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STUDENT GUIDE

DO’S

1. Research the company/organization
   Make sure to do your research on the company/organization and position prior to the interview. You may be asked, “why would you like to work for this company” or “tell us what you know about our company” and you want to be prepared to answer those questions and speak with confidence about your knowledge of who they are and what they do.

2. Arrive 10-15 minutes early for your interview
   Arriving early will give you time to get settled before your interview and it also shows that you are taking the position seriously and being respectful of the time of others. This also sets a good example, as if you are late to the interview, the potential employer may think you are unreliable. Since it’s a virtual job fair, decide on an appropriate place that has less noise, plain background wall with no distraction.

3. Come prepared
   Bring a padfolio with you or something to hold copies of your resume, something to write on, and a pen to take notes. Always bring copies of your resume to your interview, they may have it printed out, but sometimes they may not, and it looks great for you to have a copy to share.

4. Greet Properly
   As you greet your interviewers, greet them with a smile and offer a firm, but not an aggressive handshake. This may set the tone for the rest of the interview. If you need to, practice your handshake with a few people before your interview. Since it’s a virtual job fair, greet the interviewer nicely.

5. Ask questions
   At the end of the interview, the interviewers will provide you an opportunity to ask questions. Please take this opportunity to ask questions, however, be intentional about the questions you ask and do not ask questions that are easily searchable or available on their website.

DONT’S

1. Don’t dress casually
   wear office-appropriate clothing to your interview. You will want to refrain from wearing jeans and sneakers. If you need assistance with what you should or should not wear, remember you can always schedule an appointment with a Career Adviser to guide you through interview prep or visit us during Drop-in Advising to ask your quick questions.

2. Don’t stand out for the wrong reasons
   You can stand out for the wrong reasons by wearing too much perfume/cologne, bright colors, and big jewelry. This can be a distraction from your wonderful interview responses.

3. Don’t use filler words
   As you are responding to questions and sharing your story, be mindful of the filler words you may use due to nervousness or needing time to think of a response. Some of the most common filler words are ah, uh, um, like, you know, I mean, actually, basically, ok, and right. Practice your responses and take a small pause instead of using those words. It may be extremely helpful to practice your responses and record them, so you can play them back and hear what your most common filler words are.

4. Don’t answer questions with just yes or no
   As you are preparing for your interview, search sample interview questions, and provide responses to them. As you are doing so, think of experiences that you can use to elaborate on your responses and provide the interviewers with an overview of your skills and how you have used them in various situations. If you answer with simply a yes or no response, you are not showcasing your skills or letting them know just how awesome you are.

5. Don’t ghost the interviewer
   If you are unable to attend the interview due to an emergency or illness, please notify the company/organization as soon as you can via phone or email. If you decide you are no longer interested in interviewing, notify the organization that you will not be interviewing as soon as you can. If you ghost the interviewer by not calling, emailing, or showing up, you are engaging in unprofessional actions and are burning bridges. You never know who your interviewer knows or who they may be connected with, your actions can impact you in the future.