Know How to Interview

Your resume and cover letter grabbed the attention of the employer and you have been asked to come in for an interview. Are you prepared to turn those interviews into job offers?
- Interview Tips
- Interview Preparation Activities
- Preparing for Behavioral Interview Questions
- Sample Questions to Ask the Employer During the Interview
- Common Mistakes Made During the Interview
- Follow Up After the Interview
Interview Preparation Activities
Do these activities before every interview – if possible, go over the questions and answers with a friend (at the very least in the mirror!), and practice your answers until they sound polished and confident (but not rehearsed!).
Practice Activities |
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Make a list of the reasons why You are the perfect person for the job. |
Anticipate questions they will ask you during the interview, and practice your answers. |
Make a list of questions to ask them about the job or company. |
Consider things to avoid doing/saying during the interview. |
Online Interviewing Resources
Preparing for Behavioral Interview Questions
(adapted from www.quintcareers.com)
Behavioral questions try to get at how you responded in specific situations, for example: ‘Tell me about a time where you had to resolve a customer complaint.’ The best way to prepare for behavioral questions is to have examples of experiences ready, but try to choose experiences that you made the best of or -- better yet, those that had positive outcomes.
Here's a good way to prepare for behavior-based interviews:
- Identify six to eight examples from your past experience where you demonstrated top behaviors and skills that employers typically seek. Think in terms of examples that will highlight your top selling points.
- Half your examples should be totally positive, such as accomplishments or meeting goals.
- The other half should be situations that started out negatively but either ended positively or you made the best of the outcome.
- Vary your examples; don't take them all from just one area of your life.
- Use fairly recent examples.
- Use the STAR Method to answer your questions.
Develop your own STAR Accomplishment using the STAR Worksheet (pdf).
Situation or Task |
Describe the situation that you were in or the task that you needed to accomplish. You must describe a specific event or situation, not a generalized description of what you have done in the past. Be sure to give enough detail for the interviewer to understand. This situation can be from a previous job, from a volunteer experience, or any relevant event. |
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Action you took | Describe the action you took and be sure to keep the focus on you. Even if you are discussing a group project or effort, describe what you did -- not the efforts of the team. Don't tell what you might do, tell what you did. |
Results you achieved |
What happened? How did the event end? What did you accomplish? What did you learn? |
Sample Questions to Ask the Employer During the Interview
Below is a list of questions you may consider asking during your interview. If you already know the answer to the question; either from the job description, information provided during the interview, or from your research of the company online; do NOT ask the question. If you still need clarification about anything that can be found while researching the company, be clear about where you found the information and follow it up with the question.
- Is this a new position? Has it been open long? (Optional: Why did the previous person leave?)
- What are the main objectives and responsibilities of the position?
- What is your definition of success for this position?
- What are usually the most challenging aspects of the job?
- What are the priorities for this position in the next 2-3 months? The next year?
- Who will be my supervisor?
- Could you describe the team I’ll be working with?
- How would you describe the culture of the office?
- How would you describe your perfect candidate for this job?
- What’s the normal path & timeframe for advancement within the company?
- At what point would you expect me to be ‘up to speed’ with the duties of the job?
- What are your company/organization’s goals for the next year?
- How do you feel I fit with the qualifications you have defined for this position?
- What is your timeline for hiring?
- How is this position funded?
- What do you enjoy most about working here?
- Can you clarify what ______ means in the job description?
- How would you describe the work environment here?
- What is a typical day like?
Follow-up After the Interview.
The job interview is not over when you leave the meeting. You have one more chance to impress the employer. Follow up the interview with a thank-you letter or email.
Send a thank-you letter or note (pdf) to each person who interviewed you. Your letter should cover these main points:
- Thank the interviewer(s) for their time.
- Briefly state why you are qualified for the job and why you are interested in the position. You may want to mention something you didn’t get to discuss during your interview or you may want to remind the interviewer(s) of something you discussed during the interview that created a positive response.
- You may want to take this opportunity to mention any information that you forgot to say during the interview.
- Add a final "thank you" for the opportunity to interview.
- Say how you plan to follow up.
If you told the interviewers that you would give them added information, make sure that you do. Keep track of when you said you would contact this employer to find out if you were hired. Don't forget to make that contact.
Be sure to check the grammar, spelling, word use and punctuation before sending the thank you letter or email. If you choose to write your letter by hand, check with a friend to verify that your handwriting is legible.