Interviewing Skills

Category: Scholarship Career Services Guide Job Search Skills

Interviewing skills
There are important steps to increasing your success at interviewing and getting hired. First, remember that job interviews are two-way communications. Not only are they a tool that the employer uses to evaluate you, but they are also an opportunity for you to assess the job, the organization, and to see if there is a "fit."

Two keys to successful interviewing are advance preparation and practice. The following suggestions will help you prepare for an interview:

Self-evaluation
It is important for you to think about yourself and your past experiences in order to be ready to articulate what you have to offer an employer. Consider the following topics:

How your present and past experience relate to the position
Your current and future career goals
What skills and expertise you have to offer

The skills that you would like to develop or improve
Location, salary, and lifestyle priorities
Kinds of people and environments you prefer
Past experiences you want to highlight such as volunteer work, hobbies, travel
Researching the organization
Researching the job thoroughly is a critical second step in the process. You can begin by searching on-line for company profiles on the World Wide Web. There are many career and job-related web sites such as Federal Government Jobs, Hoover's Online, Jobs in Consulting, Medsearch, etc. Look at the list of information sites in this guide. You can also review print media and read journal articles and other publications such as the American Journal of Public Health. Newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal or the Boston Business Journal are other good resources.

Practice interviews
Located at the end of this section are general interview questions. If you are interested in improving your interviewing skills, you can participate in a mock interview, offered throughout the year by the Career Services Office. In this interview, a CSO staff member will play the role of the interviewer and ask you questions relevant to the kind of job and industry you choose. You may also want to practice with friends and family.

An interview can be thought to consist of the following four components:

Introductions
First impressions take only thirty seconds. Establishing rapport, direct and sustained eye contact, a firm handshake, a warm smile, good posture, and introducing yourself in a confident manner are important ingredients. A well-groomed, professional appearance is critical. You should plan to arrive at the interview a few minutes early. Bring extra copies of your resume/CV and your list of references. You may also want to bring a writing sample or published article if you have one. Finally, bring a folder and paper for notes.

Preliminary questions
Allow the employer to begin the interview, but be prepared with some opening statements or questions such as, "I understand that this position involves..." or "What are you looking for in a job candidate?"

Pivotal questions
These are the key questions regarding the skills necessary for the job. Review the sample interviewing questions at the end of this section and consider preparing your thoughts and comments.

Closure
This is the final part of the interview where you have a chance to re-articulate your interest and inquire about next steps in the process.

Additional tips
Remember to be yourself rather than trying to be more than you are.
Focus on presenting a positive, enthusiastic tone.
If you are asked to describe a weakness, mention lessons learned, and steer away from negative descriptions.
Think about three or four key points that you want to make about your personal characteristics, skills you have learned, and relevant experiences that demonstrate that you could perform the job well.
Find specific, rather than general, ex-amples from your experience that illustrate important points about yourself.
When answering questions, focus on experiences that demonstrate flexibility, adaptability, responsibility, progress, achievement, creativity, initiative, and leadership.
If you are confused about a question and need more time to think before answering, ask the interviewer to please rephrase the question.
If the employer signals the end of the interview and asks you for questions, and you haven't discussed some key points, say: "There are a couple of points I would like to mention."
It is natural to feel nervous. Preparation and practice will help prevent excessive anxiety.
After the interview, write a brief thank you letter. Express your appreciation for the opportunity to interview and learn about the organization, re-confirm your interest, and re-emphasize how your background and skills might be of interest to the organization.
Interview questions
You can expect to be asked some of the following types of questions in an interview.

Case Questions are often used by consulting companies to assess analytical and problem solving skills. The interviewer presents a situation and asks you to discuss possible solutions. A sample case question is, "Describe a managed care company that you think is successful and explain why. What do they do that works? What are their potential problems? What is your outlook for their future? What suggestions do you have for their future?"

Behavioral or situational questions are used to assess how you would behave in different circumstances and to predict your behavior in future, similar situations. An interviewer may ask, "Tell me about a time when a team you were working on was unable to proceed due to some interpersonal conflict. How did you respond, and what role did you play on the team?"

Role-play questions entail the interviewer asking you to put yourself in another role and decide how you would handle a specific problem.

Industry-specific questions are questions regarding the latest trends or issues in the industry. An interviewer may ask, "If you were a CEO of Microsoft's main competitor, what actions would you take in the on-line services market?"

Brainteasers are quick questions where the obvious answer is not necessarily the right answer such as, "Which would you rather receive: fifty thousand pennies or a 10x10x10 room filled with pennies?"

General questions are the most common types of questions asked by interviewers.

Tell me about yourself.
What are your key experiences and accomplishments?
How would you rank your achievements?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
How would your friends describe you?
Explain your reason for leaving your current job.
What are the most important things to you in a job?
What do you value in a supervisor?
How would you describe your management style?
What appeals to you about this job and organization?
Describe the ideal position in our company.
What qualities do you think make someone successful in our industry?
What would you like me to know most that is not on your resume?
Explain your understanding of the issues and trends in your specialty and in the overall industry.
Why are you qualified for this position?
Give an example of a situation where you demonstrated leadership.
Give an example of how you worked on a team.
What questions do you have about the organization? Questions for the interviewer are queries that usually focus on the culture or mission of the organization, and job responsibilities. This is not the time to bring up questions about salary, benefits, and vacation about which you can inquire after you have been offered the job.
Tip: Executive recruiters say that the most important things interviewers are seeking in job candidates are a track record of accomplishments, and/or growth in previous position; motivation, drive, and ambition; a sense of objectivity about one's self; professional dress and image, and a positive approach to the position.

Copyright 2004, President and Fellows of Harvard College