Have a Phone Appointment Tomorrow

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The Critic

The Critic

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Earlier this year, in April to be specific, I interviewed with the Chancellor's office for an internship. This internship is with my school's university relations department and is offered to two people. The internship would have been for the 2009-2010 academic year and it would have paid for my academic fees.

I personally thought the interview went very well. Unfortunately, I was not selected for the internship. According to the Career Center Counselor who is reponsible for managing the internship programs, I was told that I was second on the list for the internship.

Although I already found another job (it actually pays a lot more) as a Residential Advisor for the 2009-2010 school year, I really want to do the internship for the 2010-2011 Academic Year. So, I scheduled a phone appointment for tomorrow afternoon with one of the interviewers to discuss my interview. I really hope to learn from this phone appointment how I can be a more competitive candidate when I apply next time.

With that said, what kind of questions should I be asking tomorrow? I know some of you on this forum are either hiring managers or have been in my shoes before, so I would really appreciate any advice that you can offer me.

Thanks!
 
Be VERY knowledgeable about the job, the University and the functions of this position. read all you can about it. Be prepared to answer difficult questions about yourself( what is your greatest weakness, when you had a failure , how did you deal with it)and don't give trite answers.

Ask questions about how the current economic situation has changed or altered the way this deaprtment goes about its job. In this morning's Wall Street, there is an article about universities dealing with the crisis. Read it and let them kn ow you have read it. Ask about how alumni are responding as well. Perhaps think about ways that you feel you might work with different age groups in the alumni body to overcome this.
 
+1 ^

Ask them about how this position will help you develop your Leadership abilities.

Also tell them you can now drive a manual transmission equipped vehicle and can answer any questions they may have about driving technique.
LOL.gif
 
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Uh, you guys realize he's not being interviewed for the job, right?

He is interviewing one of the people who originally interviewed him, to learn what it was about his responses that they found both positive and negative. This is so he can work on improving what they believed was lacking in his interview for the job.

Cheers
 
Ask them the qualities they were looking for evidence of.

Ask if there were specific negatives that you should work on, both in content of the answers and the delivery. (Were you friendly, specific enough, answers too long or short, voice tone and delivery OK?)

Ask how you came across in general, what was the dominant impression you left, if there was one.

You don't want to drill the interviewer on these questions point by point, but you can do some low key exploring in these general areas.
 
The best way to get a job at a university is to be female, black or native, and be a single mom. Asians are "over represented" in universities, so they have a much harder time getting hired than average folk. However, there is a way to play the system. You can rightfully say you are of Afro-Amero-Asian descent. Genetic studies have proven we all come from Africa, so you can use that as proof in case they squeal after seeing you in person.
 
Congrats on the RA job!

FWIW, I was 2nd choice for my job-- they had another opening a couple weeks after the first one and my resumé was still laying on the boss' cluttered desk!
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic
According to the Career Center Counselor who is reponsible for managing the internship programs, I was told that I was second on the list for the internship.

[snip]

I scheduled a phone appointment for tomorrow afternoon with one of the interviewers to discuss my interview.


Do you really think they want you to waste their time?
 
Originally Posted By: Boomer
Be VERY knowledgeable about the job, the University and the functions of this position. read all you can about it. Be prepared to answer difficult questions about yourself( what is your greatest weakness, when you had a failure , how did you deal with it)and don't give trite answers.

Ask questions about how the current economic situation has changed or altered the way this deaprtment goes about its job. In this morning's Wall Street, there is an article about universities dealing with the crisis. Read it and let them kn ow you have read it. Ask about how alumni are responding as well. Perhaps think about ways that you feel you might work with different age groups in the alumni body to overcome this.


Ah, the calculated, formulaic approach -- sniffed out and recognized by most any potential employer. Depending on their wants it may even get you the job.
 
You need to determine what connections the successful intern used and emulate them. This should be your covert strategy during the interview. Talk to the interviewer in person over lunch. Good luck Mr. Phelps.
 
I would ask first what the weakest portion of the interview was and at what specific point in the analysis, if the person can remember, was the decision made to hire your competition?

It doesn't matter that you're 'wasting their time' as mori says. You are - but you're making a very valuable impression for next year's round of interviews. Also, this is probably the only time you'll be in a position to ask for and actually get this kind of feedback since it's a learning institution and they kind of have to do it. Your average HR department wouldn't consider it.
 
Maybe sneak into the HR department office and adjust their clock ahead a few minutes each day, so everyone else shows up late for their interview.
 
Originally Posted By: ravenchris
So, what did you do?


Sorry for the delay.

Basically the lady told me that she was no longer working with the internship program next year. However, she told me that one of the interviewers will be in charge of the program next year and suggested that I talk with her.

She did say that I left very positive impressions with her and that she was very impressed with my interview. Obviously, it was good but not good enough. She said that she no longer remembered specific details on the interview itself, but suggested that I stay involved on campus and to try again next year.

I was hoping to get more out of it, but oh well.
21.gif


I do plan to contact the person that she suggested.
 
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