Beyond the resume and cover letter, interviews help employers learn more about how your

academic background, skills and experience match the requirements of a job position. Employers
are assessing your communication skills and other traits to determine if you will fit with the
organizational culture. Good answers are specific and embody your strong points. Remember that
the interview is the main determinant of whether or not you receive a job offer. Preparation is the
key!

Step 1: Modify your Resume

Your rsum should be well-tailored to the job that you're applying for:
Use key power and action verbs from the job description to depict your previous work
experiences, ensuring to write those descriptions in the appropriate tense: past or present.
Articulate your previous job responsibilities AND your accomplishments.
Quantify your experiences and accomplishments with as many numbers as you are able
to include!
i.e. How many individuals did you manage? How much money did you raise?
How many new members joined an organization under your leadership?
Tailor your hobbies, interests, extracurricular activities, volunteer experiences, skills etc. to the
job description, emphasizing how those activities fulfill the required skill sets stated in the
description.

Step 2: Create a Personal Brand

What is your personal brand?
What are the top 5 adjectives you would use to describe yourself? Ensure your resume,
introductory speech and example interview stories emanate these characteristics.

Introductory Speech
Prepare a 30 second introductory or elevator speech in which you provide a brief overview of
yourself and share your internship interests and goals.
o A good pitch should answer three questions: Who are you? What do you do? What are
you looking for?
o Make your pitch easy for anyone to understand, so avoid using acronyms and tech-speak
that the average person or job interviewer might not understand
o Using benefit-focused terminology to convince an interviewer that you have the
experience, savvy and skills to get the job done at his or her business
o Prepare a few variations to be prepared for different types of interviewers and
situations


Step 3: Interviewing Tips & Tricks

Research the Company
Understand the key strategic priorities, financials and any upcoming initiatives of the company.
Talk with people employed by the organization or familiar with it, before the interview, if at all
possible.
Ask who you'll be interviewing withname and title. Do some research and get familiar with his
or her staff biography and LinkedIn profile.
Prepare thought provoking questions developed utilizing more than simply reviewing the home
page of the companys website.

Prepare 5-6 power stories that utilize one or more of the following key skill sets:
Drive, motivation and passion
Initiative
Persuasiveness
Good judgment
Analytical skills
Organizational skills and ability to develop and follow through on a strategy
Leadership
Teamwork/Collaboration
Responsibility/Accountability
Strong communication skills
Weakness/Developmental Opportunities

Behavioral Interviewing: How to tackle the Tell me a time whenetc.question
Describe the situation (S Situation)
o This is the Once upon a time part of your story. In two to three sentences tell the
interviewer what the situation was. For instance, We were planning a fundraiser, and I
volunteered to take charge.
Describe the task (T Task)
o What goal were you working toward?
Describe what you did (A Action)
o Tell the story of your response to this challenge. This is the meat of the story and should
utilize the greatest number of action/power verbs.
Describe the outcome (R Result).
o In no more than three or four sentences, describe what the results were of your actions.
If you have hard facts (dollars raised, money saved, commendations, etc.), be sure to
share those as well.
What did you learn?
o Share your learning from this event and how this learning has been applicable in other
aspects of your life or career. For example have you learned a new skill set, how to best
communicate with a difficult individual, how to lead a team etc.

Follow Up
Write the interviewer a thank you email and/or hand written thank you card within 24
hours of the interview. Mock interviewers should also be thanked for their time with a
thank you email within 24 hours of the mock interview.



Appropriate Questions to Ask in the Job Interview
Questions that could be asked:
Can you tell me about your company
culture?
What would a typical first assignment
be?
What specific qualities and skills are
you looking for in the job candidate?
What would you say are the three
most important skills needed to excel
in this position?
What type of training programs do
you have?
What can I expect in terms of job
progression in your organization?
Who will be my boss and who is on
the team?
How often would my performance be
reviewed?
What does a typical day or week look
like for the person in this position?
Why do you like working here?
Do you have any concerns about me
or about my qualifications that may
prevent you from selecting me for the
job?
What is the next step? When do you
think you will be making a decision?
Questions that should be avoided:
Never ask about pay, time off, benefits,
etc. (Wait until later in the process to
inquire about these things.)
Never ask What does your company do?
Never ask questions that are answered in
the company literature.
Never ask Do you do background
checks?
Never ask about gossip youve heard.
Never ask anything that makes it look like
you want this job to be a stepping stone to
something else.