Spring is finally upon us, and for many seniors and upperclassmen, that means job and internship interviews. Before you don your best suit and give ‘em the old firm handshake, take a few steps back and make sure that you’re prepared.
As a recent graduate I remember well what it’s like to be on the job hunt and how intimidating that first interview can be – take a deep breath…
Ready? Now start putting your portfolio in order! (You do have a portfolio, right?)
Here are a few brief, practical tips for preparing for your first interview:
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Being prepared is the best possible advice I can offer. Research the organization and think about what questions you might be asked and how you will respond. If you are interviewing at a newspaper or magazine, make sure you’ve looked at their products. Visit their web site, at the very least. Learn who is who and what they do there.
Be prepared to meet more than just one person the day of your interview – it’s rare that interviews are conducted by a single person. More than likely you will meet 2-4 people who will all ask you questions – don’t let this intimidate you. Know that it’s a possibility.
Write notes to yourself about your work experiences and your skills and take them with you to the interview – use them to remember key phrases to help you formulate your answers. Take notes during the interview. This presents you as someone who is interested and attentive.
MAKE THE JOB AD YOUR GUIDE
Use the job posting to help you think about what questions you may be asked, how you can best highlight your skills, and to formulate your own questions for the potential employer.
Always, always ask questions! Ask them about the day-to-day responsibilities of the job, what specific projects you would be working on, and what they are looking for in a candidate. Wait until after they make you an offer to discuss compensation packages.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
Don’t wing it. Seriously. You may think that you’ll respond better if your answers are natural, but you really should have some key phrases prepared. Rehearse your answers and always be specific; point to a project or skill set when answering your questions. Giving specific examples will keep you on track instead of rambling on about things in general.
Overall, be confident. You are interviewing them, too! Think of it as a business meeting that allows you to get to know their organization so that you can make an informed decision about your professional future.
I’m also posting a pdf file with a list of questions I’ve been asked on actual interviews (trust me, I’ve been on a few). This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but it does contain some key issues you should be thinking about before interviewing (so, what is your editorial philosophy?). These questions pertain mostly to editing jobs, but are similar to what you might expect to encounter as a designer or writer, too.
I invite you to share your own interview experiences, tips, or recommendations!
Tags: internships, interviews, jobs
These are great tips!
To contribute to the list of questions, here are some that I’ve either been asked or have asked during an interview that may be helpful for writers or designers:
What are your three most visited web sites and why?
What do you know about blogging? Do you have a blog?
How do you keep your job knowledge current with the industry?
What have you done to further your own development in the last five years?
What type of writing/design/collateral pieces have you created?
What is your favorite writing style? Why?
Give an example of a time you worked collaboratively on a writing or design project. What was the goal or objective? What was your role in achieving this objective? To what extent did you interact with others on this project?
Lindsey LaTour reply on April 16th, 2008:
Thanks, Angela. Your questions are right on, too. I’ve especially heard from others lately that employers are asking “What industry blogs do you read?” and “What are your favorite online resources?”, so thanks for including that in your list.
I also just came across this list of resources on the EServer TC Library: http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Careers/Interviewing
Those are all great questions — and you guys have perfect timing, since I’ll be starting the interviewing process all over again in a few months!
Oh, and I just had a breakfast seminar at SPC that talked about preparing for interviews — when I get the materials that they used, I’ll definitely pass them along to you. Keep up the blogging — I’m setting up my RSS feed tonight!