Interviewing 101
You’ve made it to the interview! Now it’s time to put your best foot forward. Consider the following tips as you prepare:
- Research the company: Take time to learn about the company’s products or services, mission, values, culture, and recent news. Check out the company’s website, LinkedIn, social media, and employee reviews to gather information. Researching the company you are interviewing with demonstrates a genuine interest in their organization, and helps you to customize your responses to better align with their values and goals.
- Know yourself through preparation and practice: Using the job description and your application materials as your guide, reflect on your experiences, strengths, and skills and how they relate to the role. Prepare examples that highlight the skills and experience the company is seeking. Identify 2-3 core strengths you believe you could bring to the role that you can emphasize. Practice interview questions ahead of time to develop your confidence.
- Bring your best self: Making a positive first impression is a building block to achieving success through the remainder of your interview- after all, you are the star of the show! Dress appropriately for the company environment and role that you are applying for. When in doubt, it’s recommended to be slightly overdressed rather than underdressed. If applicable, bring copies of your resume, a notepad, and pen.
- Say ‘thank you’: Express your gratitude by sending a thank you email within 24-48 hours of the interview that reiterates your interest, reflects back on what you discussed, and thanks the interviewer again for the opportunity. Sending a thank you re-emphasizes your interest and helps you to stand out as a candidate.
- Phone interviews: Phone interviews are often conducted as an initial screening tool by employers, lasting about 15-30 minutes and focusing on basic qualifications. Be sure that you are in a quiet space, have your materials ready, listen actively, and articulate your responses clearly.
- Video interviews: Video interviews are conducted on video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, Teams, or Webex. For this type of interview, make sure to test your technology ahead of time, find a quiet space with a neutral background, dress professionally, and engage with the camera to ensure you are making good eye contact.
- Group interviews: Group interviews involve multiple candidates who are being interviewed simultaneously. In some situations, candidates are also asked to participate in group discussions, activities, or exercises. Here, it’s important to demonstrate your ability to collaborate and communicate well with others. Keep in mind tips like contributing without dominating the conversation, listening actively to others, and preparing ahead of time in order to effectively engage in the activities.
- Technical interviews: Technical interviews assess specific skills that an employer is seeking for a position. Special considerations to keep in mind for these types of interviews include reviewing key concepts important to the role, practicing problem-solving ahead of time, clearly articulating your thought process through your interview responses, and remaining calm through difficult questions.
- Case Study interviews: Case study interviews often involve a business problem that you are tasked with solving. Candidates analyze a case and then provide solutions and/or recommendations. Special considerations to keep in mind for these types of interviews include practicing examples ahead of time, using quantitative information to back up your solutions when applicable, clearly articulating your thought process, and providing a clear structure in your presentation.
- AI interviews: For AI interviews, candidates record responses to questions asked through AI. Candidates can often complete these interviews on their own time. Keep in mind tips like familiarizing yourself with the platform, expressing your personality throughout the interview, preparing examples ahead of time, and keeping your responses concise.
A behavior-based interview focuses on job-related experiences, behaviors, knowledge, skills, and abilities. It is premised on the belief that past behavior and performance predicts future behavior and performance.
The CAR (Circumstance, Actions, Result) method of interview preparation provides you with a systematic way to practice and become familiar with behavior-based interviewing. The CAR method allows you to tell the interviewer a “story” (with a beginning, middle and end). Use work experience, activities, hobbies, volunteer work, school projects—anything that would be considered strong examples of your past behavior.
CAR Method
Question: Tell me about a time when you used your problem-solving skills.
| C (Circumstance) | A(Actions) | R (Results) |
| Provide the interviewer a brief overview of the circumstance you will be telling them about. It is a method for beginning your story. | After setting the stage by describing the circumstance, tell the interviewer the specific actions you took to resolve the problem or situation. | This is the MOST IMPORTANT step of your answer. Your goal is to demonstrate a results- oriented background. Connect your accomplishments/what you learned to the position you are seeking. |
| C (Circumstance) In my psychology course, I worked with a team of four students to conduct a survey on stress levels among college students and present our findings to the class. A few days before the presentation, however, we realized that several of the survey responses had been deleted due to an error with the survey software. | A(Actions) To solve this problem, I quickly organized a meeting with our team. We made the decision to send out a new round of surveys and extend the deadline to gather as much data as we could. We used social media and personalized outreach to encourage participation. While we gathered more data, we also began to analyze the preliminary results that we had gotten in the first round of surveys. | R (Results) Ultimately, we were able to gather enough new data to be significant and add to our presentation. We received good feedback on our presentation for our ability to adapt and analyze the data effectively. Reflecting on this experience, I learned the importance of adaptability and collaboration to solve unexpected problems efficiently. |
Commonly Asked Interview Questions:
- Tell me about yourself.
- What interests you in this organization/role? What do you know about us?
- What are your top three strengths?
- What is your greatest weakness?
- Why did you choose to attend Butler and select your major in ____?
- What work experience has been the most valuable to you and why?
- What is your greatest accomplishment/something you are proud of?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- Tell me about a time you failed and/or overcame a challenge.
- Describe a situation in which you dealt with a difficult customer/classmate/coworker and how you handled it.
- Tell me about a time that you managed multiple tasks and how you were able to do that successfully.
- Why should we hire you?
Questions to ask Employers:
- Can you describe what a typical day might look like in this role?
- What are the key challenges someone in this role might face?
- How do you evaluate success in this role?
- What are the top qualities you’re looking for in a candidate in this position?
- What opportunities are there for professional development and growth?
- What are the company’s goals for the next couple of years?
- How does the company support work-life balance?
- What do you enjoy about working at this company? What keeps you here?
- What do you wish you had known about this organization before working here?
- What are the next steps in the hiring process?
Congratulations – you’ve received a job offer! Negotiation is the process by which you and the employer come to a mutual agreement on the terms of your employment and compensation package. When deciding if and when to negotiate, it’s important to understand the value of your skills and experiences and how they meet the needs of the organization. Follow the steps below to determine what will work best for you:
- Express Gratitude: When you first receive a job offer, it’s important to express your gratitude and excitement, but also to let them know that you’d like to take some time (2-3 days) to review the offer and ask any follow-up questions.
- Do your Research: Next, take some time to research salary and other data for similar positions in your industry and location using resources like Salary.com, Glassdoor, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You’ll also want to consider your expenses, and how the job will meet your needs. Every job seeker has the right to negotiate salary, and if it makes sense for you based on your research, be prepared to explain why your skills and experience justify your salary expectations.
- Evaluate the Offer: A job offer is more than just the salary. It’s important to review and understand all components of the offer, including but not limited to health benefits, retirement plans, vacation time, remote work flexibility, and professional development opportunities. If you have questions on any part of the offer, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask.
- Negotiate with the Employer: How you approach the negotiation can make a big difference in how the employer responds to you. Communicate clearly and professionally, framing your requests in terms of the value you bring to the company. Be prepared to provide evidence as to why you believe your expectations are justified. Have a positive, flexible attitude, and be open to potential solutions .You got this!
In any part of the interview and negotiation process, do not hesitate to schedule an appointment via Navigate with a Career Advisor for assistance.