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Job interviews can be nerve-wracking. How can you make a great first impression, answer questions with confidence and showcase your personality? Below are some ways that you can be prepared for a first interview:
- Do your research. When preparing for your interview, it’s important to research the employer and the program you will be working on. See what’s on their website, their social media channels and in the news. A quick Google search will help you get started. When looking, take note of things you personally connect with or ways it will connect back to the job.
- Compare your resume to the job description. When looking through the job description, you can get an idea of what the employer is looking for. Look through the description and see where there’s crossover with your resume.
For instance, is the employer looking for someone who can multitask and handle working in a fast-paced environment? Look for examples in your work history where you accomplished both of those skills.
- Be ready to tell them about yourself. While this question may seem simple, it is your chance at a great first impression with your interviewer. This question is your opportunity to give a quick synopsis of who you are and why you are the best person for the job. Keep it short and sweet, and tailor it to the job interview. It should only be 7-10 sentences.
We recommend using the following model to tailor your About Me Statement.
- Name.
Hi, my name is __________.
- Synopsis of your past experience. Remember, it doesn’t just need to be job experience. You can share activities that you do outside of work that might showcase some of your skills.
I have spent the last 5 years working in customer service and the past 10 as my children’s school PTO Treasurer. Additionally, I volunteer at my local church and help plan fundraising and events.
- What you love about your job.
In both my career and my time outside of work, I really enjoy working with people. I love to help people solve their problems and love to bring people together.
- Why you’re the best candidate for this job (share specific skills).
Between both my job and my projects outside of work, I have proven that I am a strong communicator and team player. I am able to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines, all while being flexible and collaborative.
- What you’re looking for with this employer or job.
I have a lot of experience doing customer service, but am looking to take my career to the next level and become a customer service supervisor. I want to work for a company where I have the opportunity to learn and grow.
- Practice! While you can’t prepare for every single question you may be asked, there are certain questions that will most certainly be asked in any interview. We recommend that you use Google to prepare for interviews.
For example, if you are applying for a customer service job you can Google “customer service interview questions.”
- Be specific with your answers. When answering questions, it is always best to provide specific examples of what this looked like in action. Provide a specific example of you accomplishing a task, and how these skills were beneficial to the project or task. Look at the following examples below. Would you hire person A or B?
Interviewer: “Can you tell me about your experience with working with others on a team?
Candidate A: “I have worked on several teams with both my past employers. We worked together to watch a classroom of children.”
Candidate B: “I have worked on several teams with both of my past employers. As a child care teacher, I worked on a team of 5 staff members to supervise a classroom of 30 children. We worked together to make sure that we were in compliance with safety standards and each took responsibility for a set of students. We regularly communicated with each other so we could help support each other throughout the day. We would also work together to plan quarterly events for all of the families. I helped organize the art activities for these events and collaborated with other team members to make sure the event was a success.”
- Be mindful of how you talk about your past employer. While you may have had a bad experience with a past employer. it’s important to not speak negatively about them in an interview. Rather than focusing on the things you didn’t like at your past job, focus on the things you are looking for in a future employer.
For instance, were you sick of never getting promoted? Say that you are looking for a job where there’s room to grow. Did you work in a toxic work environment? Say that you are looking to work in a place that promotes collaboration and comradery amongst team members.
- Come prepared with 2-3 questions for the end of the interview. Before the interview, come up with 4-5 questions that you want to ask the interviewer. Some may come up during the interview, so make sure to focus on what you still don’t know. You can always use that time to get a feel for company culture and values. Here are some great questions to ask at the end of an interview:
- Are there opportunities for growth within the company?
- How do you help your employees be successful?
- What is your favorite part about working here?
- Can you give me an example of what a typical day in this role would look like?
- What are the most important things you are looking for when filling this role?
- How do you evaluate success in this role?
- Look for red flags. An interview is a two-way street. In addition to the employer seeing if you meet their needs, it’s important to also look for employers that meet your criteria. Pay attention to how they run their interviews. Some red flags include:
- Rescheduling, running late and being disorganized.
- An extremely lengthy interview process. Anything more than 3 rounds of interviews may be a red flag.
- Talking badly about past employees.
- Avoiding answering questions that you’ve asked.
- Send a thank you after the interview. It may seem old-fashioned, but a thank you note is still very much appreciated for many industries. Don’t have the email addresses for the people who interviewed you? Take a look at the email invite, or look through the company’s website. At a minimum, send the thank you to the person you were in contact with about the interview and ask them to share it with others who participated.
Didn’t get the job? How should you proceed?
Rejection is hard, but there will be times when you don’t get the job. Look at this as an opportunity for growth and learning.
If possible, try and reach out to the hiring committee and see if they would be willing to provide feedback and ways you could improve. Additionally, let them know that you are open to future opportunities that may come down the line.