Interview Tips. Before the Interview Find out as much as you can: Will the interview by one-on-one or a committee? If it’s a committee, how many.

Interview Tips

Before the Interview

Find out as much as you can:

Will the interview by one-on-one or a committee?

If it’s a committee, how many people will be on the interview committee?

What are the names of the people who will be conducting the interview?

How long will the interview last?

Dress Appropriately

Dress nicely

Dress appropriately for the work environment – check out what people wear to work on a daily basis and wear something similar but a little nicer.

Make a subtle fashion statement – don’t wear anything too daring, but wearing a conversation piece, like a bracelet from your country or a pin that represents an interest can open up conversation.

Arrive Early

For an interview, you should really arrive at least 15 minutes early

Get directions beforehand and plan your route so that you can arrive early

Check on the parking situation if you are driving so that you don’t spend too much time looking for a parking spot.

Bring Hard Copies

Always bring hard copies of your resume, even if they don’t ask for them. It makes you look very prepared

If it is a committee interview, make sure you have enough for everyone (extra is better!).

Also bring letters of recommendation, work samples, or anything else you think you might need to the interview.

Extra Tips for Before the Interview

Be very polite to everyone you meet

Get rid of your drink, your food, your gum

Silence your cell phone

Make sure your social media image is clean. If you can recall posting some bad comments or bad photos, use a tool like Social Sweepster to clean up your online image.

Do research on the company and on the position.

During the Interview

Sit up straight

Sit on the edge of your chair and maybe lean slightly forward

Don’t cross your legs

Your hands should be in front of you and ready to gesture

Make eye contact when answering questions, but don’t stare

Smile!

Listen carefully and never interrupt your interviewer

Answering Questions

Prepare, prepare, prepare

Practice in front of a mirror. Watch your facial expressions. Smile, nod and maintain eye contact

Practice on your phone – “Job Interview Question-Answer” is a free app to help you work on answering questions

When you are asked a surprise question, one that you are not prepared to answer, talk through the question out loud

Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification

The Most Common Questions

Here are some of the most common questions asked in an interview and some tips to answering them.

Tell Me About Yourself

Have a story response, not just about your qualifications. What was the moment that changed your life? How did your childhood influence you? Why does this job move you, inspire you?

Be funny if you can

Tell Me About Yourself - example

I grew up in California and Arizona after immigrating to the United States when I was four years old. Since neither of my parents went to college, I relied on my high school teachers to help me apply to top universities. With their support, I was able to attend the University of Pennsylvania. Then I spent a summer at a Washington DC law firm, which represented low-income students and helped me realize that my passion lay within creating educational opportunities for all.

I decided to become a teacher because I see myself so deeply reflected in the stories of so many students in your schools – and that’s why I’m so excited about the opportunity to interview with you today. Like my teachers did for me, I want to impact the next generation of students by supporting them and understanding the experiences they’re facing.

Kareli Lizarraga

Excerpt from Forbes

Your TurnPlease write some notes for how you will respond to “Tell Me About Yourself.”

What Is Your Weakness?

The real question here is not, “What is your weakness?” but “How do you overcome your weakness?”

The answer should be honest, but should include a but…

Tell how you worked or are working to overcome that weakness

What Is Your Weakness - example

Weak: “My weakness is that I struggle to run efficient meetings…”

Strong: “I sometimes struggle to run efficient meetings. But I’ve worked to improve by drafting an agenda before every meeting, sending it to all participants, and then following up with a recap and clear action items so everyone knows what to do moving forward.”

Your TurnPlease write some notes for how you will respond to “What is your weakness?”

Tell Me About a Challenge or Conflict You’ve Faced at Work and How You Dealt With It.

Use the P-A-R method

P = Problem, state the problem you encountered?

A = Action, what action did you take to remedy the problem?

R = Result, what was the result of that action?

Always have a story with a happy ending.

Tell Me About a Challenge or Conflict You’ve Faced at Work and How You Dealt With It - example

Problem: “When I worked on Lore, an education tech startup, our big marketing challenge was finding a way to get professors to try our product. Ads are inefficient and competitors like Blackboard and Canvas had sales teams call IT administrators to sign multi-year contracts — a very slow and expensive process. We needed to move faster.”

Action: ”We realized that students preferred our product so we teamed up with about 200 students from 100 colleges. They developed a custom outreach plan for their campus and we provided resources to support them.”

Result: “This was highly effective in creating awareness with professors. In fact, it became a competitive advantage. During our first two semesters, our team of 15 people drove adoption that outpaced a competing product launched by Pearson at the same time. An additional benefit was that the approach created brand affinity. Because professors heard about the tool from students instead of an ad, the value proposition came across more authentically.”

Your TurnPlease write some notes for how you will respond to “Tell Me About a Challenge or Conflict You’ve Faced at Work and How You Dealt With It?”

Do You Have Any Questions For Us?

Brainstorm a list of questions you would like to ask before the interview.

Do not ask about salary or time off.

Ask questions that show you are interested in the job.

Ask questions that also give information about you.

Do You Have Any Questions For Us - example

How would you describe the ideal candidate?What can I do for you as a follow-up?What have you enjoyed the most about working here?

Do You Have Any Questions For Us - example

Weak: Will this role provide opportunities to work in emerging markets?

Strong: I’m passionate about languages and minored in Arabic in college. Will this role provide opportunities to work in emerging markets in the Middle East?

Weak: Are there opportunities for community service?

Strong: I used to work with Habitat for Humanity and was so grateful for the opportunity to give back. For a full time employee, are there company-wide community service events that I could take part in?

Weak: What’s [Company X]’s fastest growing division?

Strong: According to your quarterly report, your revenues grew by 17%. Is that because of a particular division within the company?

Your TurnPlease write some notes for what how you will respond to “Do you have any questions for us?”

After the Interview

Thank the interviewer(s) for the opportunity and ask them when you can expect to hear news.

Also, within 24 hours, send a “Thank You” note, by hand or by email.

Example Thank You Note

Hi Anthony,

I appreciate your taking the time to chat with me today. I really enjoyed hearing about your two projects so far, how much you love the people at Accenture, and how you’ve been able to continue your community service work even while working. (Hope you had a good meeting with your mentee!) Best wishes on your current project.

Sincerely,

Robert

Robert Hsu

From Forbes