Interview Assistance:   Knowledge Is Power

When interviewing, there are two basic areas to prepare:

• Knowledge about yourself
• Knowledge about the employer

Knowledge About Yourself

If you cannot answer the question, “Why should we hire you?”, you should not be interviewing.

You must know yourself and be able to articulate the qualities you possess that can be important to an employer. The interviewer is trying to evaluate why YOU should be hired for a position rather than one of the other individuals applying. Make it obvious by telling the employer about your skills and how those skills apply to the hiring organization. Focus your answers. Screen out superfluous information. Speak specifically about your skills and accomplishments that are relevant to the open position.This will help you avoid canned or inflated generalities that many novice interviewees make.

Be prepared to discuss every aspect of your background. Write out and rehearse responses to questions regarding who you are (skills, interests, values); what you want (career goals); and what you have done (experience, education). Don’t underestimate the power of practice! Role play and practice interviewing whenever possible.

Knowledge About the Employer

Always research a company before walking into an interview. Your initial campus interview time with an employer is usually limited to 25 or 30 minutes. Use your allotted time wisely. Don’t waste it by asking questions that are answered in company brochures. If you are interviewing at the organization, you should find out how many people will be interviewing you and how long the interview is expected to last.

Knowing about a company shows a real interest and a high level of initiative on your part. Know the organization’s history, the location of its headquarters, the name of the president or any other key people, what it does, how it operates and its products or services, its size, its number of employees, its locations, as well as its mission and culture. Check the Periodical Guide and recent newspapers to see if the organization has been in the news for a merger, award, or other major events. Also make sure you have detailed and functional descriptions of positions. Research the typical career paths, requisite qualifications for entry-level positions, employer’s products and services, travel/relocation expectations, organizational chart/structure, and salary and benefit information in your market of comparable jobs.

The information you gather will allow you to formulate intelligent, sincere answers. An employer always wants to know why you want to work for them. Your research should help you answer this question beyond obvious reasons such as “I need a job,” or “I can use my skills here.” Based on your research, tell your interviewer how you can contribute to the organization and how you can help the organization meet its objectives.

Remember, the interview is a two-way conversation. So ask the interviewer good questions that show your interest and knowledge. Make the questions job-related and open-ended. Don’t cross-examine.

Note: An increasing number of companies require drug testing and/or psychological tests as part of the application process. These are legal procedures and should be stated in the vacancy notice. Any organization that interviews on campus and conducts pre-employment drug testing is required to communicate this policy to Career Recruiting Programs and to students interviewing with that organization.