CO-OP EDUCATION

PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW

CO-OP 101

1. Know yourself

To impress an employer, you must be well prepared and understand the value of what you have to offer.
To demonstrate effectively your suitability for the position and your value to the organization, you must
know yourself.
Review your self-assessment information and your rsum. Be prepared to give examples to substantiate
all claims in your rsum.
In addition to determining your level of proficiency, some interviewers want to see how you have grown
over time in areas related to their position(s) (e.g., interpersonal and work skills, motivation). Others will
want you to talk about your mistakes and what lessons you learned from them.

2. Research the Company / Organization

Before you attend any interview, it is essential to conduct your research so that you are prepared to tailor
your answers to the organization
It should be clear to the interviewer that you have done your research and are knowledgeable about their
organization many will even ask the question What do you know about our company?
Be sure to analyze the description of the job and think about how your background and experience are a
match now relay this information to the interviewer when answering questions
A great starting point for conducting company research is the companys web-site, you may also find useful
information in business directories, annual reports, and especially from people who work there

3. Review the Job

Each job announcement or job advertisement may include any combination of a description of the job, job applicant
qualifications and desired qualities. The description, qualifications and desired qualities are the keys to preparing
for the interview. On a job announcement or job advertisement, these keys may be found under headings such as:
Position
Qualifications
The Duties
The Requirements
Here's a description for a supervisory job:
"The ideal candidate will possess excellent leadership, managerial, communications and inter-personal skills.
The candidate should be a self-starter, team player, as well as promote teamwork among others, have a strong
customer orientation, is approachable, and effective and creative problem solver, and establishes and
maintains effective working relationships . . ."
The underlined words are the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) that weve identified for this job.

Knowledge - information applied directly to the performance of a function. For example, supervision is a
knowledge.

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Skills - learned acts. In the example above, we have managerial skills. Other examples include operating
a personal computer, using a firearm or operating a backhoe.

Abilities - performance of behaviour that you can see. In the description above, communications are an
ability.

Identify Potential Interview Questions

Identify potential interview questions to the underlined words (KSA's).

In addition to the KSA's you've identified, think about the knowledge and skills specific to the job that you
are interviewing for. For example, a heavy equipment operator will have knowledge about safety rules
specific to heavy equipment. List the specific knowledge, skills, and "hot topics" specific to your job. Write
possible questions for the specific requirements and "hot topics".

Create mock or practice interviews. Each practice interview should consist of seven to fourteen questions.
Tailor the questions to fit the organization and specific job that you are interviewing for. Include questions
that youve written for specific requirements or "hot topics"

Ask your friend, roommate, significant other, spouse, or co-worker to help you. Have them create practice
interviews by pulling questions from the headings you identified and from the questions you've written for
knowledge and "hot topics". You'll benefit from having somebody else help you because: 1) you'll have to
think on your feet, because you won't know what the questions are; and 2) you can receive feedback on
your body language (posture, the pitch of your voice, hand movements), content, and the clarity of your
answers.

Practice, practice, practice. One practice interview is not enough. You should have at least three practice
interviews. You'll be able to use the feedback to correct mistakes, strengthen weaknesses, and build upon
strengths.

You can practice and record your interview for review online by accessing the Optimal Interview module
located on the myCareer resource page.

You can also book and conduct a mock interview in person with the career advisor by accessing the
myCareer appointment calendar

Develop Potential Interview Answers

The interview focuses on "what you say" and "how you say it".

As you know, there are many different types of interviews and interview questions. Keep it simple. You're
going to be asked about:

What you know - about your work experience, education, training, goals, character, personal qualities, the
job that you're seeking, the company that you're interviewing for, and the knowledge required to perform
the job that you're seeking.

Identify a problem or issue - given a situation, find the problem or issue. The question may focus on a
situation that you've handled in the past or how you would handle a hypothetical situation.

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Identify a solution - given the problem or issue, how do you proceed? The question may focus on a
problem or issue that you've handled in the past or how you would proceed in a hypothetical situation.

The questions may be straightforward or a combination of the above. Your goal is to provide an answer
that not only answers the question, but also reinforce your qualifications for the position.

