Interview Prep

Interview Prep & Research

The #1 feedback point we hear from employers is that the students did not research the company, industry, or position prior to the interview and were overall unprepared.

  • Study for the interview with ample time to prepare (aka. not the night before).

  • Review the companies social media and website. Follow them on LinkedIn and take note of anything that stands out or is of interest. Checkout the companies reviews and information via Glassdoor. Also, checkout Vault.com to get an insider's peek into the company.

  • Observe how the company is perceived in terms of valuing a diverse & inclusive culture per the Human Right's Campaign Corporate Equality Index.

  • Gain an understanding of the industry. You have access to the company dossier via Lexis Nexis (Nexis Uni via the UC Library Database) or can look up the company and its competitors on hoovers.com.

  • Download the position description and highlight your transferrable skills. Gain an understanding of the functions of the role and what technology/programs you will be working with in the position. Consider experiences you have from coursework, organizations, and self learning that you can directly apply to this role and speak to during the interview.

  • Talk to your friends. Do you or your friends know anyone who worked there. Can you offer to buy them coffee and ask them a few questions about their experience? The knowledge they share that is invaluable to your interview prep.

  • Personal needs. Get enough sleep and get up early enough to look your best. Prior to the interview make sure you are hydrated, fresh breath, and dressed to impress. Plan to bring copies of your resume (yes copies - you may meet with a panel of professionals). Map out the directions, plan for parking (have cash if needed) and allow extra time for traffic and wayfinding.

  • Ask Questions. Prepare 2-3 questions (see more below) and have notes with you in a Padfolio or folder.

HireVue Video Upload

HireVue interviews are video based and permit a company’s recruiter to see non-verbal cues – such as facial expressions, eye-movements, body movements, details of clothes, and nuances of voice. These nonverbal cues are collected as data points and processed by HireVue technology to perform meaningful assessments.

To get started on the interviews, the hiring organization will provide pre-set questions for the candidate to answer in front of a camera. Candidates are only given one chance to record their answers within a time limit, so it’s recommended that they anticipate and practice any questions beforehand.

Here are the top four tips for doing a HireVue interview:

  1. Maintain eye contact in front of the camera as if you’re speaking face-to-face with a person.

  2. Make sure to enunciate your words and try not to stutter or have long pauses. You always want to be in the position of being ready to answer what’s being asked.

  3. Don’t forget to keep it natural. Sounding too rehearsed can make you sound like a robot and boring. Showing your personality can go long way, just like when you do live interviews or phone calls.

  4. Wear professional clothing as if you were going to be there for an in-person interview.

Top Question to Prep for include:

  • Tell me a little about yourself. ...

  • Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses. ...

  • Why do you want to work here or why are you interested in this position?

  • What are your long-term career plans? ...

Potential Interview Questions (links)

Reference the following lists and resources when practicing answers to your interview questions.

  • Prep first for the introductory question Tell me about yourself or Why are you interested in this position? Muse in the How to Answer Tell me about Yourself - mentions the Past-Present-Future formula to give insight into how you became interested in your major/field, what you are doing presently, and then . giving a glimpse into why you are interested in this role?

  • Common intern/co-op interview ?s. Review this list of common intern interview questions from Muse.

  • Behavior Based Questions. Brush up on the Problem-Action-Result (PAR) or Situation-Task-Action-Result (STAR) method from Balance Careers article and practice these behavior based questions from Balance Careers.

  • Other quick tips for the interview include:

    • Tell stories. People remember them. Make a list of 10 stories you could tell related to a possible behavior based interview questions (such as accomplishments, collaboration, leadership, communication, turning around a bad situation). Focus on your actions and role and be sure to mention the results - positive outcome at the end.

    • Try to pull from multiple areas of your life - involvement in organizations or clubs, part-time jobs, technical summer camps, research on your own, freelance work, coursework. If you do have a direct experience that applies to this role, be sure to touch on this, but do not have it be on the ONLY experience you refer to when asked situational or behavioral questions.

  • You may be asked to walk the interviewer through your resume. The following resource from the Prepary provides tips in answering this question such as to start with an overarching statement about your professional interest and experiences so far and then to dig into the details that go beyond what your resume states that is relevant to the role.

Hypothetical Questions

These questions are asked for an employer to try and understand your thought process and ability to think on your feet.

  • These are not ALWAYS asked, but several competitive companies do ask these type of questions to find out just how smart, knowledgeable and analytical their potential new employees are during the interview process. An example may be “how many golf balls can be fit inside a school bus?” Another question to show your ability to think on your feet is “Take a few minutes to consider how you would teach me something in 5 minutes.”

  • Strategize. Explore further strategies to answer hypothetical questions as discussed by Glassdoor.

Examples of Questions to Ask

As the interview comes to a close, you most likely will be given an opportunity to ask questions. Here are a few to consider.

  • Stay positive. Do NOT ask questions that have a negative undertone such as "What is your least favorite part of working here." OR reference a poor review on Glassdoor.

  • Gather information to inform next step. In each round of the interview, you will want to be prepared with questions to ask to not only show your interest in the company and position but to give you a little bit of knowledge to incorporate into your next interview and or your first day on the job. For instance, during the first round interview if you ask “What skills or characteristics did the most successful past co-op in this role possess or display?” In hearing this answer and taking notes, you are able to speak to and give examples of how you have displayed these characteristics and skills in the past during your on-site interview.

  • Show interest in the employer and position. You can ask the employer “Why did you start to work with and what keeps you staying with X company.” We all like to be asked our opinion and “sharing is caring.” Or find out more about the role "Please describe a typical day in the life of this position."

  • Incorporate your research. I saw that your co-ops last summer worked on a project related to X...do you know what projects the co-ops this summer will get a chance to explore to try and incorporate in the company's work?

  • Sample Questions per Round. See the MUSE article that provides sample interview questions per interview round.

  • Remember co-op students should avoid asking about compensation or pay rate.

Prep Guide | Putting it all together

Here's an idea of where you can easily jot down your research.

  • Muse offers a convenient 1 pager of items to highlight when prepping for an interview that you can easily reference within your Padfolio. Download the interview prep sheet as you get ready to nail the interview.

  • As you consider the information you want to convey and your practice answers. Highlight three statements that you hope the interviewer(s) say about YOU when the interview is over. Be sure to consider how you will convey this information during the interview.