Interview Guide

The Interview: your opportunity to sell yourself to the employer and their opportunity to sell you on their organization.

What to know before the interview:

• Practice, practice, practice!
• What to wear.
• What to say.
• Do's and Don'ts.

Practice, practice, practice!

    Practice answering questions you think will be asked in the interview, questions about your qualifications, what you can do for the organization and why you are the best candidate for the position. Think about the experiences you have had, what you have learned from those experiences and from your education. Practice answering these questions out loud. You should consider doing a mock interview before doing a real one. Contact the Student Engagement Center to schedule your mock interview.

What to wear

    Dress professionally. This demonstrates that you are serious about the position and will be a good representative of the organization. Professional dress is a suit. For some industries, slacks and a button-up shirt for men or skirt and button-up shirt or sweater set for women is acceptable for interviews. Clothes should be neat, clean, pressed and fit correctly. Shoes should be polished (closed toe shoes), jewelry should be simple, make-up should not be too dramatic, and fragrance should not be too strong. Fingernails should be clean and trimmed, hair should be neat, and men should be clean shaven or at least make sure facial hair is neat and minimal.

     An example of what a woman could wear: Gray pinstripe jacket with matching skirt, white button-up collared shirt. Tan color nylons, with closed-toe black polished shoes, pearl necklace and earrings.

     An example of what a man could wear: Black suit jacket and matching pants. Light blue button-up shirt. Black socks and black polished shoes. Wrist watch, cleanly shaven face and clean combed hair.

What to say

When preparing for an interview, keep these three things in mind:

1. Know yourself

    Be prepared to talk about yourself. What kind of education do you have? What are your strengths? Weaknesses? What kinds of work and volunteer experiences do you have? Be sure to provide examples. What are your goals? Be prepared to talk about yourself in detail.

Have a response prepared if you are asked, "Tell me about yourself." Your answer should not be too personal. How long your parents have been married, how many siblings you have, where you went to elementary school, etc., is not information they want to know about you. Also, your answer also should not just be a repeat of your resume. It should be interesting, memorable, and it should "sell" you. An example is:

"I've really been interested in finance since I took a personal finance class my junior year in high school. I would stay after class and talk to the teacher to learn more. My parents got me a subscription to the Wall Street Journal the following Christmas. I would spend three hours reading it every week. I knew I wanted to major in economics. During my time at Whitman College I learned a great deal inside and outside the classroom. I was a trustee for the Whitman Investment Company; in fact, we had a 20% return the year I was President. I had the opportunity to intern with Goldman Sachs last summer where I was really able to apply what I had learned in the classroom to a real world setting."

The strengths and weaknesses questions are sometimes difficult. Do not simply list them; it's all about how you explain the strengths and weaknesses.

For each strength give an example of how you have used this strenth:

"One of my greatest strengths is organization. When I became responsible for the archives for my sorority they were a mess! I bought accordion folders and boxes and separated everything by year and event within each accordion folder then by decade within each box. I labeled everything so that in the future someone would be able to easily access exactly what they needed."

For each weakness mention:

• How you realized it was a weakness.
• Why it's important to change.
• And what you're doing to remedy that weakness.

"One of my weaknesses is procrastination. I realized this when I came to college and was constantly staying up all night before each paper was due. I knew this was important for me to fix because I was not doing my best work, and my grades were suffering, not to mention that I was tired and sick all the time! Each time a paper was assigned I began developing a timeline, which included when I will have decided my topic, finished my outline, and completed each section of my paper. This system has worked great for me. I can't say that I met my timeline exactly for each paper; I'm still working on that procrastination! But it sure has been nice just doing final edits and going to bed by midnight before papers are due, rather than just getting started at that time."

2. Know the company

    Be educated about what they do. Visit their website. Be current on the issues they are facing. Know who the company president is and who their clients are. Some things to know about the company:

• Mission.
• General start-up details.
• Growth story.
• Ownership/legal structure (public, private, corporation, non-profit).
• Names of the top executives.
• Current trend of the organization.
• Number of employees.

