Vanderbilt Career Center

So what is an interview? An interview is simply an exchange of information between a candidate and someone who can make a hiring decision. While interviews are usually formal; you are interviewing any time you meet someone who can influence whether you can advance in the search process.

Interviewing is typically one of the last stages of a job search. It is also one of the most important. All the other steps of your search process lead up to the interview. Here you will be able to use the searched for opportunities, prepared your resumes and cover letters, and your conversations with networking contacts.

So how do you prepare for the interview?

You might want to start by listening to the Interview Podcast with Lauren McSwain, a VU graduate and recruiter for Stockamp, Huron Consulting Group Practice. You can also watch a webcast that gives an overview of interviewing.

Before the interview you will want to prepare by reviewing the research you gathered, the job description, your resume and cover letter, and any information the organization may have provided to determine the type of questions that the interviewer may ask. You can use the researching worksheet to help you organize the organization information. Pay close attention to the skills and experience they are seeking and match it to your experiences that demonstrate these abilities in a positive way. Take some time to reflect on skills, experience, successes, strengths and weakness, and most importantly why you want their specific opportunity and how you can help them meet their needs.

We have all heard the saying, "Practice makes perfect?" This is certainly the case for interviewing. You can practice interviewing by visiting Optimal Interview, having a friend role play an interview, or scheduling an appointment with a coach.

The week before the interview make sure your suit is dry cleaned, your shirt is clean and pressed, and that you have comfortable shoes in good shape.

The day of the interview can be stressful, so make sure the day before, you have written down the interviewer(s)'s name(s) and title(s), as well as directions to the interview site. Have the materials you will take laid out your clothes as well as all the materials you will be bringing with you: portfolio with copies of your resume, questions for the interviewers, transcript, copies of your work, application materials the organization may have asked you to complete. Make sure you get plenty of sleep the night before your interview.

The day of your interview, arrive 10-15 minutes before your interview. Relax!!! Your preparation is about to pay off. You have spent the time researching the organization, reviewing your skills and experiences and how they fit with the organization's needs, and practicing interviewing. Remember the interviewer wants you to be successful; they are investing time in you!

After the interview, make sure you take a few minutes to debrief yourself. How did the interview go? Where there questions that you stumbled over or surprised you? Did you learn new information? What kind of feel did you get, is it an opportunity in which you are still interested? Do you have new questions?

Make sure you send a thank you note to each of the individuals who interviewed you. Personalize the thank you notes with information specific to each interviewer. Carefully proof read a professionally worded email and send this first. Follow up with a typed or hand written thank you note sent through the postal service.

Additional Information

Looking for a little more information? Check out the links below:
Stages and Topics - From the introduction to the good bye, what is the interviewer looking for?
Types of Interviews - What is the difference between a behavior and a traditional interview?
Types of Questions- Commonly Asked, Behavioral, Improper or Illegal

Resources

• Research
• Job and Internship Search Skills
• Resumes
• Cover Letters
• Networking
• Interview Podcast
• Interview webcast
• Optimal Interview
• Dressing for the Job/Internship Search
• Stages and Topics
• Types of Interviews
• Commonly Asked
• Behavioral Interview Questions
• Improper or Illegal Questions