Careers in International Affairs, Eighth Edition

2 Interviewing

2 Interviewing Maria Pinto Carland THIS CHAPTER is designed to make you think about interviewing and its elements: about how to present yourself, who you are, what you want, why you are interviewing, and where you want to go. You must think about and know these things because, in an interview, you choose what to reveal, and you are the source of all information about yourself. So you need to have that information prepared and polished ahead of time. Just as in your favorite seminar, in the best interview you listen, you share what you know, you ask questions, you learn, and you strive to make a good impression. What occurred in that favorite seminar to make it work? Everyone was at ease with themselves, comfortable with one another, glad to be there, familiar with the topic, and, ideally, interested in and enthusiastic about the discussion. A successful interview requires the presence of these very same elements. To arrive at this happy juncture, you need to be clear about the purpose of the interview, how it is structured, what to expect, how to prepare, and how to participate. Remember, interview skills can be learned, should be practiced, and can always be improved. Although two categories of interviews exist—informational interviews and job interviews—here we focus on the job interview (chapter 3 covers information interviews). There are various kinds: • between an interviewer and a candidate, • with a series of different interviewers and a single candidate, • between a single interviewer and a group of interviewees, and • with a panel of interviewers and a single candidate. Participation in each of these is different, but the preparation for all of them is the same. 13 14 • Interviewing Preparation Interview preparation requires the completion of two distinct tasks: a personal assessment of yourself and a professional assessment of the organization you are approaching. A word of advice before you even begin: Everything you read and everyone you speak with will emphasize the value of focusing your interests. However, doing so does not mean closing doors to other opportunities. Focus means, simply, that you choose which door to open first. You will be able to open the other doors later— count on it. Being focused now does not mean that your focus will never change. Opportunities will arise that you are not even aware of at this stage in your life. Think of the bodybuilder from Austria who became governor of California! Personal Assessment Do you know who you are? Do you know what you want? Are you comfortable talking about yourself? You have given presentations, spoken up in class, and responded confidently to questions on current events. However , to your surprise, you may find yourself hesitating when answering questions about yourself. The questions may seem simple, but your answers must be in polished, thoughtful sentences. For example: Why did you choose your university? What was your most significant accomplishment on your last job? Who was your best boss? An interviewer might use these questions to discover how you make decisions, what your priorities are, and what your work style is—but also to determine your ability to clearly articulate your ideas. You do not want to find yourself searching for something to say about yourself during an interview. You need to start formulating and polishing your ideas and answers now. To do so, you must become aware of and structure the ongoing self-assessment in which you have been participating all your life. What are you capable of, and where do you want your education and experience to take you? Start with your resume. It outlines the professional facts about your life. Familiarize yourself with it as if it described someone else. You should be able to produce three sentences about any fact on your resume. For example, what your undergraduate thesis was and what you learned from it, why you were made captain of the tennis team, where you traveled as a backpacker and how it influenced you. In addition, you should be able to identify a consistent theme that runs through your education and experience and leads to your goal. Be sure that your resume emphasizes Interviewing • 15 what is most pertinent to the career you intend to pursue. Review the projects you initiated and the problems you solved. Make certain you understand how your course work, internships, and jobs interconnect, and how they all relate to...