First Round Interview

Hi and welcome to the Student Affairs Job Search by the Job Hakr.

I’m your host Dave Eng from the Student Affairs Job Search by the Job Hakr.

On the student affairs job search we dive deeply into the steps needed to move forward in our careers.

Find out more at jobhakr.com

On today’s show we’ll talk about first round interviews.

Most job applicants will need to get through a first round interview.

Sometimes that happens in person.

But most of the time it happens over the phone.

Or it happens via a video through Zoom, Skype, Hangouts or any online platform.

The medium doesn’t matter.

Doing well at the first round interview is key.

It’s key because this is the first step in progressing through the process and the search.

That means that all job seekers – including entry level student affairs professionals - will need to adequately prepare for the first round interview.

This episode will help you determine two of the most common types of first round interviews.

I’ll also cover the logistical differences between them

Both interviews often have different participants involved in the process.

I’ll finish up with a summary of how to prepare for each step along the way.

So, there are two different types of first round interviews.

The first takes place over the phone and the other takes place via video.

Video first round interviews are usually conducted via some kind of online platform.

Some of the most popular ones are Zoom, Skype, and Google Hangouts.

Remember, the modality doesn’t matter for the interview’s end goal.

There is ONE objective for the student affairs job seeker during the first round interview.

That is to distinguish oneself AND to progress to the next stage of the interview process.

That usually involves an on-campus interview.

But, sometimes it includes another phone or video interview.

The outcome for the first round interview is the same.

But, the way that you prepare for either the phone or video interview will differ slightly.

So there’s a great part to the first round phone interview.

It’s that you only have to worry about your voice.

You should be able to connect with your interviewers with few issues.

Just make sure that you have a clear connection and signal.

When you’re connecting over the phone it makes taking notes easier.

You can take notes on whatever device you’d like.

Personally I’ve taken notes via my computer since I can type faster than I can write.

However, sometimes tapping on a keyboard can be distracting over the phone.

In that case, I opt to take notes by hand.

There is one thing that I always take note of during a phone interview.

That is the questions I’m being asked.

I’ve done a countless number of first round interviews.

I’ve compiled them into some of the most frequently asked interview questions for student affairs job seekers here.

I’ll leave that link in this episode’s description or show notes for you to review.

Phone interviews are usually very brief.

Your contact will setup a time to speak with you over the phone.

This usually lasts between 20-30 minutes.

Phone interviews usually include introductions from both parties.

You’ll also be given time to ask any questions that you may have.

The video interview is a little bit different.

Unlike phone interviews, the video interview requires that you worry about two things.

Those include what you look like as well as the quality of your audio.

Because of this you’ll have to focus on how you appear on screen.

That means that it could be harder for you to take notes.

That’s because your camera serves as a replacement for your interviewer’s eyes.

So during the video interview be conscious of where you’re looking.

You’ll want to make direct eye contact with the camera.

This helps represent you best on screen.

The video interview is also more stressful than the phone interview.

That’s because your interviewer can both see and hear you.

This means that the video interview replicates the in-person interview more closely.

It’s a little bit more intimate than speaking to someone over the phone.

You won’t need much to prepare for phone interviews.

But, there are two things that you should prioritize.

First: find a quite place.

Make sure that place also has good reception.

Do you have both?

Then, you should be golden.

Additionally, you’ll want to find a place that has little to no echo.

Some of the best places to host this video is in a bedroom, office, or conference room.

Ideal phone interview places include

-Quiet

-Little to No Echo

-Good Reception

Conversely, the video interview will require a little more.

A video interview will require all of the things from a phone interview and then some.

You’ll still need a quite place with a good internet connection.

In addition, you’ll want to go the extra mile and have a clean and well lit background.

In addition, you’ll want to make sure that you maintain strong eye contact with the camera lens when delivering your responses.

That’s because the camera lens serves as your interview’s eyes during the video interview.

So, here are some Video Interview Ideal place characteristics:

1. It’s a Quiet Place

2. It has No Echo

3. It has Good Reception

4. You have a Clean Background and

5. It’s Well Lit

Short of a television studio, you won’t find a perfect place to host a video interview.

