Job Interview Tips

The job interview is the most important part of the job search process. It is through the interview that you will have the opportunity to sell your skills and background to a potential employer and to get to know more about that employer.

The most important part of an interview is your preparation. By preparing for the interview you can maximize your chances for success. There are four key areas of preparation:

1. Know yourself
2. Know the organization with which you are interviewing
3. Know the details: time, location, and appropriate dress for the interview
4. Practice

Know Yourself

To effectively sell your qualifications to an employer, you must first know what they are. Review all aspects of your resume. Know why you chose your major and your university. Know what classes you liked and disliked. Know what skills and accomplishments you have developed through your coursework, your work experiences, your activities, and your life experiences. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Be able to talk about yourself and your personal characteristics.

Know what you want to do and how your career goals relate to the organization with which you are interviewing. If you need assistance in identifying this information about yourself, set an appointment with a CCO staff member.

Know the Organization

There are several sources of information about organizations. Most organizations provide homepages on the Internet. If you are interviewing through the CCO there is a connection to employers’ homepages through the CCO homepage. Read these carefully, especially the annual report and the letter to the stockholders from the CEO. You can often detect trends that are developing and changes that have occurred within an organization by perusing the annual report.

The reference sections of the Krannert Library and Undergraduate Library have handouts available that contain long and complete lists of resources that are available for researching organizations.

If you are interviewing through the Center for Career Opportunities, there may be an information session prior to your interview. These sessions are usually held the night before the interview and are an important source of information about an organization. If at all possible, you should plan to attend information sessions. Dress for information sessions is business casual. Employer Information Session specifics can be found on the CCO’s homepage in the Student section.

If you are having problems finding information about an organization, the CCO staff may be able to offer suggestions to assist you.

Know the Details

Part of your interview preparation is to know the day, date, time, and location of your interview. Do not assume. Check to be sure that you have the right information. Be certain there have been no last-minute changes.

Know what the appropriate dress is for the interview. Most of the time you should err on the side of typical professional dress—a suit and tie for men and a professional suit and blouse or dress for women. Professional pantsuits are acceptable for women. Some employers may accept more business casual dress for the interview. If so, they will state so in their interview notice. Again, part of your preparation is to plan ahead so you will be comfortable with what you are wearing and feel good about your appearance.

Practice

Athletes who excel in their sport share one common characteristic—they practice, practice, practice until they get better. The same is true with interviewing. Practice will help you get better. There are several ways to practice for an interview.

One way is to conduct an information interview with an employer in your field. The information interview should take place before the job interview. In an information interview, you are not applying for a job, but asking a potential employer questions about your field and positions in their organization. Ask concise and direct questions that will help you derive the desired information during an information interview. You can use that information in preparing for an actual job interview. This also gives you practice at one-on-one interviewing.

A second way to practice is through a mock interview. Participating in a mock interview can help you become familiar with the interviewing process. It can also give you practice at providing spontaneous, logical answers to an interviewer’s questions as well as learn how to handle the pressure of an interview. Following the mock interview you are given a critique of your answers to help identify fatal mistakes as well as strengths and weaknesses in your communication skills. The CCO staff can assist you with a mock interview. Contact the CCO office to make an appointment.

Another way to practice is to anticipate questions. Take an employer’s perspective and think about what questions you might be asked based on skills needed for that organization or position. Become familiar with and develop specific examples to talk about for all aspects of your background. This is called the S.T.A.R. interviewing technique. Specific questions about your background will be asked. You will need to relay the situation, the task, the actions, and the results of your experiences. Your answer should be focused on the actions—what you did. Your answers to these questions help the interviewer understand what skills you can offer the organization.

You are Ready to Interview

Show up to your interview early so you can relax and collect your thoughts before the interview. There are four basic components to an initial employment interview. They are:

Introduction
Questions by the Interviewer
Questions by the Interviewee
Closing

Introduction

The introduction will be very short, but a very important part of the interview. Good body posture, a firm handshake, and steady eye contact should all be displayed during the introduction. Small talk will be on informal topics of discussion to gage your spontaneity and personal interests.

Questions by the Interviewer

Your preparation and practice will pay off during this portion of the interview, which will be the longest part. Most interviewers will ask good, open-ended questions that will let you give information about your background. This is the time to present those specific answers that were talked about in the practice section. General answers, such as “I am hard working and motivated,” don’t mean anything to an interviewer until you tell them why you say that. What past experiences have you had that make you say that about yourself? If you do not understand a question, be sure to ask questions that will help you focus your answer.

Questions by the Interviewee

Again, this is where your preparation and practice will pay off. Prepare a list of questions for the interviewer ahead of time. Be certain you don’t ask questions that were answered in the literature or at the information session the night before. However, it is fine to ask for additional information or interpretation of information. Clarify any aspects of the position through your questions. Just as you want the interviewer to ask you open-ended questions, your questions should be stated in such a way that you will receive helpful information from the interviewer. To help you in knowing what kinds of questions you might ask, there is a list of questions to ask employers.

Closing

As with the introduction, the closing will be a small part of the interview, but also a very important part. Before you leave, verify contact information for the interviewer. If you have not received a business card, ask for one. Also, verify the next step in the hiring process. Will they follow up with you or should you follow up with them and how soon? Express your appreciation for the opportunity to interview and leave with a smile and a handshake.

After the Interview

Send a brief thank you note to the recruiter within a day or two of the interview, if you are interested in pursuing a job with that organization. In the note, thank them for their time, express excitement about the organization or position, and tell them you look forward to hearing from them.

If you do not hear from them within a specified amount of time, follow up with them.

Four Final Tips for a Successful Interview

Be Prepared
Be Yourself
Be Positive
Be Enthusiastic