Office of Career Services

STEP 1: Prepare

• Research the position and the organization
• o    Find a detailed job description and refer to job responsibilities during the interview
• o    Read the organization’s literature, news articles on the employer, and other information sources to familiarize yourself with the employer 

• Know yourself, the employer, and the position
• List major points about yourself in relation to the position
• Determine the answers to key questions
• Analyze your academic, experiential, and extracurricular activities to discover what they reveal about your skills, values, and interests
• Overcome any discomfort in discussing your strengths
• Be prepared to articulate your weaknesses. Try to focus your weaknesses on job inexperience rather than on personal limitations. Discuss personal limitations in a positive light, or describe how you corrected or learned to compensate for them
• From your resume, be prepared to explain what you accomplished, why you performed tasks a certain way, what you gained from the experience, and how it helped prepare you for your desired career field

STEP 2: Practice

• Analyze and improve your communication skills
• Check the tone of your voice
• Use good language, grammar, and diction. Avoid pauses using “um” and “uh” and phrases such as “you know” or “okay”
• Develop a firm handshake and maintain eye contact
• Eliminate nervous mannerisms
• Dress appropriately and professionally. When in doubt, go conservative
• Be aware of what your posture, gestures, and facial expressions are communicating. For example, poor posture may be viewed as lack of self confidence 

• Become comfortable talking about yourself
• Familiarize yourself with the types of questions interviewers ask, and practice well thought-out answers
• Rehearse but don’t memorize your responses
• Practice in front of a mirror, with a friend, or with a tape recorder
• Schedule a mock interview with a career counselor 
  

• Practice interviewing techniques
• Restate a long or complex question for clarity before you answer
• Take time to think before you answer. Short pauses are acceptable
• Learn to generate answers that are neither too long (over 2 minutes) nor to short (under 20 seconds)
• Signal the end of a question or answer with a gesture, phrase, or voice tone
• Frame your answer when appropriate. For example: “I see three main points….”
• Use “bridging” techniques to introduce and expand upon information

STEP 3: PERFORM

• During the interview, your primary objective is to stress what you can do to meet the needs and goals of the employer
• Focus your answers by emphasizing your accomplishments and experience
• Reinforce the positive. Never say anything negative about past experiences; it could be interpreted that you are pessimistic and hard to get along with
• Demonstrate your enthusiasm and self-confidence. Smile and Relax
• Watch for clues that the interviewer is mentally with you
• If the interviewer appears puzzled, stop and restate your reply. If he or she has obviously lost interest, ask if you covered the point adequately
• Analyze your performance after each interview

STEP 4: FOLLOW-UP

• Following each interview, write a short and timely letter of appreciation to the interviewer
• Include any information or documents requested
• Briefly restate any points which may not have been communicated effectively
• If  you met with multiple people, send each person a different thank you letter
• For on-site visits, send a letter to the key contact person who arranged the visit
• Consider sending a separate letter to your potential supervisor, if you interviewed with that person 

For tips on how to write a thank you letter, go to the Thank You Letter Guide located under Employer Correspondence

• Expenses
• If claiming reimbursable expenses, state an accurate total and include original receipts 

• Application Status
• Never leave an interview without understanding the employer’s time frame and process for filling the job
• If you have not heard from the employer a week or so after the stated time frame, you may call and ask for an update on you application status
• Realize that activities and decisions may be delayed during holiday and prime vacation periods
• If you receive a rejection, follow up with another letter expressing interest in future positions for which you may qualify