{"id":44480,"date":"2024-11-26T15:24:07","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T21:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/?page_id=44480"},"modified":"2025-11-21T09:22:46","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T15:22:46","slug":"interview-guide-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/how-to-guides\/interview-guide-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-modular-content-collection><h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">When employers or graduate schools hold interviews, they aim to understand your level of interest, confirm your qualifications, and determine if you would be a good fit for the position and the organization<\/h3>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Use these tips below to prepare for a successful interview<\/em><\/h4>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"btn\" href=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/how-to-guides\/interview-guide\/questions\/general-questions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS<\/a><\/h3>\n<h2>1. Getting Started<\/h2>\n<h4><strong>Research the position and organization<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h5 style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>\u2192 Review the job description and match your experiences &amp; qualifications with it<\/em><\/h5>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">\u2022 Brainstorm stories from your life that showcase skills and background relevant to the position<br \/>\n\u2022 Take time to research the organization\u2060\u2014 mission, values, and the broader industry<br \/>\n\u2022 Connect with St. Olaf alumni who work in the organization to gain insight and perspective on the organization&#8217;s culture, current priorities, opportunities and challenges, and trends in the field<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\"><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><strong>Know what to wear<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h5 style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>\u2192 Is the organization <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indeed.com\/career-advice\/career-development\/business-casual-vs-business-professional\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">business casual or business professional<\/a> on a daily basis?<\/em><\/h5>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">\u2022 Finding this information may require a search for photos on the company website if the recruiter does not specify recommended dress<br \/>\n\u2022 Review more detailed information on clothing <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/how-to-guides\/interview-guide\/clothes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a><br \/>\n\u2022 Get an outfit early so you can be sure you&#8217;re comfortable in it<br \/>\n\u2022 Dress more formally for the interview than you would for the job itself<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>2. Preparation<\/h2>\n<h4><strong>Practice answering common interview questions out loud. Frequently asked types of questions may include:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h5 style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>\u2192 &#8220;Tell me about yourself&#8221;<\/em><\/h5>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">\u2022 Prepare a <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/how-to-guides\/interview-guide\/questions\/tell-me-about-yourself\/example-of-a-benefit-statement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">benefit statement<\/a> where you discuss your academics, relevant work or internship experience, and a brief summary of how your skills and experiences will benefit the organization<\/p>\n<h5 style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>\u2192 Behavioral questions\u2014 <strong>the most common style of interview questions<\/strong>\u2014 where the interviewer asks you how you responded in a past situation to assess qualities such as leadership aptitude, communication, conflict management, failure, or teamwork<\/em><\/h5>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">\u2022 Answer using the <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/how-to-guides\/interview-guide\/questions\/behavioral-questions\/the-s-t-a-r-technique-can-help-you-answer-behavioral-questions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">STAR technique<\/a>: situation, task, action, result<\/p>\n<h5 style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>\u2192 Questions about your weaknesses or negative experiences<\/em><\/h5>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">\u2022 Think about experiences where you got something positive out of the situation or learned something in particular<br \/>\n\u2022 Review more commonly asked interview questions <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/how-to-guides\/interview-guide\/questions\/general-questions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a><\/p>\n<h4><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Prepare insightful, tailored questions to ask the interviewer. Consider asking about the organization, the position, hiring timeline, training, etc.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h5 style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u2192 R<em>ead through these <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/how-to-guides\/interview-guide\/questions\/questions-you-might-ask\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sample questions<\/a> for inspiration<\/em><\/h5>\n<h5 style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u2192 <em>Schedule a practice interview with a <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/connect-with-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Piper Center coach<\/a> in your industry. They can provide tailored advice, insight, and recommendations for maximizing your chances of success.<\/em><\/h5>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">\u2022 No matter how good you are with communication, interviewing is an entirely separate skill<br \/>\n\u2022 Students who complete mock interviews are much more prepared, confident, and successful when pursuing internship or job opportunities than those who don&#8217;t<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>3. Following Up<\/h2>\n<h4><strong>After your interview, send a <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/how-to-guides\/interview-guide\/thank-you-notes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">thank you note<\/a> within 24 hours.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h5 style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u2192<em>If the organization did not provide you with a hiring timeline, be sure to ask about it during your interview.<\/em><\/h5>\n<h5 style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u2192<em>After interviewing&#8230;<\/em><\/h5>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">\u2022 If more than a week has passed since the date that you were told you would be contacted, call or email the organization to ask about the status of your application<br \/>\n\u2022 Review <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/how-to-guides\/interview-guide\/follow-up\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">these\u00a0templates<\/a> for following up on an interview or application<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h5><strong><em>Cultural Considerations<\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>In a professional setting, candidates are expected to navigate certain social and behavioral norms during the interview process. At the Piper Center, we believe it is important to acknowledge the cultural specificity of these professional expectations, while also emphasizing the many positive assets that culturally diverse candidates bring to the employment sector. If you have questions or concerns about managing these social norms in a professional setting, set up an appointment to talk to a Piper Center coach.<\/p>\n<p><!-- begin-migrated-from-panel-builder --><!-- end-migrated-from-panel-builder --><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When employers or graduate schools hold interviews, they aim to understand your level of interest, confirm your qualifications, and determine if you would be a good fit for the position [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8325,"featured_media":0,"parent":17157,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-44480","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/44480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8325"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44480"}],"version-history":[{"count":94,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/44480\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50500,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/44480\/revisions\/50500"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}