Interviews are an element of over-looked import during many students’ job and graduate school hunts.
After the long process of researching programs (or jobs), taking the GRE or industry-standard exams, perhaps visiting different college campuses, and building the perfect resumé, it all comes down to the final step, the interview.
According to Jan Rich, assistant director of Career Development, preparation is key for any interview.
She says that the most important thing about going into an interview is “100% being prepared. Kids think they can just walk in and wing it.”
But preparation for an interview goes beyond choosing the right outfit and showering beforehand, Rich said. It also takes “a little bit of preparation in understanding what you and the interviewer wants.”
The interview is all about appearing appealing to the interviewer. The more appealing a candidate is, the more likely they are to get the job, graduate school position, or internship. Here are a few basics to help students prepare for the perfect interview.
1: Practice
Anticipate the questions that will be asked in the interview. Be ready to answer on the spot when the interviewer asks you “What is your work ethic?”
To prepare for questions like this, Career Development has compiled a list of the 55 most commonly asked interview questions, available in their office as part of the guide on how to be prepared for an interview.
According to George Brandt, a Forbes Contributor, there are only 3 basic interview questions an interviewee needs to worry about. “1. Can you do the job? 2. Will you love the job? 3. Can we tolerate working with you?”
By breaking down the questions asked by an employer to the topics of strengths, motivation, and fit, the interviewee has the distinct advantage going into the interview.
The Career Development office offers a unique opportunity for students who need help in practicing these interviews. They offer mock interviews to best simulate how the actual interview would go, specific to a student’s particular field.
This goes for both graduate school and professional interviews, allowing students to run a practice interview so they can be best prepared for the real thing.
The best way to prepare for the interview is to sit down with the list of the 55 most commonly asked questions, and make sure that to have an answer ready for most of them “Even if you just do half,” Rich said, “you’ll still be more prepared for the interview.”
2: Know where you’re applying
Research the company or the school before you get into it. And just as it’s true for most classes, it’s also true for researching the prospective school or company – Wikipedia should not be the student’s only resource.
Career Development suggests researching any online resources provided by the interviewer that can be found on their websites, or in articles on different news sites that can outline some basic information before the interview.
Most likely, the interviewee will be expected to know a little bit about what they are applying for, and may be asked about their knowledge of the business or school.
3: Attitude
To conduct a good interview, one must walk into the interview process with an air of confidence and enthusiasm. Everyone has a back-up job or school that they may not be so thrilled about, but the interviewer should still believe that their school or business is at the top of the list.
Rich explained how frustrating it is to have an interviewee walk in lacking enthusiasm.
“I find it so hard when a student comes in looking for a job and they don’t care what it is, because they’re not going to be excited at all about it,” she said.
Rich also said that it is important for an interviewee to go in with answers that are genuinely driven from personal experience.
Candid, genuine answers that cite personal experiences display to the interviewer not only experience, but also personality.
The difference between who gets the job or not can sometimes come down to who walks in the room with the biggest smile and who is most excited.
4: Think ahead, far ahead
Too often students are only concerned with short-term fixes, and this includes plans for the future. Students should apply for jobs that fit into their 5-year plans. Students should think about what they will be doing in five years and explain to the interviewer not only what they hope to contribute, but also what they hope to gain.
Going into an interview, many employers want to know the interviewee’s plans for advancement in the company. Employers like to see people taking an interest in their company – even slightly-less-than-sincere interest is better than someone who makes it apparent they are not enthused about the position.
5: Suit up!
It almost goes without saying that dressing for success is important, yet many miss the mark when it comes to preparing for this crucial element of the interview.
Rich suggests every interviewee “dress the field and the level that you’re going into.” Know that someone who attends an interview in shorts and flip flops has a big disadvantage compared to a person wearing a nice shirt and khakis, no matter what the interview is for.
When an interviewer is faced with a man in a suit and a man in a tank top, the interviewer is always going to go with the man in the suit.
Now, a suit is not necessarily a requirement ary, but one needs to assess what the job entails, and what kind of clothes would be appropriate to wear for the job.
This and other information can be found on the Career Development website, or at their office in the basement of the Campus Center. Members of the Career Development staff are always delighted to help students with whatever they need, and they have a plethora of information on how to ace your interview.