Have questions prepared to ask them. What are the company's strengths and weaknesses compared to its competitors? What percentage of routine, detailed work will I encounter? What are the day-to-day responsibilities of this job?

3. Know the interview process

     You should be aware of what to expect: How many people will you be meeting? Is it a panel interview? Will it include a meal? If so, brush up on your dining etiquette!

One very important part of the interview process is Behavioral Interviewing. This type of interviewing will give the employer an idea of how you've acted in the past, which is a good indication of how you will act in the future. The questions are situational, which involves 3 specific steps when answering:

     Problem- Set the stage, what was the situation?

     Action- What did you do to resolve the problem? What steps did you take?

     Results- How did it turn out?

Examples:

Tell me about a time when you had to think outside the box?

When I was captain of the cycling team we needed to raise money for our team to participate in "Cycle Across America." We knew it would be a challenge because there were many other student organizations and community organizations trying to raise money. We knew our fundraiser had to be unique to be successful. I thought of "Good-night Lullabies," which people would purchase for a friend or anyone the wanted and our team would go to their house and sing them a lullaby. We charged five dollars per lullaby and had fifteen requests the first week!  "Good-night Lullabies" continued for a semester and we raised $560, the fundraiser was really a success.

Tell me about a time when you were on a team and one of the members wasn't carrying his or her weight?

In one of my economics classes, we were to work in groups on a research project. There were four of us in my group, and there was one person who was not contributing. As the person who was selected to compile all our data, I was worried that we would be missing a great deal of data, so I called a group meeting. Instead of calling the person out, I asked each person in the group to provide an update on their research, express any concerns or challenges they were having. It turns out that the group member that wasn't contributing because they did not understand how to analyze their data, and we were all able to help the group member to understand. The project worked out great, everyone did their part and we got an A on the project.

How to prepare for a behavioral interview:

• Think about situations that demonstrate your strengths, favorable behaviors or actions. This can be from classes, work experience, internships, student clubs and organizations, as well as volunteer experience.
• What skills and situations will be important to this organization and the position for which you are applying?
• Be specific. You want to be clear and definite about your role. Do not give vague answers.
• Be honest. Do not exaggerate, embellish, or lie.

Interview Do's and Don'ts

• DO know the exact time and location of the interview.
• DO give yourself plenty of time to get there (grab coffee or read while you wait); arrive 10 minutes early.
• DO know the name and title (Mr., Ms., and Dr.) of your interviewer.
• DO offer a firm handshake at the beginning and end of the interview.
• DO maintain good eye contact with the interviewer (all interviewers in a panel interview situation).
• DO sit up straight; avoid slouching, twisting, and fidgeting.
• DON'T make negative comments about previous employers of professors.
• DON'T falsify your application or answers to any interview questions.
• DON'T be too casual; demonstrate your professionalism.

Sample Behavioral Interview Questions - grouped by skill

ADAPTABILITY

• Tell me about a situation in which you have had to adjust to changes over which you had no control.  How did you handle it?
• Tell me about a time when you had to adjust to a classmate's or colleague's working style in order to complete a project or achieve your objectives.
• How was your transition from high school to college?  Did you face any particular problems?  How did you handle them?

ANALYTICAL SKILLS/PROBLEM SOLVING

• Describe the project or situation that best demonstrates your analytical abilities.  What was your role?
• Tell me about a time when you had to analyze information and make a recommendation.  To whom did you make the recommendation?  What was your reasoning?  What kind of thought process did you go through?  Why?  Was the recommendation accepted?  If not, why?
• Tell me about a situation where you had to solve a difficult problem.  What did you do?  What was your thought process?  What was the outcome?  What do you wish you had done differently?
• What steps do you follow to study a problem before making a decision?  Why?

COMMUNICATION

• Tell me about a recent successful experience in making a speech or presentation?  How did you prepare?  What obstacles did you face?  How did you handle them?
• Have you ever had to "sell" an idea to your classmates or co-workers?  How did you do it?  Did they accept your idea?
• Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa).  How did you handle the situation?  What obstacles or difficulties did you face?  How did you deal with them?
• Tell me about a time in which you had to use your written communication skills in order to get an important point across.

