Preparing for Interviews

An interview gives an employer the opportunity to get to know you better and determine whether or not you are the best “fit” for a particular position. The good news: because you have been invited to interview, you should already feel confident that the employer believes you have what it takes to do the job!

Interviewing is a skill you can learn. To interview most effectively and maximize your chances of getting an offer, you have to devote time to preparing, which is not always easy to do given busy student schedules.

Whether you are looking for a full-time position or a summer internship, you can use this guide to get an overview of what to expect and how to prepare. Career Services counselors can also assist you by conducting practice or “mock” interviews…read on to find out more!

Preparing for Interviews

Interviews go far more smoothly if you invest a little bit of time in yourself by preparing in advance. Prior to an interview, review your resume and cover letter to remind yourself of what you told the employer about your background and motivation. What do you consider some of your strongest skills or personal qualities that will contribute to your success in this job? Spend some time reflecting on what it is about this job that made you want to apply; you can almost guarantee that every interview will include some form of the question, “What motivates you to seek this position?”

Always devote some time to researching the organization where you seek to work. Interviewers want to know, “Why do you want to work here?” At least part of your response should focus on the organization itself and what makes it appealing to you. Virtually all organizations with a web site have an “About Us” section. Use it to learn about the organization’s primary mission, customers, services, and/or products. How large is the organization, and do you find larger or smaller organizations appealing (why?)? Aside from the organization’s web site, reading about the industry or the organization in periodicals or other online articles might provide other useful information.

PRACTICE IS CRITICAL. The most important preparation you can do is to actually practice interviewing! Get together with a friend and practice out loud by asking each other questions and offering critiques or suggestions on other ways to respond.

Make an appointment to do a mock interview at Career Services, in which a counselor will simulate an interview experience by asking you a variety of questions, offering feedback and suggestions for improvement. We recommend a videotaped mock interview, which is a one-hour appointment, so that we can use the video to review with you your overall presentation, including body language and other nonverbal responses. Call 258-3325 to schedule an appointment.

What Employers Want

The primary task of the interviewer is to evaluate:

• whether or not you have the skills and knowledge to do a job effectively
• how motivated and enthusiastic you are about the position
• how well your personality “fits” with the organization and its current employees.

The first two points are what you have the greatest control over, in that it is up to you to enthusiastically convey to the employer what experiences and accomplishments have prepared you the best. Fit is something more subjective and is based mainly on your personality, your work style, and how you present yourself; the interviewer will basically be wondering, “Is this someone I can see myself working with or can see getting along with my team?” Ultimately, be yourself in an interview, and remember that you also get to evaluate whether the organization is a good fit for you!

Depending upon the job for which you are interviewing, interviewers will seek to evaluate certain skills or competencies that are most important to them. RE-READ the original job description and pay attention to the qualifications they seek. What types of skills do they reference within the job description? Chances are high that those are going to be addressed within the interview.

No matter what industry you are targeting, there are a number of common skills or qualities that are important to all employers. According to a survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the following skills and qualities are what employers rate as the most important:

1 Reprinted from Job Outlook 2005, with permission of the National Association of Colleges and Employers, copyright holder. No part of any of these publications may be used, adapted, or reproduced in any manner without the written permission of NACE.

You should note that the above list does not include any major-specific skills. As a liberal arts or an engineering major at Princeton, you should be developing these skills and can clearly be competitive for a variety of industries.

For other general advice on interviewing and qualities employers consider important, visit NACE’s web site for students called JobWeb: http://www.jobweb.com/Resumes_Interviews/default.htm

The Interview Process

Most initial or “first round” interviews typically last 30 to 45 minutes, and are often one-on-one or two-on-one interviews. In these initial interviews, the emphasis is typically on getting to know your overall motivations and goals better, while gathering more specific information about the experiences and skills you've already highlighted in your application.

The first 2-3 minutes of a typical 30-minute interview are generally spent on small talk, as well as structuring the interview. In other words, after introductions the interviewer might say, “We have 25 minutes, so I’ll be sure to leave time at the end so you can ask questions, but let me start by asking you....”

