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High Stakes Communication:
Interviews and Job Talks
Prepared byThe Cain Project in Engineering
and Professional Communication
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Successful Candidates
Analyze situation & audience
Organize knowledge and experience
Convey confidence and professionalism
Give great job talks
Handle questions
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Research Your Employer
Mission
Organizational structure and culture
Faculty, Deans, students
Research foci, G/UG programs, facilities
Ranking
Funding
Size and location
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Sources of Information
Web sites
Advisors, peers
Conferences and meetings
Journals
Career services
Promotional materials
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Know Yourself
Assess strengths and weaknesses
List life & career goals
Create table of key job satisfaction factors
Stay aware of current events
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Know Your Work
Assemble and review job portfolio− CV− Research stmt− Teaching philosophy− Papers and grants
Technical skills Supervising or mentoring Service
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Get Organized
Review notes on employer
Match your qualifications to their needs
Formulate questions to ask
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Show What You Know! Greeting
− Small talk
− Confident, Can-Do stmt
Road Map
− Deliver topic sentences
− Provide concrete examples
− Organize for clarity
− Adapt to audience
Closing (memorize)
− Summarize qualifications
− Reinforce interest in position
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Time to Practice
Work in pairs. For the next three minutes Person A will be the interviewer, and Person B will be the candidate.
Switch roles for the second instruction.
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Tell me a little bit about yourself.
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Describe your research.
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Convey Confidence and Professionalism
Posture
Gestures
Eye contact
Voice quality
Attire
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Listen Actively
Be attentive
− Eye contact
− Body position
Focus on main points
Use paraphrasing and reflection
Filter emotions and distractions
Ask questions
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Agendas Driving Questions
Obtain additional information
Request clarification
Seek recommendation
Demonstrate how smart they are
Embarrass or intimidate
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Time to Practice
Work in pairs. For the next three minutes Person A will be the interviewer, and Person B will be the candidate.
Switch roles for the second instruction.
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What are your most significant
accomplishments?
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Tell me about your teaching experience. What’s your philosophy and/or style of teaching?
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Success without Stress
Breathe
Loosen up
Eat
Sleep
Avoid caffeine
Eliminate negativity
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Negative Talk Positive Talk
--- I’m freaking out! I’m going to blow this.
++ I’m prepared. This could lead to a great opportunity.
--- He/she thinks I’m an idiot.
++ The interviewer is on my side. He/she needs me to fill important role in the dept.
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Practice!
Rehearse out loud
Mock interview w/ different people
Get videotaped
Keep a journal
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Preparing a Job Talk
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High Impact Presenters
Size up the situation
Organize an argument
Convey confidence
Integrate visuals
Handle questions
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Size up the Situation: Audience
Who is your audience?—Why are they interested?—How much do they know?—What criteria do they use to
make decisions?—What do they value?
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Tailor Message to Audience
Non-Experts
Make it interesting Provide background Define terms Distinguish between fact and opinion Use examples, analogies, visuals
Experts
State how and why Present limited background info Use language of discipline State inferences and conclusions Cite references
From: Barrett, Deborah (2006). Leadership Communication.
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Technical Content
The problem/question (what you want to know) Significance (why it matters) Work that led up to/relates to your work Specific aims Method/approach Results (what you observed) Interpretation (what it means) Novelty (how it contributes to the field) Future work (what challenges remain)
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Excruciating detail
Fragments of information
Typical but Difficult
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Nano-Medicine Nanoshells Nanoshells Nanoshells
Hydrogel
Polymer
Results Results
Conclusions
Hydrogel
Polymer
Hydrogel
Polymer
Hydrogel
Polymer
Fragmented Information
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Start Strong & End Strong
Introduction Motivate interest State key points Preview topics Establish credibility
No apologies No “Today I’m gonna talk
about . . . ”
Conclusion Send cue Restate & summarize Spell out implications
No new info No “That’s it.” No ?s slide
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Keep Audience with You
Create coherence
Make intuitive connections explicit
Weak verbal cues− “And another thing”
− “So”
− “Next”
Strong verbal cues− Sequence
“First”
− Contrast “However” “On the other hand”
− Causality “Therefore” “Consequently”
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Make Them Feel Smart about Your Data
Relevant results that support key points
4-step explanation− question
− describe
− report result
− interpret result
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
0 30 75 150 240
Time (min)
Cel
l Den
sity
(ce
lls/c
m2 )
TC-treated
Untreated
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Handle Questions
Anticipate questions
LISTEN
Repeat or rephrase
Watch body language
Don’t bluff
Wrap up well
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Getting Grilled
Keep your cool Pause to think Restate question
in neutral terms Make direct eye
contact Look for common ground Respond with specific facts and figures Break away
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References
1. Barrett, Deborah. Leadership Communication. McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2006.
2. D’Arcy, Jan. Technically Speaking. Columbus: Battelle Press, 1998.
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Image Referenceswww.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/ed/jobs.htmlhttp://http://www.toastofchicago.org/sc-image.gif
http://www.uni-koblenz.de/~vladimir/breviary/dilbert-powerpoint.gif
www.owlnet.rice.edu/~cainproj/ news/october99/october.html
http://www.resumetapebook.com/i/tn_interview_jpeg.jpgwww.nebhworker.org/images/organize.gif
http://www.resumetapebook.com/i/tn_interview_jpeg.jpg
http://a.abcnews.com/media/US/images/pd_job_interview_030812_nv.jpg
http://www.tesl.iastate.edu/projects/onlineunits/kawaler/img/listening.gifhttp://www.openp2p.com/pub/a/p2p/2001/11/06/tuesday_photos.htmlhttp://www.openp2p.com/pub/a/p2p/2001/11/05/monday_photos.htmlmath.rice.edu/~lanius/ Algebra/stress.htmlhttp://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/news/_archives/April2003/Stacy15.gif
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Contact: The Cain Project
Tracy Volz, Ph.D.Abercrombie B107Ext. [email protected]
Mary Purugganan, Ph.D.Anderson 215Ext. [email protected]
Linda Driskill, Ph.D.Anderson 211CExt. [email protected]
