Chapter 16 LECTURE NOTES
Interviewing and Following Up
CHAPTER SYNOPSIS
This chapter is one of the most important in the book because it focuses on employment, the
ultimate goal of all students. Chapter 16 helps students distinguish between two kinds of
employment interviews: screening interviews and hiring/placement interviews. It describes how
to prepare for both kinds of interviews. Screening interviews may be conducted by telephone or
online. Students learn the various types of hiring/placement interviews that they may encounter,
including one-on-one, panel, group, sequential, stress interviews, and online, video, and virtual
interviews.
This chapter teaches students to research the target company, rehearse success stories, clean up
digital dirt, and practice answers to possible questions. They also learn how to conduct
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Explain the purposes and types of job interviews, including screening, one-on-one, panel,
group, sequential, stress, and online interviews.
2. Describe what to do before an interview, including ensuring professional phone techniques,
researching the target company, rehearsing success stories, cleaning up digital dirt, and
fighting fear.
WHAT’S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER
• Piqued student interest with a new opening scenario featuring career coach Dan Georgevich,
who shares excellent advice for new grads preparing for job interviews.
Chapter 16 Lecture Notes 223
• Expanded the coverage of interview types by adding online, video, and virtual interviews so
that students can be prepared for digital techniques, which are increasingly used in the
workplace today.
• Sharpened all the tips and advice for best practices before, during, and after job interviews.
• Reorganized and expanded the advice on researching target companies before an interview so
that students know how to use LinkedIn and other social media sites when gathering
information.
LECTURE OUTLINE
I. The Purposes and Types of Job Interviews (p. 587)
PowerPoint slides 1-3
A. Purposes of Employment Interviews
• To convince the employer of your potential
PowerPoint slides 4, 5
B. Types of Employment Interviews
• Screening Interviews – Screen out candidates who fail to meet minimum
requirements
• Hiring/Placement Interviews – Help recruiters learn whether a candidate will fit
into the organization
1. One-on-One Interviews – Meet with one company representative to discuss
qualifications
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Figure 16.1 Anatomy of the Job Interview Process
PowerPoint slide 6-9
II. Before the Interview (p. 591)
PowerPoint slides 10-16
A. Ensuring Professional Phone Techniques
1. Make sure your outgoing message is concise.
B. Making the First Conversation Impressive
1. Keep list of positions for which you have applied near your phone.
2. Treat any call from an employer just like an interview.
3. If unprepared for a call, ask whether you can call back in a few minutes.
C. Researching the Target Company
1. Research the target company prior to the interview.
2. Study its website, annual report, marketing information, and weblogs to learn
about its products and culture. To locate inside information, use social media
sources such as LinkedIn and Twitter. “Like” the company on Facebook.
D. Preparing and Practicing
1. Rehearse success stories.
2. Clean up any digital dirt.
• Remove questionable content.
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E. Traveling to and Arriving at Your Interview
• Allow ample time to groom and dress.
• Arrive at the interview five or ten minutes early, but not earlier.
F. Fighting Fear
• Practice interviewing.
• Prepare thoroughly.
III. During the Interview (p. 595)
PowerPoint slides 17–27
A. Sending Positive Nonverbal Messages and Acting Professionally
• Control your body movements.
• Exhibit good posture.
• Practice appropriate eye contact.
• Use gestures effectively.
• Smile enough to convey a positive attitude.
• Listen attentively.
B. Anticipating Typical Interview Questions
Figure 16.2 Ten Interview Actions to Avoid
Figure 16.3 What Can Go Wrong in a Job Interview
1. Questions to Get Acquainted
• Incorporate success stories in your responses.
Typical Questions:
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What are your greatest strengths?
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3. Do you prefer to work by yourself or with others? Why?
4. What was your major in college, and why did you choose it?
5. What are some things you do in your spare time? Hobbies? Sports?
2. Questions to Gauge Your Interest
• Recruiters will want to gauge your interest in the position.
Typical Questions:
3. Questions About Your Experience and Accomplishments
• Focus on your skills and accomplishments when answering these questions.
Typical Questions:
1. Why should we hire you when we have applicants with more experience or better
credentials?
4. Questions About the Future
• Your answers to these questions demonstrate that you are goal oriented and
ambitious.
Typical Questions:
1. Where do you expect to be five (or ten) years from now?
2. If you got this position, what would you do to be sure you fit in?
3. This is a large (or small) organization. Do you think you would like that
environment?
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5. Challenging Questions
• Answer these questions truthfully without dwelling on your weaknesses.
• Convert any negative responses into a discussion of your strengths.
