Resource Library

Prepping for Interviews

While resumes and cover letters give a professional summary of candidates, interviews let employers and candidates interact directly to learn more about each other, get into specifics, and determine whether they’d be a good match. Interviews don't come with do-overs, so adequately preparing, regardless of the position or employer, can play a big part in helping you land your next role.

Category
Preparing for College & Career, Exploring Careers, Advancing or Changing Careers
Topics
Career Help, Getting a Job, Upskilling

Significance of Interviewing

Not all organizations or employers conduct interviews during the application process, but chances are you will participate in one before your next job. Whether over the phone, virtual, or in-person, interviews give employers a better sense of who you are as a potential employee and how you would be on their team. Interviews also show off your behavior, personality, and non-verbal communication. On the flip side, interviews let you ask questions and see if the new company would be a good fit for what you’re envisioning in a new position, workplace, team, and boss.

Questions you may get

Each interview will look different, but remember that the purpose of interviews is to get a good sense of who you are as a candidate. The interview fills any gaps that might’ve been unanswered by your resume or cover letter about your work history, your intentions, and your qualifications for the position. You may be asked to give examples of how you resolved conflicts or met goals in the past in addition to getting hypothetical questions about your new role: “Tell me about a time you received criticism for your work and how did you react” or “How would you handle working with an upset customer?” Occasionally, you may receive irrelevant or off-the-wall questions just to gauge your personality and see how you would respond in an unusual situation. Don’t get overwhelmed, there are a lot of questions they can ask you and for those, refer to some of the related links on this page. At the very least, have answers to the following:

  • Tell me about yourself
  • Why do you want to work here?
  • What do you know about this company and position?
  • Why did you leave or are you leaving your last position?
  •  Where do you see yourself (professionally) in the future?

You should also know that there are questions that employers should NOT ask regarding religion, sex, disability, age, national origin, or race. 

Making a Pitch for Yourself

The last thing you’ll want to do is sell yourself short during the interview. That doesn’t mean lying or embellishing your answers, but instead be comfortable in expressing why your history, skills, or traits make you a great candidate for this position with this company. In preparing for your upcoming interview:

  • Review the job posting as well as your resume and cover letter to jog your memory on some of the accomplishments you’ve had and may be asked about by the interviewers
  • Take a look at those common interview questions linked on this page and prepare answers
  • Create a personal reference sheet for some other things you’ve done and list examples of successes, problem-solving, and overcoming obstacles
    • Focus on your work-related accomplishments, but if you have limited experience, you can mention those from volunteering, school, sports, clubs, or personal life
  • Craft a 30-second “elevator pitch” about yourself: who are you, what do you do, what do you want to do

Take a look at this brag sheet to help you come up with some ideas.

How to Get Mentally Ready

Being in a good headspace for your interview is extremely important. Feeling confident, relaxed, or positive will show in how you answer your questions and interact with the interviewers. Set aside time to do something beforehand that will put you in a good mood, whether it’s exercising, listening to your favorite songs, or relaxing. It would also be wise to avoid time on social media or doing/watching things that may upset you before your interview.

Preparation checklist

Here are a few things you should do prior to an interview:
  • Look over your resume and become very familiar with it
  • Do some more research on the company and the people who work there
  • Prepare some questions you would like to ask the employer
  • Purchase or set aside a notepad and pen that you can take with you for notes
  • Confirm your location and time of the interview
  • Plan out what you will wear and clean or iron your attire if needed
    • Make sure it still fits if you haven’t worn it in a while
  • Practice interviewing with a friend or record yourself to notice your tone, enthusiasm, and non-verbal communication
  • Print extra copies of your resume to have available and share with the interviewers
  • For in-person interviews, figure out your commute and plan to give yourself extra time to deal with traffic, find parking, walk to the correct building, get past security, and still arrive at the interview with a few minutes early
  • For virtual or phone interviews, make sure you have a place where you will be without distractions, have a good connection, and can hear clearly; download any necessary software and test the mic and camera with the platform if you will be doing a video interview
On the day of the interview:
  • Practice good hygiene
  • Wear the interview outfit that makes you feel/look good
  • Do something that will get you in a good headspace, but not make you run late
  • Brush up on any last-minute research
  • Depart for the interview or set up your office space with plenty of time to spare
  • Take a deep breath and get your mind in as good of a spot as you can
During the interview:
  • Greet everyone and introduce yourself
    • Shake hands if appropriate
  • Be present and approachable
  • Talk yourself up and be your own advocate
  • Focus on the position and your relevant skills
  • Leave your cell phone turned off or away from the interview space
  • Take notes on anything you find important, including the names of interviewees
  • Keep as good of posture as you can in addition to courteous eye contact and a smile
  • Answer questions to the best of your ability; if you didn’t hear a question correctly, politely ask if they can repeat it
  • Ask appropriate questions for the employer that you have about the position or company
  • At the end of the interview, inquire about what the next steps are or what you can expect
  • Thank the interviewer(s) for their time
What Not To Do:
  • Skip the interview
  • Arrive unprepared
  • Arrive too early (more than 15 minutes) or be late; sit in your car if you need to kill a little time
  • Take extensive notes during the entire conversation; the point is to engage in a dialogue with you, not attend a lecture
  • Ask personal questions to the interviewers
  • Asking about money or compensation early in the interview
  • Overdo eye contact or a smile, especially if it feels unnatural
  • Be standoffish—the employers want to get to know you
  • Use body posture that makes you seem uninterested
  • Overshare information
  • Interrupt
  • Speak negatively about former employers or experiences
  • Check your cell phone or get distracted
  • Chew gum
  • Lie or be arrogant
  • Post anything negative about the interview on social media before or after

What to consider for special populations

HS student

It’s ok that you don’t have a lot of work experience as a student—in fact, it’s expected that you will have focused on academic studies and not have much experience, if any, outside of a few clubs, sports, or volunteering opportunities. In interviewing students or recent graduates, employers will be considering the potential you have as an employee within their organization so they may ask more hypothetical or scenario-based questions, but prepare to discuss anything on your resume or application. You can call out things like helping a neighbor install new cabinets or running your first marathon after training for a year, but make a list of some things you have done that are similar in responsibilities to the new job and can translate to success. Also, don’t badmouth any of your teachers, former employers, coaches, advisors, or colleagues.

Transitioning Military Members and Veterans

Military members and veterans have a great deal of prior service and skill sets that are extremely applicable to the civilian sector. Think of how you can frame some of your expertise and knowledge in a way that would make sense to the interviewer. For example, if you were a recruiter, you most likely had strong written and verbal communication as well as event-planning skills. Make a list of some of your accomplishments and impacts that you had in your role outside of completing regularly assigned tasks. Also, interviewers will understand that you come from a military world, but avoid using military terminology that the interviewers may be unfamiliar with.

Returning citizen

Returning citizens have an open landscape to work in and are sought after by employers across some industries. During your interview, highlight any training or skills you have and can bring to the table, especially those learned during incarceration. Employers love hearing success stories, so prepare some examples of how you overcame adversity or remedied a negative situation. Refer to other preparation tips in this section and be honest about your background, but don’t overshare.

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