How to Prepare for an In-person Interview

Gale Bowman

7-12-2009

how to prepare for an interview You’ve written an effective resume, applied for a new job, received a call from a hiring manager, and passed a phone interview. Your last hurdle to a possible job offer is an in-person interview, which is typically the most important part of the hiring process. This article covers the following topics to help you prepare for an in-person interview:

Research a company and its industry
Practice answering traditional interview questions
Practice answering behavioral interview questions
Be ready for a case interview
Interview preparation tips

Research a company and its industry

You’ll need to do thorough research for your in-person interview, as your interviewers will notice how much preparation you’ve done. Spend a few hours reading the following:

Company’s website – Read the homepage, products and services pages, and any other information that’s relevant to employees.
Annual reports – If you’re applying to a public company, check the investor relations section of the website and read through the latest annual report. The annual report highlights the company’s overall financial performance for the previous year.
Press releases – Read several press releases to learn about initiatives the company is currently working on. You’ll probably find some interesting pieces of information, such as the latest product launch, a recent strategic move, or management changes that you can ask about during your in-person interview. You can find press releases on the company website or through a search engine.
Industry news – Search for news about industry trends or key competitors’ performance. This information can help you think of good questions to ask your interviewer. For example, “I read that Company Y and Company Z recently merged – has that impacted your sales?”

Practice answering traditional interview questions

Spend time practicing how you’ll answer typical interview questions. Say your answers out loud, but don’t memorize your responses. Here are a few examples of traditional interview questions and answers:

Tell me about yourself – Prepare a one to two minute answer in which you succinctly tell the interviewer your professional history and three or four of your attributes that relate to the job. Your goal is to explain how your previous employment and attributes make you a good candidate for the new position. Here is an example of a good answer: “I’ve worked in market research for the past three years, where I’ve become adept at forecasting product sales and interacting with senior-level clients. While this opportunity has given me great research experience, I’m currently seeking a position in which I’ll drive business results within the finance department. I enjoy problem solving and developing forecast models, which I believe are attributes that will allow me to excel in the role of financial analyst.”
Walk me through your resume – When interviewers ask you to walk them through your resume, be ready to highlight a few key points that illustrate your strengths and differentiate you from other candidates. For example, if you were able to manage someone early in your career, point out the lessons you learned in that role and how you can use the experience to excel in your next job. Be prepared to answer other questions about anything you’ve included in your resume.
What are your major accomplishments? – Provide two examples that you’re proud of. Explain what you did and why you consider these examples major accomplishments. Describe at least one professional accomplishment. The second example can be professional or personal.
Why are you looking for a new job? – Tread carefully here. Be honest without disclosing a negative reason, such as a negative relationship with your current boss. Instead, reinforce what your current job role is lacking and how the new opportunities you’re pursuing will be a better fit for you professionally.
Where do you see yourself in five years? – Be honest when answering this question, but consider what the interviewer wants to hear. An interviewer wants to hire a new employee that will stay for a few years. Tell the interviewer what you’d truly like to be doing in five years, but your answer should fit with what the organization does.

Practice behavioral interview questions

Interviewers ask behavioral questions to find out how you acted in an employment situation and what you learned from it. When answering behavioral questions, first describe the situation, discuss your role and the outcome of the situation, and then tell what you learned from the experience. Although interviewers ask most behavioral questions about your past, some may be hypothetical. If asked a hypothetical question, discuss how you’d approach the situation and what you think you’d learn. Here are some examples of behavioral interview questions for you to practice answering:

What did you learn from your most successful project?
What did you learn from a project that failed?
Describe a situation in which you were forced to make a difficult decision.
Describe an original idea that you pitched to a supervisor.

Be ready for a case interview

Interviewers may ask you case questions in which you have to solve a problem or analyze a situation. Case questions are most often used during interviews for business positions, but case questions could be asked in other fields such as law or medicine. If you’re given a case to solve, first ask any questions to make sure you understand the interviewer’s question. Then, provide your answer with supporting evidence, and be as organized as possible. Here are some examples of case questions:

How many golf balls are sold in the state of Texas in one year? – This question gauges your analytical and reasoning skills. You’d think about the population of Texas, the percentage of people that golf, the number of times per year golfers buy golf balls, and the amount of golf balls purchased per trip.
A customer calls you and wants to return an order. Unfortunately, this order was labeled a final sale with no option for a return. The customer is adamant about sending in the order and receiving a refund. How do you handle the call? – This case question evaluates your customer relations skills in a real-world example. Describe the tone you’d take with the customer, the answer you’d give, and any follow-ups you’d have after the call. For questions that depend on company policies, feel free to ask the interviewer follow-up questions to get a sense for the company’s guidelines in these situations before you answer. The interviewer may even be looking for you to ask the correct questions as part of your answer.
Check out this product and tell me what differentiates it among the competition. – An interviewer may hand you a ballpoint pen or show you a picture of a new running shoe and ask this question. The interviewer is testing your ability to talk intelligently about product features and how a given product compares to its competition. For the pen example, you’d identify the comfort gel grip as a differentiator because most pens have a hard plastic surface. Take this a step further by explaining how this difference benefits customers by allowing them to write more comfortably.

Interview preparation tips

Here are more tips for preparing for an in-person interview:

Practice answering interview questions. Have a friend ask you questions and prod you for further information, just as an interviewer would. Ask your friend for honest feedback so that you can improve before the actual interview.
Prepare a list of references and print several copies.
Print five to ten copies of your resume to take with you to the interview.
Buy or borrow a professional looking portfolio or folder to take to your interview. Place your list of references, resume copies, a pad of paper, and a pen in the portfolio.
Confirm the location of your interview and ask for directions if you’re not familiar with the area.
Make sure you know what time the interview begins. You should be five to ten minutes early for your interview.
If you’re not sure of the appropriate attire for your interview, ask. Default interview attire is business professional – a business suit and tie for men and a business suit for women.

The final and most important thing to remember as you’re preparing for your in-person interview is to be positive. While preparing for your interview, practice giving upbeat answers and be ready to walk into the interview with a positive attitude. Good luck!

By: Gale Bowman

7-12-2009

After graduating from Notre Dame over four years ago, Gale realized that young professionals need a source of reliable information as they face “real world” challenges. Gale manages WhatCollegeForgot.com and presents workshops to college students and recent grads.