5 Interview Tips for Students and New Graduates

5 Interview Tips for Students and New Graduates ShareShare2 As a student or recent graduate, you face unique challenges in interviewing: Youve probably never run a business or been involved in hiring and managing, so you may find it hard to understand what interviewers are really looking for. Without years of experience, you may find it hard to think of examples and stories to illustrate your skills. And while you may have excellent social skills and manners, the communication and etiquette involved in job interviews can be tricky for even the most experienced professionals to navigate! You can read whole books on interview preparationand I recommend you do so, for example my quick and complete interview guidebut for now let me just give you five crucial pointers to keep in mind. 1. Figure out why they should choose you instead of somebody elseand take responsibility for making sure they see that. Why leave it up to the interviewer to hunt for your skills and figure out why youre right for the job? Before your interviews, give some serious thought to what you can bring the company that the other interviewees cant. Then make sure you communicate that, starting with your answer to the very first question, which is usually something like Tell me about yourself. Even if they start with Why are you interested in this job? try to include in your answer not just why you want the job, but how youre a good fit for it. 2. Realize that there is no contradiction between being sincere and real in your interviews and at the same time being careful to make a good impression. In other words, you can be authentic and strategic at the same time. Bringing both of these qualities to your interviews demonstrates professionalism, builds trust and rapport, and makes your value clear. 3. Make sure youre ready to tell stories that demonstrate your skillsand realize that you probably have more stories than you think. You probably already know that accomplishments, examples, success stories, PAR, CAR, STAR or SOAR storiesthey all mean about the same thingare crucial in job interviews. Well, if youve ever solved a problem, done something with exceptional skill, or gone above and beyond the call of duty, you have a story. For example, maybe you had a semester when you did volunteer work or had a part-time job, while at the same time carrying a heavy workload, and you did all this successfullyyour supervisor was happy and your grades were good. Or maybe you did more than your share when you worked on a team to complete a project. Maybe you helped get the team out of a stuck point where something wasnt working, or had a creative idea that made your presentation really interesting. To identify those stories you dont know you have, search the internet for behavioral interview questions. If reading 50-100 of these questions brings to mind five or ten good stories, youre doing great! Keep a written stories list to study before interviews, and practice telling them so youre ready to impress. 4. Study for interviews like you would for an important exam. Study the job posting, looking up any terms you dont understand. Research the company: be knowledgeable about their products and services, what makes them better than others, who their customers and competitors are, whether they have other locations, what their company culture is like, and the name of their CEO. Study interview skills too, and practice. Very few people can do great interviews without serious preparation. Theres a lot to learn! 5. Remember: its not necessarily the most experienced or skilled person who is going to get the gig, but instead the person whos the most prepared for the interview. The ability to do a great interview is one of the most highly paid skills you can ever learn, and most people never thoroughly learn it. If you do, youll stand out. Thats good news! 5 Interview Tips for Students and New Graduates ShareShare2 As a student or recent graduate, you face unique challenges in interviewing: Youve probably never run a business or been involved in hiring and managing, so you may find it hard to understand what interviewers are really looking for. Without years of experience, you may find it hard to think of examples and stories to illustrate your skills. And while you may have excellent social skills and manners, the communication and etiquette involved in job interviews can be tricky for even the most experienced professionals to navigate! You can read whole books on interview preparationand I recommend you do so, for example my quick and complete interview guidebut for now let me just give you five crucial pointers to keep in mind. 1. Figure out why they should choose you instead of somebody elseand take responsibility for making sure they see that. Why leave it up to the interviewer to hunt for your skills and figure out why youre right for the job? Before your interviews, give some serious thought to what you can bring the company that the other interviewees cant. Then make sure you communicate that, starting with your answer to the very first question, which is usually something like Tell me about yourself. Even if they start with Why are you interested in this job? try to include in your answer not just why you want the job, but how youre a good fit for it. 2. Realize that there is no contradiction between being sincere and real in your interviews and at the same time being careful to make a good impression. In other words, you can be authentic and strategic at the same time. Bringing both of these qualities to your interviews demonstrates professionalism, builds trust and rapport, and makes your value clear. 3. Make sure youre ready to tell stories that demonstrate your skillsand realize that you probably have more stories than you think. You probably already know that accomplishments, examples, success stories, PAR, CAR, STAR or SOAR storiesthey all mean about the same thingare crucial in job interviews. Well, if youve ever solved a problem, done something with exceptional skill, or gone above and beyond the call of duty, you have a story. For example, maybe you had a semester when you did volunteer work or had a part-time job, while at the same time carrying a heavy workload, and you did all this successfullyyour supervisor was happy and your grades were good. Or maybe you did more than your share when you worked on a team to complete a project. Maybe you helped get the team out of a stuck point where something wasnt working, or had a creative idea that made your presentation really interesting. To identify those stories you dont know you have, search the internet for behavioral interview questions. If reading 50-100 of these questions brings to mind five or ten good stories, youre doing great! Keep a written stories list to study before interviews, and practice telling them so youre ready to impress. 4. Study for interviews like you would for an important exam. Study the job posting, looking up any terms you dont understand. Research the company: be knowledgeable about their products and services, what makes them better than others, who their customers and competitors are, whether they have other locations, what their company culture is like, and the name of their CEO. Study interview skills too, and practice. Very few people can do great interviews without serious preparation. Theres a lot to learn! 5. Remember: its not necessarily the most experienced or skilled person who is going to get the gig, but instead the person whos the most prepared for the interview. The ability to do a great interview is one of the most highly paid skills you can ever learn, and most people never thoroughly learn it. If you do, youll stand out. Thats good news!