5 Interview Tips

Interviewing never seems to get any easier, especially if you’ve gone on more than you can count. Fear and uncertainty underlie most interview anxieties - so how can you pull yourself out of that rut? 

Whether you’ve just graduated or are a high level executive looking for a new work venture, it’s important to approach each interview with optimal confidence and the below smart strategies:

1. Change the way you think about interviews. Interviews should simply be viewed as a conversation, a general Q&A session between you and a potential employer. It’s not uncommon for people to be swept with a wave of panic and negativity leading up to an interview. Remember, you are interviewing the company as much as they are interviewing you.
2. Avoid self-doubt. Keep your negative thoughts in check, self-doubt and fear will render you helpless. Re-frame your thinking - instead of negative thoughts like “I’ll never get this job,” consider the glass half full - “They called me for an interview, which means they were impressed with my background. I’m going to do my best to bring my resume to life for them.”
3. Provide real life examples. When asked questions about your strengths, provide specific examples from a real life situation. While you may not have a solid example from your workplace, perhaps through your education or volunteering efforts something can connect. Leadership skills? Think about group projects or presentations you’ve led in graduate school. Perhaps you’ve participated in one of our panel discussions at St. John’s - relate that to your interviewer’s question.
4. Turn your biggest weakness into your greatest strengths. There’s no doubt your interviewer will ask you to list some of your weaknesses - and no your weakness can’t be you have no weaknesses. Bring up some things that aren’t your strong suit and the steps you are taking to improve them. Found it hard to complete your to do list? Now you are utilizing online tools and email alerts that help you stay organized and improve your time management. In the end, bring the focus back to how the improved you can help your potential company.
5. Take every interview opportunity that comes your way. Practice may not make perfect, but it does make how you perform. The more interviews you go on, the more you can hone your skills and feel more comfortable in the ‘hot seat.’ You’ll learn what works, what doesn’t, and what approach you will take for your next interview.

For additional tips, visit Huffington Post’s full article here.

The graduate schools at St. John’s University in New York City offer more than 60 graduate degree and professional certificate programs in five acclaimed colleges, a School of Law, and institute dedicated solely to the growing field of biotechnology. Our highly competitive advanced degree programs will challenge you to become the very best you can possibly be!