PREPARING FOR INTERVIEWS
DERWIN BOWENS
Whether
you’re a freshman just starting college or a senior ready to graduate, it’s
important for all students to make it a habit of preparing for interviews. An
interview is a one-shot opportunity to sell yourself to an employer. Practicing
different techniques before an interview will help you be confident, calm and
informative, which will ultimately result in a position with that company. Here
are three ways to prepare for an
interview:
1)
Research the company
Employers love to see that a candidate is interested in their company as a whole and not just the job he/she is applying for. Look up the company in the market and see how its sales numbers compare to similar companies. Review news articles that discuss different issues and topics going on with that company or organization. Even going on a company’s Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn page can tell you a lot of useful information that can benefit you during your interview.
2) Turn the research on the company into useful questions
Once you’ve researched the company, think of questions about things you might have found that are intriguing or unclear to you. Sometimes the questions you ask can spark an in-depth conversation that begins to really connect the employer and interviewee, which benefits the interviewee. Asking questions shows that you’ve not only done your research on the company, but you’ve gone beyond the expectations of the interviewing employer, and that always looks good.
3) Practice your delivery
This step might be the most important one. The only way you’ll do great in an interview, like most things in life, is to practice, practice, PRACTICE! At Towson, the Career Center offers mock interviews quite often, whether with the staff employed in the center or with actual employers volunteering to help. Sometimes your family and friends are your best critics because they know you well enough to be honest with you. So practice in front of them to get some good feedback on your delivery. Also practicing in the mirror or recording yourself can be the most beneficial way for you to personally see how you look in an interview. From there you can evaluate how your delivery comes off to the employer and find different ways you can improve to better promote yourself.
Employers love to see that a candidate is interested in their company as a whole and not just the job he/she is applying for. Look up the company in the market and see how its sales numbers compare to similar companies. Review news articles that discuss different issues and topics going on with that company or organization. Even going on a company’s Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn page can tell you a lot of useful information that can benefit you during your interview.
2) Turn the research on the company into useful questions
Once you’ve researched the company, think of questions about things you might have found that are intriguing or unclear to you. Sometimes the questions you ask can spark an in-depth conversation that begins to really connect the employer and interviewee, which benefits the interviewee. Asking questions shows that you’ve not only done your research on the company, but you’ve gone beyond the expectations of the interviewing employer, and that always looks good.
3) Practice your delivery
This step might be the most important one. The only way you’ll do great in an interview, like most things in life, is to practice, practice, PRACTICE! At Towson, the Career Center offers mock interviews quite often, whether with the staff employed in the center or with actual employers volunteering to help. Sometimes your family and friends are your best critics because they know you well enough to be honest with you. So practice in front of them to get some good feedback on your delivery. Also practicing in the mirror or recording yourself can be the most beneficial way for you to personally see how you look in an interview. From there you can evaluate how your delivery comes off to the employer and find different ways you can improve to better promote yourself.