Interview Preparation

Remember this about interviewing: you cannot be too prepared. Follow these steps for a successful interview:

Research the company. Review the company website and conduct a Google search.  Ask the people in your network if they have a connection to the organization.

Get ready for the questions. You should know how to answer every question the interviewers are going to ask. Read "Ace the Interview" to know every type of question interviewers will ask. Expect behavior based questions; there are sample questions are on pages 10 through 12.

Practice. The more you practice the more confident you will feel and the better able you will be to respond to questions. Call the office to schedule a mock interview with a  career counselor.

Prepare questions for the interviewer. For sample questions, refer to page 3 of Ace the Interview. Do not ask about salary. The employer will bring up salary at the appropriate time.

Dress to impress. Plan your interview attire. For men this means a suit or business style trousers and blazer, a white dress shirt, conservative tie, business style shoes and socks a color to match the shoes. Women should wear a business style dress or a suit with either slacks or a skirt no shorter than knee length, accompanied with a dress shirt or blouse, neutral hosiery, tailored pumps with closed toes and heels. Don’t forget to press your clothes and shine your shoes. Want to look your best? Send your dress shirt to the dry cleaners to be laundered and pressed. Can't afford an expensive suit? Buy a moderately priced suit and have it professionally tailored. Click here to learn about Dress for Success.

Say thank you. Within a day of your interview, send a personalized note to each person who interviewed you. Point out one particular thing said about the organization during the interview that made a positive impression on you. This is also an opportunity to tell your interviewer you are interested in the company. A thank you note is an opportunity to remind the interviewer of the strongest things in your background which make you the perfect candidate. Be sure your thank you note is short and doesn’t contain grammatical or spelling errors.