How to Prepare for an Internal Job Interview

Kristen McManus

Module Overview and Description:

This instructional module will focus on aspects of a successful internal job interview. This
means the content will be geared towards the organization I work for and preparing employees
to interview for another open position within the company. The content will be made up of lists,
examples, instructor led scenarios, hands on tasks, and role playing. The overall goal of the
module is to build on what participants already know about interviewing and prepare them for an
internal company interview.

Learner Analysis:

The learners that will participate in this instruction are recent college graduates, who
have limited interview experience. They are all part of the rotational program I manage. I have
interviewed every one of the learners previously, so I understand their areas for improvement.
An aspect of their current job is their time in the program is temporary and they ultimately must
earn a permanent position within the company. These employees have been with the rotational
program for at least a month and are ready to begin the process of looking for a permanent
position. This is often done through interviewing for internal positions. Given this fact, they will
be motivated to absorb and apply this training in order to reach their goal. This is also an area
where I feel most individuals don’t feel 100% confident in, so the training can be valuable at any
stage. I don’t have any concerns about a lack of participation with the group or their motivation
levels. I will have 3 to 5 individuals to work with. Also, the instruction and resources will have to
be geared towards interviewing for an internal position. The module will be tailored towards my
company and this group.

Instructional Context:

The context as mentioned above will be if the learner were to apply to an internal job.
They will learn what resources they can use that are specific to our company. They will also
update their resume with tasks and responsibilities they currently have. Everything will be
geared to the goal of gaining a permanent position within our company. Logistically even though
they may all have different target jobs, they will all be using the same materials including our
company website and our career page. The main form of delivery will be utilizing a projector I
have in a conference room. Participants will also have access to computers they will utilize
during various parts of the instruction. This will include navigating to a job listing and editing
their own resumes. I will also set up a group role play so they can put the discussed strategies
into practice. Being that I will be working with a smaller group that has an established rapport, I
think this evaluation will be effective. It is also a small enough group where at any time during
instruction I have the flexibility to adjust things to elaborate as needed. The instruction should be
limited to an hour as not to pull the participants away from their work for too long. Given the
class size and access to the mentioned resources, I don’t anticipate any issues keeping this
timeline.
 Unit Goals and Instructional Objectives:

Objective 1: Construct a professional resume.

Participants will learn to recognize common formatting and grammatical errors on
resumes and apply what they have learned to update their own resumes to address these errors
and the add in their current work experiences.

Objective 2: Apply discussed strategies to answer interview questions

The instructor will discuss common interview questions and strategies for answering
these questions. Instructor will discuss resources participants can use to find background on the
position. Learners will also be provided with scenarios they might encounter during interviews.
Participants will use this knowledge to answer interview questions during a group role play.
Instructor will oversee the role play to evaluate whether or not the learners are implementing the
discussed strategies. Instructor will provide feedback during this exercise.

Instructional Strategies:

I. Welcome and Introductions (5 minutes)

a. Instructor will welcome group to the module and briefly describe the outline of the
course
b. Instructor will ask each participant to rate themselves 1-10 regarding comfort
level regarding interviewing.
c. Instructor will record comments on a white board in response to the rating.
II. Construct a professional resume (30 minutes)
a. Using Adobe Captivate or PowerPoint, instructor will discuss common resume
mistakes.
i. Formatting errors
ii. Grammatical errors
iii. Including distracting or non-essential information.
b. Instructor will display sample resumes highlighting each listed area and ask the
participants to volunteer answers as to where the errors on each resume are.
III. Apply discussed strategies to answer interview questions
a. Instructor will provide a list of resources to each participant listing resources they
can use to learn more about their desired department or division. They include:
i. Websites
ii. HR resources
b. Instructor will distribute a list of questions of common questions they may expect
in an internal interview
c. Instructor will outline importance of researching questions for an interview and
provide examples of what they could ask the interviewer.
d. Instructor will briefly review each question using the PowerPoint for visuals and
discuss the following strategies:
i. Pulling from experience
ii. Not over exaggerating
iii. Have specific details to back up answers
iv. Avoiding clichés
v. Recognizing nonverbal cues.

IV. Closing/Wrap Up (5 minutes)

 a. Instructor will have a wrap up, briefly reviewing 3 main objectives once more.
b. Instructor will show participants where they can access presentation and
resources for review.
c. Instructor will ask each participant to again rate their comfort level from 0 to 10
regarding interviewing.

Learner Assessment Strategies:

Objective 1: Using the strategies discussed participants will adjust their current resumes using
the available computers. Instructor will review as they are working. Participants will provide a
completed updated resume that the instructor will review to asses that they have followed the
outlines strategies.

Objective 2: Using the provided common questions list participants will sit in a circle and ask the
person to their right one question. Upon answering the participant will choose one question to
ask the person to their right and so on until everyone has answered. Instructor will observe and
provide feedback as needed. Instructor will assess that they are using the outlined strategies
and may ask a follow up question if needed.

Summary of modifications:

The first major modification I made to this module was to tailor it specifically to my
company. This was needed as not only because I feel the content will be beneficial to the
chosen participant group, but because this is the best option for individuals to work with on this
assignment. The original module was targeted to those on a job hunt, where my module focuses
on applying to internal positions and the specifics to that process.
The second major modification I made was to trim the objectives down from four to two.
This was needed due to time constraints. I chose these two objectives because I was able
combine parts of the other two objectives into them. The two remaining are the two that this
group would benefit from the most. I know this because not only have I seen their resumes, but
because I also interviewed them for their current positions.

Reference List:

 Resources:

Ahuja, S. (2018, April 5). Does Job Hopping Help or Hurt Your Career. Retrieved November 14, 2019,

from http://rh-us.mediaroom.com/2018-04-05-Does-Job-Hopping-Help-Or-Hurt-Your-Career?

utm_campaign=Press_Release&utm_medium=Link&utm_source=Press_Release.

Clark, B. (n.d.). The Two Best Times of Year to Apply for Jobs (And When to Avoid). Retrieved November

14, 2019, from https://careersidekick.com/the-two-best-and-worst-times-of-the-year-for-job-

hunting/.
Mayer, R. (Ed.). (2014). The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning (Cambridge Handbooks in

Psychology). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139547369

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K., & Kemp, J. E. (2013). Designing effective instruction (7th

ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Prensky, M. (2001), "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants

Team, G. (2019, October 21). 50 Most Common Interview Questions. Retrieved January 22, 2020, from
https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/common-interview-questions/

Trull, S. G. (1964, January). Strategies for Effective Interviews. Retrieved from

https://hbr.org/1964/01/strategies-of-effective-interviewing

Workopolis(2016). Why only 2% of applicants actually get interviews. Retrieved November 16, 2019 from

https://careers.workopolis.com/advice/only-2-of-applicants-actually-get-interviews-heres-how-to-

be-one-of-them/

 Handouts (included in Zip Folder)

 Original Instructional Design Plan (Included in Zip Folder)