Preparing for Interviews
Review Your Materials
Review your resume and the job posting/position description
Know your skills, qualities, strengths, and stories
- Use the STAR technique to develop a list of stories or situations where you have excelled in class, at an internship, previous employment experience, or with a student organization.
- Create a list of five key qualities, strengths, or traits that make you qualified for the position you’re applying for.
- List your points of pride and strengths.
Prepare questions to ask the employer
- Ask questions based on your further interest in the School, Department, or Position.
- Ask questions that will help you get a better idea of whether you will enjoy or be a good fit for the position.
Believe in Yourself!
Practice
- Make a list of potential questions. Interviewers will generally ask questions based off of the job position. For example, if the position requires you to supervise others, they might ask, “Tell us about a time that you had to supervise or direct others.”
- Write out your responses and include examples if possible.
- Verbalize your answers. It helps to actually talk through your answers! Practice with a friend or see if your school or a mentor or professor can do a Mock Interview.
Types of Interviews
Phone Interviews
Phone interviews are conducted much like an in-person interview and they are used as a screening tool for candidates. They are likely brief in nature if it is the beginning of a hiring process. Expect questions designed to get at who you are as a professional, some of the experiences you have had, what qualifies you for the position for which you are applying and why you are interested in the position.
Virtual Interview
Virtual Interviews are hosted through a virtual environment such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. These interviews are much like phone interviews with the added bonus of being able to see the interviewers. This takes some of the non-verbal guess work out that you would likely encounter while doing a phone interview. Consider where you decide to do your virtual interview and pay attention to what may be visible in the background of your setting- remember that all of that plays into the overall picture of you as a candidate.
In-Person Interview
This is the kind of interview to expect during your time at OPE. Like mentioned previously, each institution has their own style of interview- you may have one, two, or more interviewers. You will also see some variation in the types of questions asked, which are dependent on the type of job you are applying for. Prepare yourself for any possible questions by utilizing our interview question document found on our site. The more you can practice and understand yourself and your experiences, the more polished you will come across. Remember that there is a fine line between being prepared and sounding scripted. Allow room to let your personality shine so they get to know you as a person.
Group Interview
If you are going to experience a group interview it will likely occur at an on-campus interview. The intent of a group interview is to understand how you and the other candidates conduct yourself in a team setting. Try not to overthink this interview and participate in the group as much as you would typically in other settings, employers want to get a realistic picture of who you are.
On-Campus Interview
This type of interview will be an entire day, if not more than one day. You will be invited to an institution, and will spend your time meeting, being interviewed by, and dining with students, potential colleagues, campus partners, and potential supervisors. There are many different stakeholders that are part of an on-campus interview, and remember to take the day one interview at a time. Be yourself and speak honestly about your experiences.
