Interviewing Objectives
Interviewing is a two-way conversation between a job seeker and an employer to determine if there’s a good fit between the candidate and the position. It’s a chance for the employer to learn more about the candidate’s skills, experience, and personality—and for the candidate to ask questions and learn more about the company and the role.
Interview Like a S.T.A.R.
To ace the interview, we suggest the three P’s: Plan, Prepare, and Practice.
Plan
Who – Do you know the name and job title of the person who will interview you? Know about your interviewers beforehand. Check out their LinkedIn, connect with them, and try to learn something about them to bring up in your interview.
Where – Do you know where the interview will take place? You will want to familiarize yourself with the location in advance, this way you know how long it will take to get there. If the interview is virtual, find out what interview platform will be used so you can download and test the software before your interview.
When – Do you know when you are meeting and how long the interview will last? you will want to arrive at least 15 minutes early.
Prepare
Stories – Come up with three to five stories pulled from your previous professional and academic experience that you can use to showcase your knowledge, skills, and abilities. These stories should reflect your strengths or demonstrate how you have grown.
Frequently Asked Interview Questions – research five to seven frequently asked interview questions and prepare answers to those questions using the stories you selected.
Utilize the S.T.A.R. Method – S.T.A.R. stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result.
Practice
Mock interviews – The more you practice, the more confident and capable you will be. Remember, it’s not about saying everything perfectly, it’s about demonstrating that you have both the passion and the ability to do the job.
Set up a mock interview appointment on Handshake with one of our staff members.
The S.T.A.R. Method Explained
Behavioral questions come up often in interviews because they showcase how you behaved or handled a situation in the past, which indicates how you will respond in the future to similar situations. These questions start with “Tell me about a time when…” or “Give me an example of when you…”. It is best practice to utilize the S.T.A.R. method to answer these types of interview questions:
- Situation – Describe the situation. Set the scene and provide context to your answer.
- Task – Outline the task by describing what your role and responsibilities were.
- Action – Outline the key actions you took to address the situation and tasks. Don’t be afraid to provide more detail here to give context for the interviewer. The interviewer is curious how you acted in certain situations and the thought process that you used.
- Result – End your answer with the result. Briefly describe the outcome of the situation and highlight what you learned or achieved. If you can, describe the results in measurable terms.
What To Do After An Interview
Follow Up
- Write an email and/or a handwritten thank you note to your interviewer(s). Make sure that you reference specific conversations that you enjoyed discussing, and how you look forward to hearing from them.
Self-Evaluation of the Interview
- Take a minute to write down everything you remember about the interview, this will help with the post-interview follow up emails and thank you letters, but it is also an opportunity to grow and improve for future interviews.
- How did you respond to the interview questions? Did you use the STAR method? Was there anything that you forgot to mention? Did you say anything that you wish you hadn’t? Did your responses seem strong, weak, or somewhere in between?
- What was the rapport between you and the interviewer? How was your body language during the interview? Did you observe any noteworthy body language of the interviewer (i.e. did he/she smile or nod during any of your responses?)?
Resources