While an interview should be thought of as a two-way process, you will probably spend more time answering questions than asking them. That said, do not simply sit back and wait for the interviewer to fire questions at you. Approach the interview more like a conversation, with some give and take, and do not be afraid to ask questions during the interview (you don’t have to wait until the end). Roughly 10-15 minutes of an interview will be spent on you answering questions.

At some point your interviewer is bound to say, “So, what questions do you have for me?” You must come prepared with questions! Most importantly, you want to be sure you have gathered enough information about the job so you can evaluate whether or not it is something you want. Asking questions is also important in making an impression on the interviewer; if you do not ask questions, the interviewer might assume you are uninterested or that you simply have not devoted enough time to preparation and research. Again, you may ask questions throughout the interview, but expect roughly 5 minutes of a 30-minute interview to be devoted to your questions.

Your last question at the end of an interview should be something like, “I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about this position. My final question, then, is to find out what the timeline for your search is and when I can expect to hear from you?” Leave the interview with the contact information for the interviewer (name, address, email) so you can immediately send a thank you note, as well as giving you the ability to follow up later. Typically the last couple of minutes of the interview are devoted to this wrapping up process, with the interviewer letting you know what the next steps will be.

Some organizations make hiring decisions based upon one interview, but typically most have several rounds of interviews, including a visit to the organization itself. Interviews that take place at the organization can last a few hours to a full day, and you are likely to meet with a number of people from the department in which you would work (as well as other employees from different departments). To best prepare for these interviews, it is always a good idea to ask:

• What is the overall agenda for my interview?
• With whom will I be interviewing?
• Are there any materials or information you would like me to bring?
• If travel is involved, do I make those arrangements myself and submit receipts for reimbursement, or do you arrange for any travel needs?

When you interview with multiple people, it is fine to write one thank you note and send it to all participants.

For more information about thank you notes, refer to our Thank You note information.

Types of Interview Questions

Interviewers use a variety of types of questions. A number of questions are very common and should be the focus of your initial practice and preparation, as you can almost guarantee you will be asked some form of these questions. Examples include:

• Tell us about what motivates you to apply for this position.
• What are your greatest strengths/skills relevant to this job?
• Take me through your resume.
• Tell me about yourself.

Many questions are designed to get to know you better, what your interests are, how your personality might fit with the organization. Other questions will come directly from your resume and will focus on your education, experiences, and activities. Therefore, it is important to review your resume and cover letter so you can best prepare for questions that ask you to elaborate.

The most commonly used interview questions are behavioral. You will be asked to describe real situations you have encountered in the past, so that the employer can get a sense of how you might respond in similar future situations. Behavioral questions are all phrased similar to the following:

• Tell me about your most recent group effort.
• Describe a situation in which you had to use good customer service skills.
• Give me an example of a complex problem you solved and how you accomplished that task.

Your responses to behavioral questions should be specific and structured. When asked about your most recent group work, for example, do not tell the interviewer about your general philosophy of teamwork; instead, pick a specific team project you were involved in (it can be from a class, an internship, extracurricular activities) and describe what the team was and how many people you worked with, what your project or task was, how you specifically contributed to that team effort, and what the outcome was.

A case question is focused on discussing a real-life issue or problem that an organization has faced or might face in the future. Case questions are most common in consulting interviews; however, other types of employers may use questions that are similar in nature.

As part of case questions, you might be asked analytical brain-teasers or “market-sizing” questions (for example, “How many dry cleaners are located in Manhattan?” or “How many blue cars are there in the United States?”). You are not expected to get a right/exact answer to these questions; rather, the employer wants to know what assumptions you will make and how you will figure out an estimate (you DO have to come up with an estimate or answer!). They are using this process to evaluate your analytical and critical thinking skills, the logic of your assumptions, and your ability to problem-solve or be creative in your thinking.