But you can make do with what you have.

There are many people who you may interact with during the first round interview.

But, here’s a list of some individuals who are most likely to be on the other side of the screen.

The first is the Hiring Manager.

The hiring manager is the person who will ultimately make the decision to hire you for the role.

They are also the person who will supervise you in this position.

This is one of the most common people to conduct your first round interview.

The second person who may be on the first round interview is the Human Resources Representative or Screener

The HR screener might be the person conducting your first round interview.

They are most likely in this position to make sure that you’re okay to progress to the next stages.

That means they are checking to make sure that major things about the position line up.

That often includes responsibilities, start date, experience, and salary requirements.

For the most part, these HR screeners are here to make sure that you check enough boxes to progress to the next interview.

That next interview usually includes someone who will work in your functional area (i.e. student activities; housing; or career development).

The third group includes Select Search Committee Members

Select members of the search committee might be present during your first round interview.

These are the individuals tasked with filling the open position at the institution.

They may all work in the office your are interviewing for.

Or sometimes they could come from across different areas of the university.

Preparing for the first round interview is a little bit different compared to preparing for an on-campus interview.

That’s because the first round interview is relatively low impact and will take up to 30 minutes of your time.

You should adequately prepare for your interview.

But you should not sink so much time into the process that you’re unable to apply to other positions.

That’s why the best student affairs job seekers prepare for the first round interview by following these seven steps:

Step 1: Get the names of the attendees

Step 2: Review the description

Step 3: Review staff backgrounds

Step 4: Create your WHY

Step 5: Create bullet points

Step 6: Create 3 strategic questions

Step 7: Ask for timeline

Let’s talk about getting names of attendees

Most student affairs professionals don’t attempt this step in the very beginning.

Especially if they are going on a first round interview with several people

But this first step is one of the most important in the process.

Knowing who will be on the call will help you.

Knowing who will be on the other side will help you: setup your expectations; determine targeted questions; and put your best foot forward.

The best place to look for a full list of attendees would be to review the confirmation email.

At best it would give you information about the person interviewing you.

Otherwise it would normally include the names and titles of the other people on the call.

So, what if you don’t have the full list of attendees?

It’s okay to ask the interview organizer for this.

This often occurs if an administrative assistant setups up the interview for you.

Consider sending a polite response email asking “Who else will be on the call?”

Ideally you’ll want to come away from that request with the following:

Full names, titles, and email addresses of everyone who will be on the first round interview.

Often, student affairs job seekers will just take a glance at the job description.

What most people often fail to do is to take each one of the responsibilities and re-word them.

The best way to do that would be to put “how” in front of each bullet point.

Here are some examples:

“How would you manage a residential community of 300 residents?”

“How would you create a robust programming schedule?”

Creating answers to those questions prior to your interview will help you answer those questions during the interview.

During your review of the description, you’ll also want to find alignment between what they want you to do in the role and what you’ve done before.

That’s when you can determine if questions about residential life - when you don’t have any residential life experience - might be difficult to answer.

Conversely, questions about new student orientation programs - when you’ve worked extensive with new students - would be a breeze for you to answer.

Have you gotten a list of interview attendees and reviewed the job description?

Now you can dive deeper into the individual staff members that will be on the call.

Sometimes this will be just one person.

Other times it’ll be a few members of the search committee.

Regardless, you’ll want to get a better sense of these committee members by researching them online.

Find their LinkedIn profile and examine how long they’ve been in their position; their previous titles; and their current role.

Determining how long they’ve been in one position can help determine the institution’s stance on promotion.

Determining how long they’ve been at the institution can help determine their personal longevity in their role.

Examining the roles and institutions that they’ve worked at before can help shed some light on their career arc.

The answers to all of this will help inform you how your own career at the institution might progress.

The number one question that student affairs job seekers should prepare for during their first round interview is the “why” question.

That is “Why have you applied?” or “Why do you want to work here?”

This is often the very first questions asked during the first round interview.

But most student affairs professionals fail to prepare for it.

You shouldn’t be most student affairs professionals.

