St. Paul Campus Career Center
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St. Paul Campus Career Center
198 McNeal Hall
1985 Buford Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55108
phone: 612-624-2710
fax: 612-624-9213
email: spccc@umn.edu

 

Home > Interview Effectively

Preparing for Interviews

Practice interviews make a big impact! Call 612-624-2710 to schedule an appointment.

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Learn great interview tips from career advisers and employers through the above 4 minute video! For more videos visit our YouTube Page: http://www.youtube.com/user/StPaulCareerCenter


Avoid These Common Mistakes

The biggest interview mistakes, according to a 2008 survey of local employers, are:

    1. Lack of organization research
    2. Poor questions asked to the employer
    3. Lack of preparation for interview questions

Below are key ways to avoid these three interview mistakes and increase your likelihood of landing a great position.

Organization Research
Be sure to investigate key products/services, organization values/mission/culture, growth plans, latest company news as well as current events that might impact the organization. Key places to find this information include:

  1. Company web site (About Us and News Sections)
  2. U of M Business Reference Library (Lexis Nexis Academic, Hoovers and/or Morningstar).

Prepare Questions for the Employer
Employers want you to show genuine interest about their organization by asking thoughtful questions during the interview. Type a list of questions and bring it with you to the interview. For ideas on what to ask and what to avoid check out the Questions to Ask section of our web site.

Prepare for Interview Questions
Develop a list of key skills required for the position based on the job description, and anticipate questions that might be asked. (For example: If the job mentions team work numerous times, they are likely to ask a question about team work.)

Once you have this list of skills and possible questions, it is CRITICAL to think of specific examples of times when you have used each skill effectively in jobs, internships, academics or activities. Write these examples down on paper and devote them to memory.

Last, practice answering questions out loud. Verbal rehearsal is much more effective than simply thinking things through in your mind.