BEFORE THE INTERVIEW

• Take the time to learn a little about the company.  Review “Researching Employers” in this Handbook. 
• Review and practice answering the list of questions often asked by employers.
• Employers typically ask 5 to 8 of these questions.  When answering, try not to sound like your answer is memorized or rehearsed, but respond with confidence and clarity.
• Arrive 10-15 minutes before the interview (to fill out application, etc.).  Arriving late may create a perception that this is your regular work style.  Make sure you have directions to get to the company, date/time of your interview, and the name, title, and phone number of the person conduction your interview

Common Interview Questions

WHY SHOULD I HIRE YOU?

This is really what the employer is trying to determine in the interview.  To prepare effectively for interviews, ask yourself the following four questions:  

·         If you were the employer, what would you look for in a candidate?

·         What are the key functions for which you would be responsible in this job?

·         What are the key skills you would need to perform these functions?

·         What are the key problems you are going to have to solve in order to carry out these functions?

Employers hire people to fill a need, create or capitalize on an opportunity or to solve a problem.  Do your research to try and determine the company’s specific needs and precisely what skills are needed for the opportunity available. 

Review your résumé and anticipate what questions you may be asked given your background in relation to the company’s needs and the position requirements.  Then, prepare your answers – there is no need to memorize answers, but having thought through your responses to typical questions should prepare you to adjust to the variety of questions you may be asked.

Wrap up your preparation by once again putting yourself in the employer’s place and asking yourself, “What would I need to know about this candidate in order to make a hiring decision?”  Make sure that you communicate this information during the interview! 

If you are aware of the employer’s objective in asking a question it will help you to prepare your best answer.  The following are some of the most commonly asked interview questions and suggestions for approaching your response.

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF  

• Employer’s Objective: To evaluate how well you can promote and present yourself; to assess your communication skills
• Your Objective: To present a concise overview of your background which highlights what is unique about you and your qualifications for the job.
• Prep Tip: Imagine that you will be interviewed by a local news station as a “success story.” What information validates your “success story?” What would you want everyone to know about you and how you have gotten to where you are at this point in your life; avoid extremely personal information but not to the point that the interviewer has no sense of who you are and what factors have influenced your development.

Behavior-Based Interviewing

WHAT IS BEHAVIOR-BASED INTERVIEWING?

Many interviewers are beginning to use behavioral interviewing techniques while giving interviews. The idea is that an individual will do at least as well on the new job as he or she has done in the past; that past behavior or performance is a predictor of future behavior or performance.

HOW DOES BEHAVIOR-BASED INTERVIEWING WORK?

The interviewer identifies desired skills or behaviors, then structures open-ended questions and statements to elicit detailed responses. A rating system is developed and selected criteria are evaluated during the interview process.

TARGETED BEHAVIORAL QUESTIONS

• Sometimes it is easy to get in "over your head.” Describe a situation where you had to request help or assistance on a project or assignment.
• Give an example of how you applied knowledge from previous coursework to a project in another class.
• Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your ideas. What did you do?
• Describe a situation in which you found that your results were not up to your professor/supervisor's expectations. What happened? What action did you take?
• Tell me about the most difficult customer service experience that you have ever had to handle -perhaps an angry or irate customer. Be specific and tell what you did and what the outcome was. 
• Give me an example of a time when you had to be quick in coming to a decision, and how did you arrive at that decision? 

Questions to Ask an Interviewer

• Why is this position vacant?
• What are the major responsibilities of this position?
• Describe the ideal candidate for this position.
• Who would be my supervisor and what is that person's supervisory style?
• What do you see as the key issues/problems facing the person in this job?
• How would you describe a typical student/client in this school/company?
• What do you like most about your job and this organization? 
• Has your organization been affected by government budget cuts?
• What is the time line for filling this position?
• What characteristics do the achievers in this company seem to share?
• What kind of assignments might I expect the first six months on the job?
• How do you feel about creativity and individuality?
• What is the single largest problem facing your staff or department now?
• How often are reviews given?
• Do you fill positions from the outside or promote from within first?
• To what positions would I be likely to progress?
• What improvements would you like to see in these areas?
• How would you describe the organizational culture?

Evaluate Your Interview

As a very important final step, evaluate information you have gathered from your discussions and integrate this information with your knowledge of yourself. Answering the following questions should help you in this evaluation:

·         What positive impressions do you now have about this area of work? (Think in terms of yourself: your interests, skills, values and goals).

·         What negative impressions do you now have about this area of work? (Again, evaluate in terms of yourself: your interests, skills, values and goals).

·         How does this career field relate to your own needs and interests, as you identified them earlier?

·         How did this interview help you to clarify your own career or job objective? If it did not, why not?

·         What are your next steps?

FOLLOWING UP

Send a thank you letter to each person with whom you arranged an informational interview. A few lines will indicate your appreciation of the time they spent with you. This gesture of courtesy will also keep you in their memory.

In addition, maintain a record of your interviews for information. Soon after an interview, spend some time evaluating what you have learned.  Organize the names and addresses of new contacts. You may want to designate a special notebook for these records.  Here are suggested topics:

·         Skills, Interests and Values

·         Arranging Your Interview

·         Sample Cover Letter

·         Conducting Your Interview

·         Evaluating Your Interview and Follow Up

·         The Benefits of Informational Interviewing

·         Questions to Ask