Interviewing
The first year of college might not seem like a time to be concerned about interviews. However, students often find themselves in interview situations soon after arriving on campus. You might be looking for positions in student government, finding an on-campus job, competing for a second-year scholarship, choosing a summer job opportunity, or applying for an internship. Preparing for an interview begins the moment you arrive on campus because, as a first-year student, the interview will be about you and how college is changing you. Students who have taken only a little time to think about who they are and how they have changed can feel lost in an interview. Luckily, the chapters in this book have begun preparing you for the interview process.
The purpose of the interview is to exchange information; the goal is to assess your abilities and competencies. For you, the interview is an opportunity to learn more about the employer and whether the position would be a good fit with your abilities and preferences. Ideally, you want to find a match between your interests and abilities and the position or experience you are seeking. It is important to research the organization and the people you may be working with prior to any interview. Doing so will help prepare you for the interview and help you know what questions to ask. The following explains how you can go about doing this research:
- Start with the company Web site. This is usually the single best resource. Scroll through the entire site. Note details you can use to develop good questions to ask in your interview and prepare relevant answers to anticipated interview questions. If the company does not have its own Web site, go to other sites, such as Hoovers.com, which provide extensive information about companies and industries.
- Ask for advice. Ask your instructor or your career center about the organization.
- Use your library. Find articles in business publications and industry trade magazines.
- Note the employer’s goals and values. This tells you about the organizational culture. Use this information to decide whether you would be a good fit.
- Research details on the employer’s products and services. Being able to talk a company’s language shows that you have prepared yourself.
- Take your research with you to the interview. It is recommended that you show how you have taken the time to find out about the company prior to the interview.
After you’ve done your research, the next step is to practice interviewing before the actual interview. Check with your career center to find out whether you can participate in a mock interview. Mock interviews help students feel comfortable in real interview situations. Your counselor might ask you for a position description, your résumé, and an organization profile before the interview. Career counselors use these materials to create a situation similar to an actual interview. Many career centers also have practice interview software such as InterviewStream, which is a popular program that allows you to record answers to interview questions asked by the computer for replay and review. You can record your answers multiple times as you try to perfect your response; you can send your recorded interview to instructors or others for feedback; and because the interview is recorded using a webcam, you can review not only your words but also your body language! Nonverbal communication is often more important than what you actually say in the interview. Even if a mock interview session is not available, the career center can offer tips on handling an interview situation. Check your career center Web site for sample interview questions so that you can practice before an interview.
If you are changing your career and have been interviewed before, make sure to think about the best and worst interviews you have had and try to avoid repeating the mistakes you made in the past; more important, build on the positive interview strategies you used in previous successful interviews.
Appropriate Interview Conduct In an interview situation, any of the following might be a deciding factor in whether you are hired for the position:
- Dress appropriately. First impressions matter, so always dress neatly and appropriately. You can be somewhat casual for some types of employers, but it is better to dress too professionally than too informally. Check with your career center to get advice about proper dress. Also, many two-year colleges have suits to loan to students who cannot yet afford to buy expensive clothes for an interview.
- Arrive on time to the interview. If your interview is off campus, carefully estimate how long it will take you to travel to the interview site before the day of your interview. Be mindful of traffic volume at certain times of the day, and if you are driving, make sure you know where to park. The interviewer expects you to be on time, regardless of the weather or your commuting time.
- Follow up. It is important to follow up any interview with a thank-you e-mail. Many times, the person to whom you addressed your cover letter is not the person with whom you actually interview. Prior to leaving the interview, ask for business cards of the professionals you met with so that you have their contact information. Send a thank-you to every person who interviewed you. In your follow-up, you can once more highlight how your skills and experience match with the organization’s goals.