Five Ways to Prepare For Your Next Interview

At our Interview Career Development Workshop on December 22nd, over 100 students learned how to successfully prepare for job interviews and tackle tough interview questions. Volunteers, staff, and alumni coached students on interview preparation, provided students with feedback on their LinkedIn profiles, and helped them practice for interviews.

For those preparing for upcoming interviews, check out five key ways to master interviews below.

1. Research the company

At our annual Mock Career Fair, one SRA scholar learned about “The importance of first impressions on a recruiter, and that coming prepared after researching a company means a lot to recruiters.”

What does researching a company mean? Read about their mission, their values, their competitors, and any recent news.

2. Practice your elevator pitch

Your elevator pitch helps interviewers learn exactly who you are, what your strengths are, and the value you would bring to a position.

Start by describing yourself, your college major, and your field of interest. Then dive into your strengths and recent actions you’ve taken that convey these strengths. Close with a summary of why you’d be a good candidate for the role you’re interviewing for.

3. Participate in a mock interview with friends and mentors

It’s always a good idea to ask a friend or mentor to help you practice interview questions before an important interview. Practice tough and common interview questions like “Tell me about yourself” and “what is your greatest weakness?” to ensure you’re prepared.

SRA students receive mock interview support from our career development department throughout the year and at the Interview Career Development Workshop, attendees had the chance to participate in mock job interviews with our volunteers. These mock interviews help SRA students feel more confident, and better anticipate interview questions.

4. Visit the SRA Hub for help with interview preparation

All students should be sure to visit the SRA Hub for tips and tricks on interviewing. For example, this recorded Hub webinar features tips on preparing for an interview and what to do before, during, and after an interview (for example: when to send thank you notes).

5. Prepare questions to ask the interviewer

Remember, you’re interviewing the company as much as they’re interviewing you. Prepare a few questions to ask your interviewers so that you can figure out if this company is right for you. Explore this list of questions to ask in an interview, and remember 3-4 that you’re interested in learning more about.

A big thank you to our volunteers and staff for taking time out of their weekends to support over 100 SRA scholars at our Interview Career Development Workshop to further their career development journeys. Special thanks to Wells Fargo for sharing their Learning Center space to facilitate this important learning experience. Together, we are building the next generation of leaders!