Interview Prep 101

We’re well into the second semester. Chances are, you’re job hunting. Whether you’re looking to line yourself up with a summer gig, a TA or RA position, or *drum roll please* ... graduating, an interview is likely on the horizon. This post details key steps of the interview prep process - how to thoroughly research the organization, anticipating common interview questions, and strategies to best articulate yourself to meet the employer’s needs. Here’s a fun way to start out your prep: The Muse curated a collection of 5 TED Talks To Watch Before Your Next Interview, including How to Speak So That People Want to Listen and Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are.

IdealistCareers.org - a website devoted to helping recent graduates and professionals find, land, and excel at their social impact jobs - has a great Interview Tips section. Though geared towards those interested in careers in the non-profit sector, posts like Resources To Help You Rock Your Job Interview and Presenting Yourself in Person: Mastering The Job Interview provide basic do’s/don’ts and tools that will apply to most fields. Strategies like using LinkedIn effectively to research interviewers and your predecessor, and structuring your answers in a story ‘problem-action-result’ format are explained in another post, Clever Ways To Prepare For A Job Interview.

Idealist also recommends visiting Glassdoor - a growing, online database of 6 million company reviews, CEO approval ratings, salary reports, interview reviews and questions, benefits reviews, office photos and more. Unlike other jobs sites, all of this information is entirely shared by current or past employees. There, you can see real interview questions hiring managers are asking other candidates, and accounts of recent interview experieces at local companies. Their blog has some great content too. Glassdoor sifted through tens of thousands of interview reviews to find out some of the most common interview questions candidates are getting asked these days: 50 Most Common Interview Questions, Top 25 Toughest Interview Questions (2014), and Top 25 Oddball Interview Questions for 2014. If for some reason, your interviewer asks you “Are you more of a hunter or a gatherer?” you can view how people answered the question in their interviews at Dell and read their blog post, 4 Tips For Answering Oddball Interview Questions.

Group interviews? To an introvert, a group interview can be a source of anxiety, dread, and fear. It is often a challenge for us introverts to feel comfortable in any group setting, let alone one where you have to prove yourself as the best candidate. But following a few of these practical tips can help you stand out in a crowd.

And some final thoughts. First, Never use these 10 words to describe yourself. And, whether you think it's fair or not, 91% of employers search your social media for "red flags". Here’s an easy solution to clean up your pre-adult online self - use the app Social Sweepster to clean up your Facebook & Twitter, which detects pictures of red solo cups and any profan