Part 1 of 3: Preparing for Your Interview

Practice makes perfect

As the old adage says "practice makes perfect" and never has this saying been truer than with the practice of interviewing. Practicing for an interview will help you first develop and then refine your content and improve your overall delivery. In order to be able to effectively demonstrate the qualifications outlined in the position, you will need to rely heavily on your education, work experiences, and extracurricular activities. The ability to quickly draw from these past experiences and provide specific examples related to the position is critical to your success in the interview.

Rehearsal

There are a number of common questions that will often be repeated from one interview to the next. Writing out the answers to these questions and then rehearsing your answers can be an effective means of preparation. The key is to define the important components of each answer and then practice walking through each component. You don't want to memorize the answer to "Tell me about yourself" for example, as reciting this memorized answer may cause you to sound monotone and could be perceived as lacking enthusiasm.

Mock Interviews

As a student, you can also seek out opportunities on your campus for mock interviews. These can either be using an online resource through your career services office or in-person with a career services professional, academic advisor, employer or a peer that is trained in interviewing. Mock Interviews will give you the opportunity to address some of the common questions, behavioral questions, and even technical questions that could be asked during the real thing. With a mock interview, you are guaranteed to receive constructive feedback related to your appearance, body language, content and delivery. This will help you identify any areas of weakness and improve on them prior to interviewing for a real position. Often there are also resources available that will record your interview, so you can see how you behaved during the process.

Now You Try!

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