Everyone goes to college with the same end goal: to get a job. It does not matter what you are studying, or where you end up going after you graduate because at some point you will be looking for work and during that time you will have to go on some interviews. It is always helpful to be prepared and to know what to expect going into an interview. It makes the whole experience seem less terrifying, and the employer will feel that you are confident in your responses. Here are some pointers that I have learned while preparing for and going through the interview process.
Always make sure you have an updated and critiqued resume. Your resume is what will get you in the door and will actually get you the interview. If you have spelling and grammar mistakes on your resume, the employer will likely notice these and will not want to speak with you. It is also important to have the right format to your resume. It should be one page long and it should be neatly organized into categories that fit your experiences. Your name and address should always be at the top, followed by a section for your education. After that, you are free to organize your resume however you would like. I know it is hard to be creative with something that is supposed to be pretty plain, but try to make your resume look unique so that it stands out among all other applicants.
TIP: your experiences should be organized in chronological order in each section, beginning with your most recent involvement. For example, if you are currently working somewhere that would be the first job you would write down in your “work experience” or “Job Experience” section. Then from there, you list your other experiences, following the “most recent first” organization.
Now that you have checked your resume, it is time to prepare for the interview. Interview prep is the most important part of this whole process. Being prepared is the best way to calm your pre-interview nerves.
Begin by doing some research on the company you are interviewing with. Get to know what they are all about, if they support any special causes, what their company culture is like, anything that could be a potential talking point for you. Interviewers like when you are informed and if you can bring up something relating to the company, they will appreciate the fact that you took the time to look at their website. It also shows them that you are very interested in the company and that you are willing to put in extra work to prove yourself.
Most colleges have a career center in which you can sign up to do mock interviews. I highly recommend doing at least one mock interview in your college experience. It really helps you improve your interviewing skills, and they also give you tips specifically tailored to you to help you do better in interviews. Not only that, but mock interviews also force you to think about some of your answers to common interview questions, that way during the real thing, you practically have your answers memorized, and knowing that you will be able to answer at least some of the questions perfectly will be a huge stress reliever.
TIP: Almost all interviewers will start with “Tell me about yourself.” This is HUGE and is your time to shine since you can pretty much say whatever you want. Try to stay away from listing things from your resume, since they already know that about you, and tell them some of your interests. Begin by talking about your education and any important resume details you want to highlight, but then stray off and tell them something interesting. This is a great way to open up a conversation and you will immediately feel like you are just talking to a friend rather than being interviewed.
When answering interview questions, there is no need to repeat the question in your answer. Your main goal is to try and make the “interview” just a conversation between two people. This makes it more enjoyable for the interviewer and less nerve wrecking for you. Keep this “conversation” mindset throughout the interview and put some of your personality into answering the questions. Interviewers don’t want to hire someone who is so nervous they sound like a robot. Be personable, but maintain your professionalism. They want to see who you are so that they can make sure you will fit well with the other employees in the company.
TIP: get the interviewer to talk about him or herself. Everyone LOVES to talk about themselves and if you get the interviewer to tell you about their experiences they will end the interview feeling good about themselves. Ask things like “Where did you go to school?” and “How did you get involved with the company?” at appropriate times during the conversation to get them started. But don’t be awkward about it.
Finally, as the interview comes to a close, the interviewer will ask if you have any questions for them. You MUST always have at least three questions to ask them at the end. This is where your research will come into play and you can really show the interviewer that you are genuinely curious about the company. Some basic questions that you can ask are: “What opportunities exist for professional development?” and “What type of training program is there for new employees?” and to end the interview you can ask “Where are you in your search process? What is the next step?” These are some great questions to ask, just to show that you are excited about this process and want to know more.
Before going to an interview make sure that you have appropriate clothes. Most interviews are business-professional, which means for guys a suit and tie; and for girls a suit, or skirt with a blazer and a button-up or nice dress shirt. You do not want to walk into an interview in shorts and a t-shirt, unless you are interviewing at a place where it is appropriate. Just think about what the company is like, and that will help you decide what the appropriate outfit for interview day is.
Interviews are scary, especially if it is a company that you really want to work for. But, with preparation and practice, you will be able to walk into your interviews with confidence, and will be able to get a job in no time.
Here is a list of some common questions interviewers ask. Use this as a starting point to your interview preparation. Write out your answers to these questions and practice saying them. It sounds silly, but I promise you, you will not regret this preparation on interview day.
“Tell me about yourself.”
“What are your long-range and short-range goals and objectives, when and why did you establish these goals, and how are you preparing yourself to achieve them?”
“What specific goals, other than those related to your occupation, have you established for yourself in the next 10 years?”
“How do you plan to achieve your career goals?”
“What do you consider to be your greatest strengths and weaknesses?”
“Why should I hire you?”
“Describe an instance when you had to think on your feet to extricate yourself from a difficult situation.”
“Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa).”