Case questions are more involved questions and usually take anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes to answer. Career Services has a number of books and resources on reserve at our front desk to help you prepare for these interviews, including the The Vault.com Guide to The Case Interview, Case in Point: Complete Case Interview Preparation, the Wet Feet Press Ace Your Case! workbook, and a number of other resources and handouts from past workshops on campus. Some helpful online resources include: Vault, WetFeet, Ace the Case and CaseQuestions.com.

It's Not Just What You Say

How you communicate during an interview is more than just WHAT you say. In your verbal communication, be aware of your pacing (try not to speak too quickly or slowly), minimize the use of verbal fillers (such as “like,” “you know,” and “ummm”), and attend to the length of your answer (answer questions completely but try not to ramble or spend too much time on one response). Some questions, such as behavioral and case questions, do take more time to answer, so don’t feel that you have to be extremely brief with every response. It is more important to be organized in your response, structuring your answer in a logical or easy flow of information.

Silence is not a bad thing! It can feel uncomfortable in an interview, but if you are asked a particularly tough question it is okay for you to take a moment to think before you respond. Jumping right in to answering a tough question might get you started down the wrong path.

A variety of nonverbal factors can also influence the impression you make during an interview. In American culture in particular, eye contact conveys honesty and confidence, so it is typically very important to maintain good eye contact during interviews. Your facial expressions can convey a lot about your interest and enthusiasm, as well as your personality, so be sure to smile when the employer greets you (as well as offering a firm – not too firm! – handshake). If you tend to use your hands a lot when you speak, just be sure you gesture in a way that doesn’t become irregular or distracting. Attend to your posture and don’t lean on the table in front of you or slouch back in your chair.

What to Wear

What you wear can depend very much on the nature of the organization for which you seek to work. Refer to our guide to interview and career fair attire for tips.

What to Bring & Final Tips

Always bring a pen, a folder or basic portfolio including a notepad, and extra copies of your resume. Most interviewers should have your resume already, but in the event they don’t have it you will look more prepared if you bring an extra copy with you. Unless they ask you to bring other materials to the interview (a transcript, a reference list), you don’t generally need to.

The notepad you bring is not so you can take notes during the interview, but rather so that you have something to write on at the end of the interview. You can jot down the interviewer’s contact information. Immediately after the interview, you might want to find a place to sit and write down some things you want to remember about the interview, including questions you didn’t get a chance to ask. Doing this while it is fresh in your mind can also help you write your thank you notes later.

ALWAYS arrive on time; in fact, try to be about 5-10 minutes early so you can be settled and ready to go when the interviewer comes out to greet you.

Keep a notebook. You should already have a notebook in which you keep printed copies of job descriptions and the cover letters you have written. You can also keep track of the dates of your interviews and with whom you met, as well as the timeframe in which you expect to hear back. If you haven’t heard from an employer within the timeframe they have specified, you can then follow up with a phone call or email.

If you are interviewing with a company via on-campus recruiting, be sure to also familiarize yourself with that On-Campus Recruiting policies and information.

Sample Questions

Getting To Know You

• Tell me about yourself.
• Walk me through your resume.
• How would your best friend describe you?
• What is the most interesting thing you've done in the past three years?
• What do you want me to know about you that isn't on your resume?

Your Princeton Experience

• Why did you choose to attend Princeton?
• How did you select your major/concentration?
• Describe the course that has had the greatest impact on your thinking.
• What courses did you enjoy the most? Least?
• Tell me about your extracurricular activities during college. What do you believe you have gained from these experiences?
• Describe your most rewarding college experience.

Show and Tell

• Why are you pursuing this field?
• Describe the job or the activity which has had the greatest impact on your career goals.
• What specific skills have you acquired or used in previous jobs that related to this position?
• Tell me about what you learned from your previous jobs and internships.
• What qualifications do you have that make you think that you would be successful?

What makes you tick?

