Interviewing

Before your Interview:

• Research and identify

  The prospective employer’s:

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  • Industry or service type
  • Financial health (even if it is a nonprofit – some are more secure than others)
  • Reputation
  • Business model (customers/sales/services/industry)
  • Newsworthy events in which the employer is engaged

  The industry or type of service the employer is in:

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  • Trends impacting the industry
  • Newsworthy events in which the employer is engaged

  The job field:

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  • Job title and department
  • Anticipated duties
  • Skills needed to succeed in the job
  • Career path for the position
  • Trends in similar career fields

  You — reflect on:

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  • Your chief skills and how you developed and use them.
  • Your characteristics and how you developed and use them.
  • Your areas for improvement (weaknesses) and what you are doing to mitigate these areas.
  • What you have learned about yourself while developing necessary skills.

• Consider your conflict resolution skills

  • A personal experience with conflict.
  • Your role in how the conflict developed.
  • Your role in the resolution of the conflict.
  • What you learned about yourself, resolving conflicts and the world of work from the experience.

• Focus on your teamwork and leadership skills

  • Your personal experience as a team member and as a leader.
  • Where you were effective as a contributor and as a leader.
  • What you learned about yourself from the experiences that will be helpful in the role for which you are interviewing.

• Clarify your critical-thinking/problem-solving skills

  • Be prepared to describe an experience wherein you used your critical-thinking or problem-solving skills.
  • Be able to describe what went well and what you would do differently during that experience.
  • Note what you learned about yourself in relationship to the position for which you are interviewing.

• Identify you decision-making skills

  Identify a major decision in your life

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  • What did you consider in making that decision?
  • Is that typical of how you make decisions?
  • If so, what does that say about you and how you will approach the role for which you are interviewing?
  • If not, how do you typically make such decisions and how do you anticipate that impacting you in the role you seek?

• Develop an agenda

  Develop an agenda of what you hope to accomplish during the interview and the three-to-five essential points you want to get across to an employer. Write these points out and bring them with you to the interview.

• Develop questions to ask during the interview

  51 Great Questions to Ask in an Interview

  • Avoid questions that focus on what the employer will do for you during your initial interviews, e.g., salary and benefits (those are appropriate in the final interview stage).
  • Write a minimum of five questions but be prepared to ask two or three (avoids all the questions you were going to ask being answered during the interview).
  • Start with areas you were unable to discover during your research.
  • Ask about the interview process timeline.
  • Ask at least one perspective question, e.g., ‘What do you see as the greatest challenge facing this position within the first year?’ or something similar that will help you evaluate if the job is a good fit.
  • If you identified something negative about the organization, be sure to ask them to speak about it from the organization’s perspective (ask neutrally – in a nonjudgmental tone). A good response from the employer can be very assuring as you consider whether you wish to work for them.
• Plan your trip to the interview site

  What will you wear?

  • Dress conservatively but professionally: Dress pants/skirt, jacket; neutral top, dress shoes with socks/hose; minimal accessories — jewelry/ties/belts.
  • If you would wear the outfit for a social night out, it may not be appropriate.
  • Bring a leather or leather-like folio or folder containing:
    • Extra resumes
    • Your list of questions
    • Your agenda
    • A reference list

  How will you travel?

  • Plan to arrive 15 minutes early
  • Pad your arrival time by at least 15 minutes accounting for traffic patterns and clearing building security, etc.
  • If possible, do a dry run to the location.
• Practice typical interview questions

  Interview question categories:

  • Behavioral Interviewing – use one of these two formats in your response when asked for examples:
    • (STAR) – Utilize experiences you’ve had and relay:
      • Situation — the issue or concern that you were confronted with
      • Task required in response to the situation
      • Action — what you did in response to the task, include how it was resolved
      • Result — the impact that situation had on you as a professional
    • A three-pronged approach.
      • Describe a skill or characteristic you have
      • Give an example of how you developed that skill (can start with example)
      • Explain how that skill or characteristic will make you more effective in the role for which you are interviewing
      • 10 Behavioral Interview Questions to Prepare For
  • General Questions
    • 100+ Top Interview Questions
    • 105 Often-Asked Interview Questions (with hints)
    • How to Handle Illegal or Inappropriate Questions
• What employers seek in candidates

  • A professional looking resume with skills and experiences that relate to the position
  • Ability to relate your background to the position
  • Clear sense of how the position fits into your goals
  • Your leadership potential
  • Your ability to work in teams and to collaborate
  • Strong oral and written communications skills
  • An understanding of the technical/field-specific knowledge required of the position
  • Professionalism as demonstrated by appearance and timeliness
  • Interest in the position
    • An understanding of the position and employer
    • Enthusiasm about the role