Typical Questions:
1. What is your greatest weakness?
2. What type of people do you have no patience for?
3. If you could live your life over, what would you change and why?
4. How would your former (or current) supervisor describe you as an employee?
5. What do you want the most from your job? Money? Security? Power?
10. Describe your ideal work environment.
11. Is the customer always right?
12. How do you define success?
6. Questions About Salary
• Defer discussion about salary until later in the interview when you know more
about the job.
Typical Questions:
1. How much money are you looking for?
2. How much are you presently earning?
7. Situational Questions
• Situational questions test your thought process and logical thinking.
8. Behavioral Questions
• Use the STAR technique (Situation or Task; Action; Results).
• Describe only educational and work-related situations.
Figure 16.4 Using the STAR Technique to Answer Behavioral Interview Questions
PowerPoint slide 28
9. Illegal and Inappropriate Questions
• It is inappropriate for interviewers to ask questions related to gender, age,
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Inappropriate questions:
1. What is your marital status? Are you married? Do you live with anyone?
2. Do you have any disabilities? Have you had any recent illnesses?
3. Where are you from? What is the origin of your last name?
4. Have you ever filed a worker’s compensation claim or been injured on the job?
5. Have you ever had a drinking problem or been addicted to drugs?
6. Have you ever been arrested?
7. How old are you?
8. Of what country are you a citizen? Where were you born?
• How to respond to inappropriate or illegal questions?
a. If the question is harmless, answer it.
b. If answering might damage your chances, try to deflect it. (Could you tell me
how my marital status relates to the responsibilities for this position?)
c. Try to determine the reason behind the question, and respond to that. (Are
you concerned about my freedom to travel?)
PowerPoint slide 29
10. Asking Your Own Questions
• Be prepared to ask questions about the company or the position.
Typical Questions:
1. What will my duties be (if not already discussed)?
3. What training programs are available from this organization? What specific
training will be given for this position?
4. Who would be my immediate supervisor?
5. What is the organizational structure, and where does this position fit in?
6. Is travel required in this position?
7. How is job performance evaluated?
8. Assuming my work is excellent, where do you see me in five years?
11. What do you see in the future of this organization?
12. What do you like best about working for this organization?
13. May I have a tour of the facilities?
14. When do you expect to make a decision?
C. Ending Positively
• Summarize your strongest qualifications, thank the interviewer, and ask for the
interviewer’s card.
PowerPoint slides 30-33
V. After the Interview (p. 605)
PowerPoint slides 34, 35
A. Thanking Your Interviewer
• Send you a thank-you note, e-mail or letter immediately after the interview.
B. Contacting Your References
• Alert your references that they may be contacted.
• Remember that recommenders need evidence to support generalizations.
Figure 16.5 Interview Follow-Up Message
C. Following Up
• Call or e-mail the interviewer within five days (or the specified time) to find out
VI. Preparing Additional Employment Documents (p. 608)
Job seekers should be aware of other employment letters they may write and documents
they may have to complete. These include interview thank-you, reference contact,
application or résumé follow-up, rejection follow-up, job acceptance, job rejection, and
resignation letters. In this chapter you will also learn how to effectively complete an
application form.
• Application form
• Application or résumé follow-up message
PowerPoint slides 36-38
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Answers to Chapter Review Questions
1. During a job interview, do the interviewer and the interviewee want the same thing?
How do their purposes differ? (Obj. 1)
Although both the interviewer and the interviewee want a mutually beneficial outcome, their
2. Name the two main types of employment interviews, and explain how they differ.
(Obj. 1)
Screening interviews help businesses eliminate applicants who fail to meet the minimum
requirements and, thus, save time and money. Screening interviews are typically conducted
3. Briefly describe the types of hiring/placement interviews you may encounter. (Obj. 1)
• One-on-one interviews are most common and require the candidate to sit down with a
company representative and talk about the job and his or her qualifications.
4. Career coaches warn candidates to never enter a job interview “cold.” What does this
mean, and how can a candidate heed the warning? (Obj. 2)
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Entering an interview “cold” means knowing little or nothing about the organization or
5. What are success stories, and how can they be used? (Obj. 2)
Success stories are 30-second “sound bites” with specific examples of your educational and
6. What is digital dirt, and what should you do to clean it up during the employment
process? (Obj. 2)
Digital dirt is inappropriate information that appears online that might cause an employer to
not hire you. Examples include provocative or inappropriate photographs or information;
7. When an interviewer asks, Tell me about yourself, what should a candidate do? (Obj. 3)
Candidates should keep this answer short (one to two minutes) and on target. They should
8. When an interviewer asks, Where do you expect to be five (or ten) years from now, what
is a sure kiss of death in a candidate’s response? How should a candidate respond?
(Obj. 3)
A sure kiss of death is for a candidate to express a desire for the interviewer’s or hiring
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9. Should candidates be candid with interviewers when asked about their weaknesses?
