01. Top 5 Interview Q’s | Portfolio Prep

ASSIGNMENT BACKGROUND / WHY WE’RE DOING THIS

Although being a professional artist is possible, it may take time to produce enough work and find your audience. In the meantime, we will still need to pay for food and shelter, not to mention all of the supplies we use within our trades. In our other assignments, we’ll be developing the most common tools in the job-seeker’s arsenal. In this assignment, we’ll be tackling one of the most challenging parts of any job search: the interview.

We will spend time composing answers and practicing our interviewing techniques so that when we DO go to an interview, we will be more calm and prepared.

By the time we’re done with this project, we will be able to do the following:

Compose answers to some common interview questions.
Recognize and prepare for different types of interviews.
Think critically and practically about the interview process.

STEPS

\\\\ READINGS

Although there is not a specific reading assignment, all of the questions used in this project will come from the following book:

101 Great Answers to the Toughest Interview Questions by Ron Fry

\\\\ THE TOP 5 QUESTIONS

While there are many different questions that can be asked during an interview, many of them fall into a series of very specific question types. A question type may be worded differently from interview to interview, but it is always looking for the same general information. For example: You may be asked a question such as ‘Describe a time when something went wrong and how you fixed it,’ which is very similar to ‘How would you handle a client who is unhappy with the final result,’ which is also very similar to ‘How would you handle a situation in which two of your co-workers are arguing?’ All three seem to be very different, but all three are asking the same basic type of question: How do you handle adversity?

For this step in the project, you will need to draft answers to the following 5 questions:
- What are your greatest strengths?
- What extracurricular activities were you involved in?
- Which courses did you like the least?
- What are your most memorable accomplishments?
- Tell me about the types of people you have trouble getting along with.
Once you have finished answering the above questions, create a PDF with your answers. This PDF will need to be submitted via Blackboard.
Bring one printed copy of your answers to class as well; we will be discussing them in groups.
Tips: Here are some things to think about as you are answering your questions:
- Try to answer the questions in 2-3 sentences. If the question asks you to describe a situation or explain, you may need more, but your goal is to keep your answers succinct so that you will not ramble. If they want more information or explanation, they will ask.
- Be honest. If you answer a question at one point in the interview, and are asked a similar question later, your answer should not change. The only way you can guarantee that this will not be an issue is being honest with yourself and the interviewer.
- However, be wary of HOW honest you are. If the interviewer asks you why you chose your English class as the most challenging, do not tell them that it was because your late night partying made it difficult to get up for an 8:00am class. Instead, you could say (fairly honestly) that there were some unexpected personal challenges making it difficult to give the course as much attention as it needed, but you were able to make adjustments to your schedule and devise a plan so that the second time you took the course you were able to excel.

GRADING

To get credit for this assignment, you will need to bring the following to class:

Submit a PDF of your answers via Blackboard – 5 points
Bring 1 printed copy of your answers – 3 points

///////// AUTOMATIC FAILURE

PDF file does not open
Missing required elements
Printed copy not ready for the start of class