Go to the Guide to Answering Interview Quesstions

Key success points to remember:

The person who can best educate the employer and demonstrate how they are able to help them is usually
considered the best candidate for the job. As you answer the interview questions, cite your work and life
experiences in examples to reinforce to the interviewers that you've already done what they're looking for,
and you've done it successfully.

The interview will typically focus on the KSA's you've identified. If the interviewers start the interview with a
description of the job, you may learn more about the job.

Try to use the same wording as the KSA's. If you use different wording, then you are depending on the
interviewers to make the connection between the words you use and the KSA's. For example, if the job
requires someone to supervise, use the word "supervise" and not the word "manage".

Don't use limiting words, such as only or just. For example, I "only" supervised five employees. You're
making an assumption that five employees is a small number. The fact is that you don't know what the
interviewers consider as a small number and what they consider as a large number.

Use appropriate wording. You wont receive extra points for every word that has more than 10 letters. Use
technical terms only when appropriate to the question.

Be concise, logical and to the point. Use short sentences.

4. Tell me about yourself

This is one of the most common first interview questions and you should be ready to sell yourself
Think of this as a 15-30 second commercial to advertise a product you believe in YOU!
Give an overview of your education, experience, and skill set, targeted specifically toward how your
background will be useful in the position for which you are interviewing
You can also include what your goals are and how obtaining this job will help you to reach these goals
Dont launch into your life story or volunteer details that are too personal stick to information thats related
to your ability to perform the job

5. Be a STAR!

Behavioural interviewing questions are one of the most common types you will encounter
They are based on the premise that the best way for the interviewer to predict how you would perform on
the job, is to find out how youve performed in similar situations in the past
They usually begin with Tell me about a time when or Give me an example from your past when or
Have you ever

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These types of questions are not hypothetical, in fact, they are designed to elicit a specific example from
your past
The formula to answering this questions is STAR;
Situation: Briefly describe the situation you encountered
Task: Clearly state the goal you worked towards
Action: Outline the actions you took in working towards the task at hand
Result: Follow up with a description of how the situation turned out. If it didnt turn out well, be sure to
express what you learned and what you would do differently next time

6. Prepare Questions

Almost every interviewer will end with Do you have any questions for me? and the worst answer you
can have is No
Being ready with questions reinforces to the interviewer that you are sincerely interested in the position
and help you determine if the job fits your personality, skills, interests, and values.
Your questions should be pertinent to the position and show your enthusiasm and knowledge.
You should avoid asking self-serving questions like How much does this position pay? or How much
vacation time do you offer?, especially at the beginning
Ask questions that show that youve researched the organization and are seriously considering what it
would be like to work there
If a question has been answered during the interview, do not ask it again; such repetition will suggest that
you were not listening.
Always ask what the next steps in the recruitment process are and when you should expect to hear about
the interview results

Questions you can ask

The following may give you a starting point:

What do you see as the priorities for someone in this position?

Please describe a typical day on the job?
What training programs do you have available for your employees?
What level of responsibility could I expect in this position?
Is there a typical career path for a person in this position?
What are the company's plans for the future?
What do you see as the greatest threat to the organization?
What/where are the greatest opportunities for the organization?
How would you describe your organization's management style, culture, and/or working environment?
What do you like most about your organization?
How are employees evaluated and promoted?

7. Arrive Early!

It is never okay to be late for an interview, even if its only by a few minutes
Taking into account the time of your interview and traffic, go early to find parking and make sure that you
have money for parking meters.
Ideally, you should get there 10-15 minutes early, so you have time to relax in the waiting area, collect your
thoughts, and observe whats happening around you
If theres company literature available in the waiting area, use this time to conduct a little more research
To avoid unexpected delays, be sure you know where you are going, how to get there, and how long it will
take and then leave earlier than you think you need to, just in case!

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8. Dress to Impress!

