Interviewing

Interview -  It is a word that gets me pumped up and excited.   It is an opportunity to hear what makes someone excited about what they do now or what they want to do.  The interview is a chance to meet someone new (in most cases) and see what they are all about.  Well, that is just my humble view so let’s take a look at what an interview is. 

Wikepedia defines an interview:

“An interview is a conversation between two or more people (the interviewer and the interviewee) where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.”

What I like most about this definition is the first key word used is conversation.  What a powerful word to start out with – Conversation.   The word conversation feels more like sharing ideas, thoughts, and information rather than one person asking questions while the other person waits to answer. 

The next word to highlight is questions.  Yes, there will always be questions in an interview.  I will not write about interview questions just yet, but want to share one thought around questions.  Questions are not just for the interviewer.  You should also be asking questions to learn about the position or company you are interested in.

The last word in this definition I like is information.  Much of the interview is sharing information.  This information could be examples of your work, educational background, motivation, skills, abilities……….There are just too many examples that could be used here.  The point is information needs to be shared by both the interviewer and interviewee. 

Using the three key words from the definition, an interview is a conversation with questions to share information. Unlike everyday conversations, an interview needs preparation and practice to do really well. My suggestion is to write down examples of what you have done that describe your knowledge, skills, and ability for the position you are about to interview for. Think about what question you might be asked and practice answering those questions. This will help you share the right information when asked a question. Try to be as relaxed as you can and be yourself.

More to come in the next post.

Take care.

Scott

Education Division Internship Opportunity

We have two exciting internship opportunities within our Education Division for the summer of 2010!  We are looking for highly motivated students pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in an education-related field at an accredited university.  Here is a description of the position:

The Intern works collaboratively as a member of the Education Division to deliver quality performance-based learning solutions for the organization. This role is responsible for all aspects of curriculum design and development including creating performance and learning objectives, designing instruction using the 4MAT framework, development of content and instructional strategies, and the evaluation of the instruction through the appropriate assessment strategies. This role is also responsible for project management during the curriculum design and development processes. The Education Intern works with Learning Strategies Consultants, Performance Learning Specialists, instructors, business partners, and subject matter experts to ensure the quality of the instruction and effective coordination and integration of the development and delivery functions.

If this position is a fit for you or someone you know, we accept online applications at: www.americanfamilyinsurance.jobs.  The job number is 7519 and the title is “General Internship – Education Division”. 

If you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comments box below.  Thanks!

-Mike

AmFam Internships

Nina - former HR intern and current employee

The buzz around campus’ every fall is apparent.  Recruiters are seemingly everywhere conducting mock interviews, presenting at information sessions, or setting up booths at various events.  At American Family we have a wide array of internships that we’ll be looking to fill over the coming months.   Even though many of our interns are from the Actuarial Science field, we have students from many disciplines working in a variety of divisions – Claims, Education, Marketing, HR, Legal to name a few. 

Keep an eye out on our website (http://www.americanfamilyinsurance.jobs) and also this blog for more details.  If you see an internship that interests you please don’t hesitate to ask one of us!  Remember, you have to be a student to be eligible.  Happy hunting!

-Mike