Interviewing

Our hiring decisions are based on qualifications. Your experience and knowledge are what counts. We look for motivated people who work well in a team environment.

Our interviewers are trained to select the best candidate. Interviewers learn how to ask the right questions to get information on work related ability and how to fairly rate responses. Human Resources and our Civil Rights Bureau monitor every selection process to ensure fairness while removing any barriers that might exist.

At MDT we use a technique called behavioral based interviewing. Behavioral based interviewing (BBI) is a structured, legally defensible interview tool to gain information about technical and behavioral skills. It is well known that the best predictor of future performance is past performance. In short, it’s the behaviors that count, not the general claims or statements one often hears in an interview. Your interview panel will ask for examples of how you handled specific situations; these types of questions give you a wonderful opportunity to share your thought processes, problem-solving abilities, attitudes, and people skills. At MDT we ask questions that are directly connected to our MDT Competencies.

A model that can assist you in answering BBI questions to completion is the S.O.A.R.R model.

What is the S.O.A.R.R. model?

The S.O.A.R.R. model is a way of structuring interview answers to ensure that every aspect of the question is answered fully.

Here is what the S.O.A.R.R stands for:

Situation: who, what, when, where

• Give a detail explanation of what was occurring during this example. The panel needs enough information to truly understand what was happening, who was involved, when did this occur. Take your time in describing the situation, the panel is there to listen.

Obstacles: challenges, barriers

• What was the specific challenge you needed to overcome? What barriers got in the way and how did you navigate past them?

Action: what did YOU do? What did you think?

• Be specific with the action you took, what was your thinking process, who did you communicate with, how did you make decisions?

Results: What was the result?

• Your example doesn’t only have to be of a positive situation that had a perfect result, talking about a situation that was difficult and had an outcome you wished were different is ok. Make sure to follow-up in your review of what you learned.

Review: What worked well? What did you learn from the experience? What would you do differently?

• This is a great opportunity to talk about your willingness to learn from past experiences and bring forward your current knowledge.

We conduct panel interviews. This practice is not done to intimidate you. The goal is to ensure fairness in the selection process.

We highly recommend practicing for your interview. Interviewing can be very stressful; practicing will build confidence and have a positive impact on the entire interviewing process.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Most applicants don’t talk enough during an interview. Give complete answers with specific examples of your skills or accomplishments.
• Express a positive attitude and show enthusiasm in your answers.
• If you didn’t understand a question, ask the interviewer to repeat or clarify it.
• Feel free to ask questions about MDT and the position when it is your turn.
  • It is best not to ask questions about pay or benefits at this time.
  • You want to impress the interview panel with what you can bring to MDT, and not leave an impression that it’s all about what you can get out of MDT.
• Be sure to ask for the job!
• If you are interested in this career opportunity with MDT, end the interview by saying you’d like to have the job. It’s amazing how many people don’t do this, and in a close decision, the person who asked for the job often tips the scale in their favor.

After the interview, you might want to send a thank you note. It can be a letter, e-mail or voicemail. This is your opportunity to summarize why you believe you are the right person for the job and what unique skills and abilities you can bring to MDT.

It is a great idea to practice interviewing questions that will help prepare you for your interview. To find a selection of behavior-based questions go to jobinterviewquestions.com. This website allows you to choose a specific job position and narrows down some question options to practice.

Before the interview, it's a good idea to become familiar with MDT Competencies.