Instead, take a few moments to craft a response for how your background and desire fits what they need.

Then you can set yourself on a strong path towards earning an invitation to the second round.

So you’ve done some research into the position; the staff; and creating your “why.”

It’s now time to summarize the main points of what you’ve learned.

You can call this your “highlights” for the interview.

I prefer to call it my “bullet points.”

As in these are the most important things to remember about this institution and position for this first round interview.

Here are some sample bullet points I included in a past interviews:

1.This is major research institution

2.The director of the department started in this role

3.They value a diverse workforce

So you’ve got your bullet points of information.

It’s now time come up with your three strategic questions.

I call these strategic questions because they aren’t questions to fill up time during your interview.

Rather you ask them because you are looking for very specific answers.

That’s because interview questions mainly fall into two different categories:

1) To GAIN information or

2) To demonstrate that you KNOW information

For example, you could ask, “I saw that experiential education is mentioned repeatedly in the mission statement; can you tell me how that’s used that in practice?”

This demonstrates that you’ve done your research and know the mission statement.

It also demonstrates your interest in seeing that mission in action.

There’s one more thing that you should do before ending the interview.

That involves asking the questions: “What are your next steps? Where do we go from here?”

This is a simple request for a timeline.

It helps you determine and set expectations for what happens after the interview.

They may tell you that they’ll be conducting first round interviews through the end of the week.

They may say that you’re the last phone interview.

They may indicate that they will reach out to all candidates next week.

However, you wouldn’t know this if you didn’t ask for a timeline at the end of your interview.

So let’s take a moment to wrap up this episode.

Remember: There are going to be at least two different kinds of first round interviews.

They can take place over the phone or via video.

Phone interviews are easier because you only need to worry about audio.

Video interviews require a little bit more preparation.

That’s because you’ll also need to make sure that you have a clean, clear, and well lit background.

Interviewers will most likely fall into three different categories: the hiring manager, human resources representative, or select members of the search committee.

Remember to follow these steps to ace your first round interview:

One: getting the names of the attendees

Two: reviewing the description

Three: reviewing staff backgrounds

Four: creating your WHY

Five: creating bullet points

Six: creating 3 strategic questions and

Seven: ending with asking for a timeline.

I hope you found this episode useful.

If you’d like some additional tips on your search then a great place to start is my eBook “Getting Started in your Student Affairs Job Search.”

You can download it for free at jobhakr.com/gettingstarted

You can also get a full transcript of this episode including links to references in the description or show notes.

Thanks for joining me!

Again, I’m your host Dave Eng from the Student Affairs Job Search by the Job Hakr.

On the student affairs job search we dive deeply into the steps needed to move forward in our careers.

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Happy searching!

References

15 Phone Interview Questions and Answers. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2019, from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/phone-interview-questions-and-answers.

Andrei, A., & Skillings, P. (2011, November). The Ultimate Guide to Acing a Video Interview. Retrieved September 30, 2019, from https://biginterview.com/blog/2014/11/video-interview.html

Breaux, P. (2019, March 19). 7 Pro Tips on How to Prep for Your Next Phone Interview. Retrieved September 30, 2019, from https://transparency.kununu.com/how-to-prep-for-your-next-phone-interview/

Conlan, C. (n.d.). 5 things you must do to prepare for a video job interview. Retrieved September 30, 2019, from https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/prepare-for-a-video-interview.

Jacobs, D. L. (2014, March 27). How To Ace A Phone Interview. Retrieved September 30, 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahljacobs/2014/05/27/how-to-ace-a-phone-interview/#658a92d32617

Malacoff, J. (2019, May 15). 12 Things to Never Do During A Phone Interview. Retrieved September 30, 2019, from https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/12-things-to-never-do-during-a-phone-interview/.

McGoodwin, L. (2018, December 10). 15 Sneaky Phone Interview Tips to Get You to the Next Round. Retrieved September 30, 2019, from https://www.careercontessa.com/advice/phone-interviewing/

Phone Interview Tips to Get You to the Next Round. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2019, from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/phone-interview-tips-to-get-you-to-the-next-round.