Watch the Seinfeld episode when Kramer has an intern and that's generally what I'm looking for. Let me know.

 

-Mike

 

With my help, you'll get that chicken.

[dasox24]

Found this on the UT career services website. Has some good things about a company visit. Here's some stuff and the rest at the link. http://career.utk.edu/pdf/Job%20Interview%2009-10.pdf

 

The Company Visit

 

Introduction

Most companies which recruit on college campuses include a company visit as a major part of the hiring

process. The company visit is generally a full day of interviewing and related activities, at the company site.

After the company visit is completed and an evaluation conducted, an offer may be made.

 

The company visit is given many names. It can also be referred to as a plant trip, second interview, site visit, or

office visit.

 

Just as the company visit has many names, it also has a variety of faces. There is no way to describe every

aspect of what you can expect in a company visit because employers vary greatly in how they arrange them.

The length of the trip, number of people involved, levels of people interviewed, types of tests conducted, and

degree of informality can differ from one company to the next.

 

As a result, this section focuses upon information that is fairly consistent for most companies. We have tried to

present information that will help you understand the nature of the company visit, how to prepare for it, and how

to conduct yourself most effectively during the visit. We hope you find the information helpful.

 

The Purpose of the Company Visit

The company visit serves two primary purposes:

 

1. Allows the company to get a more in-depth assessment of the candidate prior to making a job offer.

The company visit is time-consuming and expensive for employers, so they screen a large number of

applicants down to a few who are invited to visit. The company visit is generally the last step in the

selection process before an offer is made.

 

The company is confident that the candidate who is invited to visit for a day has the technical skills and

intelligence to do the job. The company visit becomes their opportunity to confirm that there is a good

match between the candidate’s goals and the career opportunity. They also attempt to see that there is

good “chemistry” between the candidate and the company's culture.

 

2. Allows the candidate an opportunity to see the company and some of its people first hand in order to

make a wiser decision if an offer is made.

 

The company visit provides the candidate with an opportunity to learn more about the position, the

long-term career opportunities, the company’s employees, the company itself, and the local community.

The company will usually be doing as much “selling” as evaluating because this is the information the

candidate will use in deciding whether to accept or decline an offer. The candidate, like the company, is

trying to determine whether or not there is a good fit between the two.

 

Preparing for the Visit

 

Considering the importance and purpose of the company visit, it is imperative that the candidate prepare for the

day. Preparation for the company visit should not be taken lightly since the visit is the final step for most

companies in deciding whether to make a job offer.

 

Candidates should attempt to learn as much about the company as possible. Items of preparation should include:

 

• Notes taken after the initial campus interview

• Company website

• Annual report

• Promotional material on the company

• Industry and business publications containing information about the company

• Talking with former students who are now employed by the company

• Talking with current employees in the line of work for which one is interviewing

• Talking to people who have had direct dealings with the company or its products

 

Candidates should prepare so that they can present themselves as being knowledgeable about the company, its

products or services, and the career opportunity being discussed. The better prepared the candidate, the more

probable it is that the company will recognize enthusiasm, drive, motivation, maturity, and thoroughness as

assets possessed by the candidate.

 

The candidate should use the information obtained to develop insightful questions designed to show interest in

the company and the position. These questions should demonstrate the candidate's thorough preparation for the

visit, but should also provide the types of information that will support an informed decision to accept or decline

an offer. In order for the candidate to prepare these insightful questions they should investigate the following

company characteristics:

 

• Mission and long-range goals

• Business philosophy and management style

• Community in which the company is located

 

The questions should be well positioned during the interview process. Recent hires of the company might be

asked about training, promotion, performance evaluation and community life. More experienced interviewers can

be asked about corporate culture, long-term plans, company history and other topics where experience

enhances the value of a response. Good questions will cover a wide range of topics including:

 

• Corporate goals and direction

• Career enhancement

• Market growth opportunities

• Company's competitive environment

• Research & development

• Evaluation system

• Career paths of recent hires

• Commitment to training

• Community lifestyle

 

Questions such as: “So what do you all do?” or “What are the benefits?” do not sit well with most interviewers.

These questions show shallowness and a lack of concern for the key criteria which are being judged during the

visit. The first type of questions begs information that should have already been discovered, and the second

reflects an over-emphasis on matters that will be explained in good time.

 

Candidates frequently overlook personal preparation. While knowledge, good insightful questions and a sharp

business outlook will go a long way toward succeeding in the company visit, a lack of personal preparation can

detract from a candidate’s positive image.

 

What factors constitute good personal preparation? They include:

• Leaving personal problems at home

• Taking appropriate business dress (for the type company involved)

• Having a well-groomed appearance (hair, face, skin, nails, etc.)

 

These are some areas of personal preparation often overlooked by the candidate, yet extremely important.

Candidates often put themselves at a disadvantage by packing carelessly, neglecting to take grooming aids,

leaving for the visit with pressures from school deadlines, etc. These all can contribute to a poor company visit.