• What kinds of tasks and responsibilities motivate you the most?
• In what kind of work environment do you work best?
• How do you motivate other people?
• Tell me about a time when you have had to work under pressure. How did you handle that situation?
• Tell me about your leadership experiences.
• What have you accomplished that you are most proud of?
• Tell me about an interesting article you recently read in the newspaper.
• If you had six months ahead with no obligations and no financial constraints, what would you do?

If past behavior predicts future behavior, then…

• Tell me about a time when you used your quantitative/analytical skills.
• Describe an experience in which you showed initiative.
• Describe an experience in which you showed creativity.
• Tell me about your most recent group or team effort.
• Tell me about an important goal you set in the past, and what steps you took to reach that goal.
• What would you do if someone asked you to do something unethical?
• Tell me about a time when you have managed multiple priorities at once.
• Describe a situation in which you had to take a risk.
• Tell me about a time when you went the "extra mile" to get a project done.
• Describe a situation when you had to persuade or convince someone. How did you do it?
• Describe a time when you had a difficult decision to make and how you arrived at your decision.
• Tell me about a time when you had to work on a project that didn't work out the way it should have. What did you do?
• Give me an example of when you failed at something and what you learned from that experience.
• Describe a group work situation where you and your partner were having trouble getting along with each other. How did you resolve the conflict?
• Describe a situation when you had to learn a large amount of material quickly. How did you handle it?
• Tell me about a time when you had a personality conflict or disagreement with a supervisor. How did you resolve it?
• Give me an example of how you would motivate a co-worker who was performing poorly on a team project?
• Tell me about an unpopular decision you made. How did you make the decision? If you could handle that same situation again, would you do anything differently?

Have you done your homework?

• Why did you apply to our organization?
• What interests/impresses you about this organization?
• What criteria are you using to evaluate the organization for which you hope to work?
• What can you tell us about our company?
• What do you think of our organizational structure?
• Who else are you interviewing with? What do you think of those organizations?
• Are you seeking employment in a company of a certain size? Why?
• Why do you think you might like to live in the community in which our company is located?
• Do you have a geographic preference?
• Why should I hire you and not the next candidate who walks in the door?

Such a heavy case load!

• If you wanted to buy the local Thomas Sweet Ice Cream shop, what factors would you consider?
• You are asked to perform a cost benchmarking study for your client, a toy manufacturer. Explain the methodology you would use to ascertain the competition's cost.
• Your analysis has caused you to think the answer to your client's problem is A, which is not the answer you client wants to hear. Your client likes B. You know that A is the right answer. What do you do?
• Our client manufactures sunscreen products. It's thinking about entering the hair products market. Is this a good idea? What marketing strategies might you implement?
• Your client, the CEO of a national hotel chain, is considering a frequent lodging program to increase per hotel revenue. She tells you that the program will be modeled after the airlines' frequent flyer programs. For each dollar a member spends they will receive a point. After they have accumulated 250 points they will be eligible to receive a free overnight stay priced at $150.00. The hotel chain has 2,000 hotels and 100,000 customers. Armed with this information, she asked you to help her decide if she should move forward with this type of a frequent lodging program.

Questions to Ask the Interviewer

Prior to the interview, you are strongly encouraged to think about what you most want and need to know about a job or an employer as you consider whether or not you would want to be employed with that organization. Try not to ask questions about information easily obtained from the organization's web site. Remember, the questions you ask help you gather information but they also demonstrate that you have a genuine interest in the company with which you are interviewing.

• What areas need the immediate attention of the person you hire?
• What skills are most valuable in this job?
• What are your plans for new products or services?
• How would you define your organization's management philosophy?
• What are you looking for in the person who will fill this job?
• Describe a typical day.
• What kind of training would I receive?
• How do the duties change once the training program has been completed?
• How much input will I have in requesting certain assignments or projects?
• What activities could I engage in now that might help me on the job if I'm hired?
• How is one evaluated both formally and informally?
• Will a graduate degree be required in order to enhance my promotional opportunities after several years?
• What is the retention rate for people who have been in this training program after one year? After two years?