Entry-Level Job Seeker’s Guide to Interviewing

Got a job interview coming up? We would love for you to get that job! We’ve been connecting students and grads to entry-level jobs for many years now, so we know a thing or two about what will make you stand out. Don’t make the mistake of showing up unprepared. To help you prepare, we put together a guide just for entry-level job seekers. Download the Entry-Level Job Seekers Guide to Interviewing here (no registration needed).

One common mistake, for example, that costs many job seekers the job is that they don’t do enough research on the employer beforehand, and go into the interview uninformed. Make sure you read about the organization, look up any news about their industry, and review some LinkedIn profiles of people who work in the same department as the job you applied for. If you can’t demonstrate in the interview that you understand anything about their organization, they won’t be convinced you really care about the job.

Read the full Entry-Level Job Seeker’s Guide to Interviewing

Another critical part of preparing for your interview is preparing and practicing your stories. It’s important that you do some self-reflection beforehand to be ready with stories that demonstrate your strengths and qualifications. Think about what you are proud of, like when you went above and beyond to help a customer, or when you exceeded your boss’ expectations, or when you worked hard to achieve something.

Your success stories should have a happy ending, preferably with a specific result such as completing a project, gaining a customer, saving your company money, etc. Practice your stories out loud before the interview.

Some people struggle with the idea that you have to “sell” yourself to a recruiter. But if you are honest about your skills and experience, it won’t sound like bragging.  You need to get comfortable talking about what makes you special, so practice with people you trust or even in front of a mirror. It might help to think about how professors or friends would describe you.

Another common mistake among entry-level interviewees is not getting specific enough in their answers. Interviewers often ask behavior based questions, that is, they want to know how you’ve behaved in challenging situations. To satisfy and impress them, give specific answers that describe the situation, the action you took and the results from your action. Nervous candidates tend to either give too short or too long answers. Make sure you know what points to cover. Elaborate but don’t repeat yourself or go off on tangents.

We have more tips networking before and after your interview, what to wear, how to answer common interview questions, what questions to ask your interviewer, and more–check them out in our Entry-Level Job Seeker’s Guide to Interviewing.