How to Prepare for Your Interview
Research!
Yourself
skills, strengths, interests, short/long term goals
The firm
values, mission, services/products, types of customers, competitors, locations
The position
Roles and responsibilities, potential for growth, challenges and demands
Read the job description carefully
Prepare questions
Open-Ended
Avoid asking “me” questions
Follow up on something mentioned earlier in the interview
Pick out your outfit ahead of time
Prepare technology (Visual and Audio check) for virtual interviews
Conversations should be 50/50 between interviewer and interviewee
“Channel your nervous energy for peak performance”
Send a thank you message afterwards
Mention key points from interview
Give them time to get back to you with results before reaching out
Types of Questions
Informational
“Walk me through your resume”
What they are accessing
A quick overview of your work experience and achievements
Why you are suited for the role and why you are interested in working for them
Strategy
Start with a strong opening statement that summarizes your areas of expertise and number of years of experience
Highlight your most relevant and impressive experiences and accomplishments, starting with the most recent
Connect your experiences to why you’re interested in that position and the firm and why you would be a good fit
Examples
Tell me about yourself
What are your strengths/weaknesses
Behavioral: ask you to draw upon a time or experience in the past in which you demonstrated a particular skill or trait
Examples
Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult team member.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
What is a piece of feedback you have received from a former supervisor or colleague?
Give a time when you disagreed with your manager
What they are accessing
Future performance or success
Communication skills
Personality and cultural fit
Tips
Show evidence of impressive, tangible accomplishments
Communicate clearly, concisely, and confidently
Demonstrate your personality and values
Research what skills and values the firm prioritizes in its culture and focus those qualities in your responses
How to prepare
Prepare 6-8 stories
Make sure each story focuses on a different skill
Make sure each story is unique, impactful, and impressive
Follow the STAR Method
S - Situation
Answer, when, where, and who
Keep it short
T - Task
Answer the what, objective/goal, and why
Keep it short
A - Action
Answer what steps you took, how you took those steps and why you took those steps
Focus on what you did specifically rather than what the team accomplished
R - Result
Answer if you met the goals/objectives, what was the outcome/impact, what did you learn, how did you grow/develop
Quantify the impact you had
Themes
Situational
Example
What would you do in this situation
Tips
Reiterate the Context
Relate to past experiences
Emphasize skills
Technical
Example
Questions about Excel, VBA, or something logical
Tips
Walk through each step
They want to learn about your thinking process
Curve-Ball
Example
You are shrunk down to the size of a penny and dropped into a blender. How do you escape?
Tips
Show creativity and personality