Successful Interviews
The job interview is one of the most important parts of your job search. It is your opportunity to sell your strengths and present yourself as a candidate who is uniquely qualified for the position. With preparation and practice, you can learn the skills necessary to interview effectively. The interview is usually divided into three parts:
- Ice Breaker - a few minutes of “ice-breaking” to allow the candidate to feel comfortable. "Tell me about yourself." is a common first question.
- Interviewer Questions - questions from the employer (which take the majority of the time);
- Interviewee Questions - time for the interviewee to ask questions about the organization or position.
Schedule an appointment with your Career Centerto conduct a Mock Interview!
Tips For Interview Success
Mock Interview - We highly recommend you schedule an appointment with a Career Specialist in order to conduct a Mock (Practice) Interview. We have specific questions we will ask you and we can focus the interview around a specific position you are applying for!
Know Yourself - What are your skills and accomplishments that qualify you as the best candidate for the job? Be prepared to answer the general question, “tell me about yourself” by preparing a one-minute “personal statement” or bio.
Personal Statement - Prepare a one-minute “personal statement” or bio explaining your background, skills, accomplishments, strengths, and goals. Do not include information such as where you grew up or how many siblings you have. Practice this until it rolls off your tongue easily in an unrehearsed fashion. Keep in mind when answering the interviewer's questions that you want to relate your answers to the job at hand. Therefore, as with preparing your cover letter and resume, find out the skills and requirements of the job.
S.T.A.R. - Prepare an array of accomplishment statements to use as needed during the interview and practice articulating these. There is a world of difference between thinking how you will say something and actually saying it. Also, take any documentation of accomplishments with you in a folder.
Relate your accomplishments in a story-like format by using S.T.A.R.:
- Think about a Situation or Task you faced. Describe this situation in two or three sentences.
- Next, describe the Action you took. Be very specific. While you want to avoid appearing arrogant, you want to take credit for the role you played.
- Conclude by describing the Result you achieved. Discuss how your work helped an employer (a community service project, your church, child’s school, etc). Whenever possible, discuss the result in measurable or quantifiable terms.
Example - "As an Account Representative, I was expected to implement a new system process for invoices, but did not have the full support of my manager. To convince the manager to support the new process, I proposed an 8:00 a.m. meeting to discuss the project. Both the presentation and my willingness to meet so early convinced my manager to grant approval. The new system process was quickly implemented and as a result, decreased the processing time for invoices by 25 percent."
Research - Learn as much as possible about the company and be prepared to answer questions in a relevant manner and ask intelligent questions. Sources of information include past or current employees, the company’s public relations office, the company's Web site, a library or the Career Development Center. Areas of research include:
- Mission
- Corporate Culture
- Reputation/Reviews
- Services or Products
- Company Competitors
- Organizational Structure
- Positions available
Practice - It is imperative you practice interviewing – either alone, with a friend or with a career counselor. Fine-tune your interview style and become more comfortable answering questions about yourself. However, do not memorize answers or practice excessively, as this can adversely decrease your spontaneity during the interview. Above all, employers are listening to see if you have a good attitude, integrity, and would be loyal to the organization.
- Remember the 50/50, two-minute max rule. According to Richard Bolles (Author of What Color is your Parachute?) and researchers at M.I.T., persons who get hired most frequently follow this conversation mix. Essentially, you talk 50 percent of the time and listen to 50 percent of the time during the interview. Talking too much gives the impression you are self-absorbed and oblivious to the needs of the company and speaking too little conveys that you have something to hide or are a poor communicator. When asked a question, try not to speak more than two minutes when delivering the answer. According to Bolles, “People who ramble on and on don’t get hired.”