Interview Preparation
You've been offered an interview--congratulations! You may have a lot of questions, and we can help answer some below. Remember that when conducting an interview, on the phone in person, professionalism is key. You want to answer every question to highlight your professional skills, even "negative" questions such as your greatest weakness. Make sure you highlight your personal successes and stay focused on how you are continually developing yourself.
If you have an in-person interview, ensure you wear slacks (no jeans or sweatpants), dress shoes or white sneakers if you do not own dress shoes, and a button-down shirt or blouse. If you do not own slacks, you can wear black jeans.
Frequently Asked Questions and Further Preparations
What is your biggest weakness?
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Respond by giving a clear but realistic weakness that doesn't hinder your character or ability to do the job. Make sure not to say anything cliche like “I work too hard” or “I'm a perfectionist.” The key here is to highlight how you are currently working to overcome this weakness, and how this overall makes you a strong candidate.
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Good example: “I used to struggle with managing my time when juggling multiple tasks, but recently I've started to plan my day with clear priorities and deadlines, helping me to stay organized and meet quotas.”
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What makes you unique/specifically qualified?
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Respond by highlighting specific examples of leadership or moments that reflect your honed skills. Do not lie or fabricate stories. You can absolutely use a story or trait that you are proud of but feels less related, if you can connect it to the current position.
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Example: “My ability to exceed deadlines without sacrificing accuracy stands out. In my previous job, I delivered early quarterly reports, earning a promotion.”
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What personality traits or social benefits do you believe you can bring to the company and/or its workplace environment?
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Highlight relevant examples if possible. Make sure the traits you reference are realistic and make sense in the professional environment. If you want to mention that you are personable, ensure that you can connect that to teambuilding and efficient teamwork as a result.
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Example: "I am a very social person, which allows me to effectively manage and participate in teamwork. By building strong connections with each person on my team, I better understand how to encourage and reward my team and reach our goals more efficiently."
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What is an “elevator pitch” and how should you design one?
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An elevator pitch is a useful and concise summary of your talents, abilities, experiences, personality/nature, and any professional goals you might have.
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It is called an elevator pitch due to its brief and straightforward nature, designed to be delivered in the time it takes to ride an elevator. Your elevator pitch should be about one minute long.
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Before developing your pitch, think about these questions:
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What makes you unique?
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What are you seeking?
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What can you offer?
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What do you want a person to remember about you?
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5 Step Format for Elevator Pitch
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Spend some time thinking about and writing down your top work and school experiences using the STAR Method (Situation, Task, Action, and Result). Choose one or two experiences you want to pitch.
2. Shorten each story to a sentence or two, focusing on your actions and the results of those actions.
3. Analyze the common themes:
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What are you good at?
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What do you like doing?
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Are you a problem solver, analytical thinker, effective communicator, innovator, etc?
4. Tailoring your pitch for the audience/person you are speaking to and the setting you are in.
5. Put it together and make it conversational. Add a question to the end of your description or offer to help someone with something they are working on.