Interview Skills
10 Preparation
While some employers take an unstructured, informal approach to interviews, most employers use more structured, formal methods. This ensures that all questions they ask relate directly to the job at hand and that each candidate is evaluated in the same way.
- Research and prepare: This includes researching the company, reviewing the job posting, and preparing your responses to common interview questions.
- Check out the York U Career Centre resources to help prepare for an interview
- What to expect for each interview round (LinkedIn.com)
- Be prepared with authentic answers (linkedin.com)
Research the Employer
You can find great information about your target employer in a number of places, including:
- The job posting
- The company web site
- LinkedIn (look for its company page).
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- Types of products and services the company offers
- Who are their customers and target market
- Company culture, including: mission, vision, and values
- Any recent news, expansions, or news products. Read sections including: media releases, staff biographies
Analyze the Job Posting
Researching the job you are interviewing for is the most important step you will take to prepare for the interview. Employers tailor interviews to determine how good a fit the candidate is for the job in question.
You will get valuable clues about what is most important to the employer in a job candidate in the job posting.
Let’s say you have applied to the Shopify job posting below and have been called for an interview.
Answer the following questions based solely on information from the job posting:
“Tell Me About Yourself”
“Tell me about yourself” is one of the most common questions you will be asked as an interviewee, and it is often asked early on. So, knowing how to structure your answer will make a great positive impression from the start. Structure your answer using a present-past-future format:
- Present: briefly explain where you are now in terms of your career, whether in terms of training, work, or both. Explain what you do and recount a positive accomplishment.
- Past: indicate how you got where you are, for example, via education and/or past experiences.
- Future: indicate what you’re looking to do next and show how the position you’re applying for aligns with how you envision your future
Here is an example:
Question:
Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself and why you are interested in our position?
Answer:
For the past year, I have been working at Infosplit, doing database maintenance. I also have some background in data analysis, both in my part-time role and within school projects.
I have always been good with numbers and interested in big data. For example, during my part-time experience at Infosplit, I made some recommendations to improve the quality of data inputs. This allowed for more robust analytics by the reporting department.
I am a quick learner and excited to be part of the Digital Technologies program to contribute and build my knowledge within your team.
Determine Likely Questions
One of the most valuable things a job posting can do is provide clues as to what the specific questions will be in the interview. As noted at the start of this module, employers conduct interviews to confirm 3 things:
- If you have the abilities and skills to do the job;
- If you will fit well with the team and the organization; and
- If you have enthusiasm and a good work ethic.
Below, you will see a number of quotes from the above posting. Before clicking them open to see what the likely question or topic is, see if you can guess them yourself.
Once you have determined the questions that will most likely be asked, you will be able to prepare your answers to interview questions in advance! That way, when the time comes for the interview,
- You are more likely to provide the information the interviewer is looking for in a way that has the strongest impact.
- You won’t be stuck trying to think of answers on the spot.
- You will feel more confident, and
- You will appear more confident.
Using the STAR framework
The STAR framework is the method to use when responding to behavioural interview questions where the interviewer asks you to recount an occasion where you faced a certain situation and had to take some action (for example, “Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a conflict”).
Once you have determined what questions you are likely to be asked, prepare scenarios from your experiences – from work, education, volunteering, etc. – where you demonstrated the skills and knowledge required for the target job. Instead of merely telling the interviewer you have the skills they seek, your answers to these questions give proof of those skills.
S-T-A-R stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result:
When responding to behavioural interview questions, be sure to include all of those elements.
Situation: briefly describe the specific situation you were in. (What was the context? Who was involved? What problem needed to be solved? etc.).
Task: What was your responsibility in the situation? Explain your thought process and the options considered.
Action: Describe the course of action you took, step by step to showcase and provide evidence of your skills. Explain your rationale for taking the action you did.
Result: What was the positive result generated by your action? Explaing what was accomplished, improved, or learned.
Here is an example of the STAR framework in action being applied to answer the following interview question:
“Sometimes customers can be challenging. Give an example of how you have handled this in the past?”
If you would like additional information on the STAR framework, be sure to read this article by Alison Doyle which details examples of the framework being used to answer interview questions.
Now that you are familiar with the STAR Framework, try ordering the phrases found below to formulate a STAR response to the following interview question:
“Tell me about a time when you had to be strategic in order to meet all of your priorities.”
Questions For the Employer
You learned early in this module that a typical interview consists not only of questions by the employer for the candidate but also of a chance for the candidate to ask questions of the employer. Don’t miss this opportunity! Asking questions shows that you are engaged in the conversation, interested in the company and the job, and that you are enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and prepared. This is another chance for you to demonstrate your understanding of the company and the position, restate your skills and why you would be a great hire, and show your interest and passion for the work you hope to do with the organization. So, be prepared to ask 2-3 questions during your interview. Here are some ideas:
If the interviewer has not already described what to expect for the next steps in the selection process, this is a good time to ask. For example, you might ask, “What are the next steps in the interview process?” Remember, this is not the time for your questions about salary, benefits, or vacation time. Save those questions for when a job offer is extended. For now, focus on showing that you are the right person for the job.
Be prepared to ask 2-3 questions during your interview. Here are some ideas:
Course
Advanced Interviewing Techniques (Coursera)
The last module of this five-week course explores strategies to help jobseekers communicate clearly and confidently over the phone. The free course also covers other topics on answering popular interview questions.