Its not that what you wear that will land you the job, but it may help to keep you in the running. Wearing
something the interviewer finds utterly distasteful could work against you as the interviewer forms his/her
opinion of you.
The general rule of thumb when it comes to dressing for an interview is to dress one or two levels more
formal than what youd be expected to wear on the job. If you are not sure what employees in the
company/industry usually wear, do your best to find out ahead of time and when in doubt, remember that
its much better to overdress than to not dress up enough!
In an environment where people dress business casual or better, a safe bet would be to wear a
conservative suit, whether you are male or female.
No matter what you are wearing, it should be coordinated, clean and neat looking with all wrinkles ironed
out. This means you should try your outfit on well in advance, so you have time to make necessary
adjustments.
Your hair should be well groomed and neat and be careful not to overdo the jewelry, perfume, makeup,
cologne or after shave.

9. Present Yourself Well

The handshake: Make a positive and professional first impression by being assertive and giving a firm
handshake to each interviewer and addressing each interviewer as they are introduced.

Posture: Sit comfortably. Sit erectly, but dont sit stiffly or sprawl over the chair. Project confidence and a
positive attitude. Maintain awareness of your voice, posture, energy level, and enthusiasm. Make hand
gestures to emphasize important points, but avoid distracting gestures or making too many hand gestures.

Eye contact: You dont want to appear to be gazing into their eyes, but you do want to look the interviewer
in the eye frequently. If you spend the interview looking anywhere but at the interviewer, it will suggest
nervousness.

Fidgeting: Try not to fidget it can be very distracting (and annoying) to the interviewer. If you tend to talk
with your hands, tone it down or keep it in check by sitting with your hand clasped on the table in front of
you.

Voice and tone: You want to speak as articulately as possible during an interview. Your voice should be
strong and clear and your tone enthusiastic and confident. An interview is not a good time to use excessive
slang, swear, mumble, or say umm a lot.

Etiquette: Dont smoke, chew gum, tobacco, or anything else.

Communication: Reinforce your professionalism and your ability to communicate effectively by speaking
clearly and avoiding "uhs", "you knows", and slang.

Use appropriate wording. You wont receive extra points for every word that has more than 10 letters. Use
technical terms only when appropriate to the question.

Use positive words. Instead of "if", "I think", "I feel" and "I wish" use "when", "I am" and "I would"

Emphasize your strengths and qualifications that make a compelling reason that you are the ideal person
for the job.

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Rapport: Establish rapport by relating to each interviewer. Note the wording that is used by each
interviewer and when appropriate use similar words. Maintain eye contact with each of the interviewers
throughout the interview.

Smile confidently, but not to the point where you would appear to be too casual. Smiling will also help you
relax and establish a rapport with the interviewers.

Courtesy: Dont dominate the interview. Time does not equal quality.

Listen: Be attentive. Listen to each question carefully and dont interrupt. If you aren't sure of what is being
asked, politely request that the question be repeated.

Closing the interview: Thank the interviewers. Shake their hands individually and thank each interviewer
by name.

11. Don't Show Up Empty Handed!

Its always a good idea to bring 1-2 copies of your most recent resume with you so that you can offer the
interviewer(s) a fresh copy if they dont have one already
The interview is often the time when the hiring manger asks for those references youve stated were
available upon request on your resume bring a typed copy with you so can produce them right away.
If you maintain a professional portfolio, an interview is a great time to showcase it bring it with you and
offer the interviewer an opportunity review it.

12. Follow Up!

Because not everyone takes the time to follow up on the interview with a thank you letter, writing one has
the potential to really set you apart from the other candidates!
Now that youve learned more about the organization and position in the interview, use the thank you letter
to reiterate your interest in the position and highlight how your background and experience is a great fit.
Your thank you letter should be written and sent within 24 hours of the interview you can choose to use
regular mail or e-mail, but since many companies make hiring decisions rather quickly, e-mail is often more
timely.

Use business letter format and formal language for your thank you letter
It should be clear to the organization's representative that you listened to what the interviewer said and are
enthusiastic about the job
Points you may want to include:

The position fits your career goals and some specific interests
You are qualified to do the job based on your training, education, skills, experience, or personal attributes
You are impressed with some area of the organization (service, facility, staff, training program, position,
possible supervisor, etc.)
You appreciate the time the interviewer(s) spent with you

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13. Reflect & Learn

Like anything else, interviewing is a skill that you will get better at with practice take time to reflect on
each interview you attend and learn from your successes and mistakes.

Go to and complete the Post-Interview Reflection Form to keep track of the interviews youve been on and to guide
your reflection.

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