CREATIVITY

• When was the last time you thought "outside the box" and how did you do it?  Why?
• Tell me about a problem that you've solved in a unique or unusual way.  What was the outcome?  Were you happy or satisfied with it?
• Give me an example of when someone brought you a new idea that was odd or unusual.  What did you do?

DECISION MAKING

• Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision without all the information you needed.  How did you handle it?  Why?  Were you happy with the outcome?
• Give me an example of a time when you had to be quick in coming to a decision? What obstacles did you face?  What did you do?
• What was the most difficult decision you've had to make?  How did you arrive at your decision?  What was the result?

GOAL SETTING

• Give me an example of an important goal which you have set and tell me how you reached it.  What steps did you take?  What obstacles did you encounter?  How did you overcome the obstacles?
• Tell me about a goal that you set that you did not reach.  What steps did you take?  What obstacles did you encounter?  How did it make you feel?

INITIATIVE

• Describe a project or idea (not necessarily your own) that was implemented primarily because of your efforts.  What was your role?  What was the outcome?
• Describe a situation in which you recognized a potential problem as an opportunity.  What did you do?  What was the result?  What do you wish you had done differently?
• Tell me about a project you initiated.  What did you do?  Why?  What was the outcome?  Were you happy with the result?
• Tell me about a time when your initiative caused a change to occur.
• What was the best idea you came up with during your professional or college career?  How did you apply it?

INTEGRITY/HONESTY

• Discuss a time when your integrity was challenged.  How did you handle it?
• Tell me about a time when you experienced a loss for doing what is right.  How did you react?
• Tell me about a business situation when you felt honesty was inappropriate.  Why?  What did you do?
• Give a specific example of a policy you conformed to with which you did not agree.  Why?

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

• Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with.  How/why was this person difficult?  How did you handle it?  How did the relationship progress?
• Describe a situation where you found yourself dealing with someone who didn't like you.  How did you handle it?
• Describe a recent unpopular decision you made.  How was it received?  How did you handle it?
• What, in your opinion, are the key ingredients in guiding and maintaining successful business relationships?  Give me examples of how you have made these work for you.
• Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa).  How did you handle the situation?
• Tell me about a time when you had to work on a team with someone you did not get along with.  What happened?
• Describe a situation where you had a conflict with another individual, and how you dealt with it.  What was the outcome?  How did you feel about it?

LEADERSHIP

• Tell me about a team project when you had to take the lead or take charge of the project?  What did you do?  How did you do it?  What was the result?
• Describe a leadership role of yours.  Why did you commit your time to it?  How did you feel about it?
• What is the toughest group that you have had to get cooperation from?  What were the obstacles?  How did you handle the situation?  What were the reactions of the group members?  What was the end result?

 PLANNING AND ORGANIZING/TIME MANAGEMENT

• Describe a situation that required you to do a number of things at the same time.  How did you handle it?  What was the result?
• How do you prioritize projects and tasks when scheduling your time?  Give me some examples. 
• Tell me about a project that you planned.  How did you organize and schedule the tasks?  Tell me about your action plan.

TEAMWORK

• Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your ideas.  What did you do?
• Tell me about a time when you worked with a classmate or colleague who was not doing their share of the work.  How did you handle it?
• Describe a situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or help others to compromise.  What was your role?  What steps did you take?  What was the result?
• Tell me about a time when you had to work on a team that did not get along.  What happened?  What role did you take?  What was the result?

 PROBES/FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS

• What steps did you take?
• What action did you take? 
• What happened after that?
• What did you say?
• How did he/she react?
• How did you handle that?
• What was your reaction?
• How did you feel about that?
• What was the outcome/result?
• Were you happy with that outcome/result?
• What do you wish you had done differently?
• What did you learn from that?
• How did you resolve that?
• What was the outcome of that?
• Why did you decide to do that?
• What was your logic?
• What was your reasoning?
• Where were you when this happened?
• What time was it?
• Who else was involved?
• Tell me more about your interaction with that person.
• What was your role?
• What obstacles did you face?
• What were you thinking at that point?
• Lead me through your decision process.
• How did you prepare for that?
• Why?
• How?
• When?
• Where?