(Obj. 3)
Most experts advise against being candid about weaknesses. No one was ever hired for a job
10. What are situational and behavioral interview questions, and how can a candidate
craft responses that will make a favorable impression on the interviewer? (Obj. 3)
Situational questions:
Questions related to situations help employers test a candidate’s thought processes and
logical thinking. When using situational questions, interviewers describe a hypothetical
11. What kinds of questions should you ask during an interview? (Obj. 3)
12. List the steps you should take immediately following your job interview. (Obj. 4)
a. Make notes of what was said in case you are called back for another interview.
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13. If you are offered a position, why is it important to write an acceptance letter, and
what should it include? (Obj. 4)
14. When filling out an employment application form, how should a candidate respond
when asked the reasons for leaving previous positions? (Obj. 5)
When explaining the reasons for leaving previous positions, candidates should use positive
15. Is it a good idea to follow up after a job rejection? Why or why not? (Obj. 5)
Employment specialists encourage applicants to respond to rejections, especially if they
Answers to Critical Thinking Questions
1. “Like criminal background checks and drug tests, the social media check is quickly
becoming an automatic part of the hiring process,” asserts Melissa Bell, editor of
BlogPost for The Washington Post. Do you believe employers are justified or ethical in
making these kinds of searches before hiring? Does this assume that candidates may be
criminals? Isn’t this similar to snooping?
Many employers who search for information about a job applicant online say that the
information they gather gives them a more accurate picture of the job applicant. Some
2. Most job seekers are thrilled to be offered a job, and they fear haggling over salary.
Yet, employment specialists say that failing to negotiate can be a mistake that
reverberates for years. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why?
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Because subsequent raises are based on initial salaries, candidates who begin at lower rates
3. If you are asked an illegal interview question, why is it important to first assess the
intentions of the interviewer? (Obj. 4)
Most illegal interview questions are asked in true innocence. Inexperienced interviewers are
4. Why is it a smart strategy to thank an interviewer, to follow up, and even to send a
rejection follow-up message? Are any risks associated with this strategy?
To stand out positively in the crowd of applicants, be polite and conduct yourself in an
ethical manner. Saying thank you is common courtesy. Following up shows your
5. Ethical Issue. A recruiter for an organization has an outstanding prospect for a
position. As part of his screening process, the recruiter checks the online presence of the
candidate and discovers from her social networks that she is 18 weeks pregnant—and
happily so. He knows that the target position involves a big project that will go live just
about the time she will be taking maternity leave. He decides not to continue the hiring
process with this candidate. Is his action legal? Ethical? What lesson could be learned
about posting private information online?
His action seems to violate numerous laws, such as Title VII, the ADA, GINA, and ADEA.
Chapter 16 Lecture Notes 235
ZOOMING IN: Sharpening Job Interview Skills for Rookies
Critical Thinking
• Can novice job seekers predict what a job interview will involve?
Surprisingly enough, even novice job seekers can fairly closely predict what a job interview
will entail. Most interviews include a “getting to know each other” opening that usually
• How is interviewing a two-way street? What does this mean for a job candidate?
Interviewing is indeed a two-way street. Candidates must promote their best qualities and
impress the company. However, companies also must sell the position and company to the
• How can job seekers show recruiters or hiring managers that they are “invested” in a
position during the job interview?
Job candidates can demonstrate their interest and “investment” in a position by doing
considerable research to prepare for the interview. Job candidates should learn as much as
236 Chapter 16 Lecture Notes
ZOOMING IN
Your Turn
Many students find it difficult to translate experiences from course work in school or entry-level
or low-wage jobs such as babysitting or waiting tables into anecdotes that illustrate innate skills
necessary for higher-level positions. Encourage students to think critically about the skills they
have developed in school and how they relate to their chosen career. Perhaps jobs such as
dealing with a cranky toddler or a difficult customer at a pizza parlor can illustrate good people
skills. Students will feel empowered once they realize that they do have skills employers will
find attractive.
Photo Essay Solutions
Photo Essay, Page 588
A job interview allows both the applicant and the employer to evaluate each other to find a good
match. For the applicant, pre-interview planning involves gathering information about the
company and its culture. To help determine fit, job candidates should search news sources, trade
journals, industry directories, and the company’s website. The objective is to learn everything
Photo Essay, Page 593
Students should do a careful online search and uncover any digital dirt. They should remove
photos or information that will tarnish their reputation or reveal unflattering behavior. In
addition, they should check all of their privacy settings on social networking sites, and be
cautious about posting anything that hurts their chances of appearing professional, competent,
qualified, and successful.
Photo Essay, Page 611
Writing a resignation letter is worth it because it builds bridges that can lead to even better jobs
in the future. As a courtesy, employees should always give notice before exiting a firm. Two