The event I went to was actually on campus and it was a workshop titled, Interview strategies: What you need to know Before, During and After the Interview. I found out about this workshop through the Professional Development Center’s calendar where they post upcoming events they are having on campus. This workshop was hosted by Nelly Lliguichushca and one of the first things we did was take a quiz. The questions on this quiz were about how you should response to questions asked by the interviewer and how you should present your self prior to going into the interviewing room. I really found this part helpful because it was practice for me to do, especially when it asked about how you respond when asked about your biggest weakness. The answer to such question should state the weakness and tell how your trying to overcome it or improve. Important things your should do Before the interview process is PREPARE, you should prepare the questions your going to ask, prepare by researching the company and most importantly how your going to dress. During the interview you should always be on time, the first impression is everything so a firm handshake and friendly smile are must haves as well. After the interview is over a thank you letter is a must, sending it out that same day is excellent because it shows common courtesy and you’ll be remembered for that. One thing that Nelly brought up that was new to me is the STAR story method used to tell your experience on solving a problem in your work. The “S” stand for the situation you are in and “T” is the task you need to accomplish. Then comes the “A” which are the actions you’ll take in order to fix the situation that you are in, and finally come the “R” which are the results. These results can be about what you learned or if the task was accomplished or not. One more thing I found surprising was all the different type of ways a interview is done, there is the traditional in person/ conversation, over the phone, group panel, video interview and luncheon. Overall I very much enjoyed this workshop and all the helpful tip and reminders Nelly provided to us.
I asked for contact information just in case I had any extra questions. Professional Development Center- Atrium- 114, 718-260-5050, pdc@citytech.cuny.edu
