Interviewing

• Arrive Prepared:

  • Know where you're going for your interview and give yourself enough time to get their in case there's traffic, parking issues, etc.

  • Be sure to arrive on time (in fact 10-15 minutes early).

  • Bring several copies of your resume, your cover letter, a pad of paper and a pen.

• Dress Appropriately

• Check Your Technology: Many interviews are now happening via Zoom or other platforms.  Be sure you check to make sure your technology works and you have a quiet, but professional looking location, from which to conduct your interview.

• Practice! Practice! Practice!: Come prepared to answer a variety of questions (see below) and have practiced your answers ahead of time. Reach out to Ms. Sardelli to hold a mock interview.

• Have Your STAR Stories Ready: Choose several examples or stories of times you've dealt with situations and have them ready to go to answer questions that ask you tell the interviewer "about a time when..."

  • Situation: Set the scene and give the necessary details of your example.

  • Task: Describe what your responsibility was in that situation.

  • Action: Explain exactly what steps you took to address it.

  • Result: Share what outcomes your actions achieved.

https://www.themuse.com/advice/star-interview-method 

• Engage Your Interviewer:

  • Greet them when you first meet them with a smile, firm handshake and introduce yourself

  • Maintain eye contact

  • Sit up straight

  • Don't fidget

  • Speak confidently and clearly

  • Thank the interviewer at the end

• Come Prepared with 2-3 Questions for the Interviewer:

  • Be ready to ask them questions about the position, the company culture, benefits of working at the company and more.

  • Do not ask about salary.

While your interviewer may ask you a range of questions, here are some common interview questions you may encounter:

• "Tell me about yourself" - Come prepared to tell them who you are, why you're at this interview and anything else they may not gather directly from your resume.

• "Why are you interested in this position?"

• "What can you tell me about our company?" or "Why are you interested in working for this company?"

• "What are some of your greatest strengths?" - This is your time to shine, but do so in a manner that doesn't look like you're bragging.

• "What are some of your weaknesses?" - Everyone has weaknesses.  Address yours, but also tell your interviewer about what you're doing to work on them.

• "How do you deal with stressful situations?"

• "Tell me about a time you had to deal with a conflict." - Use your STAR stories

• "Tell me about a time you had to work in a group." - Use your STAR stories

• "When you’re balancing multiple projects, how do you keep yourself organized?"

• "Why should we hire you?"

• "Tell me about this [experience on your resume]" - Now's your time to connect it back to the job you're applying for

• "What is your work style?"

• "Where do you see yourself in 5/10/20 years?"