Preparing for an Interview
Preparing for an interview is more than memorizing answers to a list of potential questions. It is being able to look at your experiences – in the classroom, in the field, in a club or on your own – through the lens of common competencies in the professional workplace and specific position for which you are interviewing.
When preparing for an interview, it is important to always do research on the company you are interviewing with and asking your interviewer questions, too – interviewing is a two-way street. You can gather additional insights into a company through the company’s website and LinkedIn page, or sites such as Vault and Glassdoor.
Interview Techniques
Interviewers use a variety of techniques to gauge the interests and qualifications of the candidates they are interviewing. Two of the most common are:
Resume-Based/Traditional
These are generally questions prompting you to elaborate on the information in your resume. All interviews typically include at least one or two of these questions. With these questions, expect to:
- Tell the interviewer something about yourself they can’t read on your resume
- Talk about your strengths and areas in which you could improve
- Express what appeals to you about doing this job and/or working for this organization
- Share how you might handle hypothetical situations in the workplace
Behavorial or Situational
These are based on the premise that how you handled situations in the past – solving a complex problem, dealing with a difficult situation, or catching a mistake – suggests how you will respond to similar situations in the future. To prepare for behavioral or situational interviews, reflect on your experiences and the context around them. Create a mental “library” of stories that capture you at your best or at a moment of significant learning.
The key to answering these storytelling questions is through the STAR approach:
