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High Stakes CommunicationInterviews and Job Talks

The Cain Project in Engineering and Professional Communication

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERIES

Successful Candidates

• Analyze situation and audience

• Organize knowledge and experience

• Convey confidence and professionalism

• Give great job talks • Handle questions

Research Your Employer

• Mission• Organizational structure and culture• Products, services, clients• Research foci, facilities• Financial standing• Size and location

Sources of Information

• Web sites• Annual report• Promotional materials• Advisors, peers• Conferences and meetings• Journals

Know Yourself

• Assess strengths and weaknesses• List life and career goals• Create table of key job satisfaction factors• Stay aware of current events

Know Your Work History

• Evidence from earlier résumés• Technical skills• Supervising or mentoring • Service

Get Organized

• Review notes on employers

• Match your qualifications to their needs

• Formulate questions to ask

Show What You Know!

• Greeting– Start with a confident,” Can-Do”

statement

• Road Map– Deliver topic sentences– Provide concrete examples– Organize for clarity– Adapt to audience’s interests

• Closing (memorize)– Summarize qualifications – Reinforce interest in position

“Map the Stops on Your Talk”

Time to Practicewith the person next to you!

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Convey Confidence and Professionalism

– Posture

– Gestures

– Eye contact

– Voice quality

– Attire

Listen Actively

• Give full attention

– Eye contact

– Body position

• Focus on main points

• Paraphrase questions

• Filter emotions and distractions

• Ask questions

Being professional means that you . . .

If Interviewers’ Questions Suggest an Unstated Agenda . . .

• Obtain additional information• Request clarification• Seek recommendation

Time to Practicewith the person next to you!

What are your most significant accomplishments?

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Success without Stress

• Breathe slowly

• Loosen up

• Eat

• Sleep

• Avoid caffeine

• Eliminate negativity

Turn 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 organization.

Practice!

• Rehearse out loud

• Mock interview with different people

• Get videotaped

• Keep a journal

Performance

Quality

Thorough

Practices

Preparing a Job Talk

High Impact Presenters

• Size up the situation• Organize the argument• Convey confidence• Integrate visuals• Handle questions

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?

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.

Start Strong and 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

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”

Handle Questions• Anticipate questions • LISTEN • Repeat or rephrase• Watch body language• Don’t bluff• Wrap up well

References

1. Barrett, Deborah. Leadership Communication. McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2006.

2. D’Arcy, Jan. Technically Speaking. Columbus: Battelle Press, 1998.

Image References

www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/ed/jobs.html

http://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.jpg

www.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.gif

http://www.openp2p.com/pub/a/p2p/2001/11/06/tuesday_photos.html

http://www.openp2p.com/pub/a/p2p/2001/11/05/monday_photos.html

math.rice.edu/~lanius/ Algebra/stress.html

http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/news/_archives/April2003/Stacy15.gif

More resources are available for you

• under “Engineering Communication” at Connexions at http://cnx.org

• at the Cain Project site at http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~cainproj

• in your course Communication Folder in OWLSPACE.

Lead through Excellence in Engineering Communication