I recently had a lovely convo with a neighbor who randomly heard me prepping someone for their first post-college “big girl” job interview.
The neighbor’s conclusion: The person will get the job because my pre-interview tips were 💯. (I promise she said that! or something remotely close…haha)
Anyway, I condensed my tips and decided to gift them to all the recent college grads in the Breakroom Buddha community. Enjoy!
THE TOP 3 PRE-INTERVIEW TIPS
READ the job responsibilities listed on the job posting.
Then, go line by line and write down a professional example of something that you’ve done that matches the job’s responsibility. (It’s okay if it doesn’t match exactly.)
Write it in a bulleted list, and have this list handy during your interview. Use the space below if you want to try it out now!
Take Notes: Need to think about it a bit more? Take notes in the space below. Hit submit, and I’ll send you a copy of your notes to your email address. 🙂
Breakroom Buddha Notepad
LEARN how to answer “Tell me about yourself”
This is an open-ended question that if not structured properly can lead to you rambling and giving unnecessary facts about yourself. In order to avoid that, try answering it in 3 parts:
Part 1: Basic Info.
This is the intro section and should include basic info about you, such as your name, degree, and college.
Part 2: Your Work Experience.
This section should only briefly mention your relevant experience. You should talk about a relevant job, give a brief description, and chat about a few accomplishments. It’s also best to weave in why you’re interested in the role you’re interviewing for and the company you’re interviewing with
Part 3: Your Life Outside of Work.
This section should breathe extra life into you. It’ll make you more relatable, and change the mood of the interview from serious to conversational. This section should include a few hobbies that paint you as a well-rounded candidate (i.e. painting, volunteering, blogging).
I know it seems like you’re saying a lot, but in reality, it should only take about 1-2 minutes to answer this question.
Here’s an example “Tell me about yourself” script you can use if you need it!
RECORD yourself answering common interview questions
After recording yourself, play it back, and write down any mistakes you see. Fix the mistakes. Then, do a mock interview with a friend/family member/mentor.
Here are the top common interview questions:
- Tell me about yourself.
- What are your biggest strength and your biggest weakness?
- Describe a time when you made a mistake. How did you fix it?
- Describe a time when you had to resolve a conflict.
- Why are you interested in this position and our company?
- What are your salary expectations?
See more common interview questions here.
BONUS TIP: KNOW your worth and what the market is paying.
Come prepared with your min-max salary expectations. Ask people who currently work in the field how much they get 🤑 and research the market (across the US, or whatever country you live in).
Here are 4 ways to research the market and get paid what you’re worth:
- Other Job Postings (Use websites like linkedIn and google job search to find similar jobs)
- Online Salary Tools (i.e. glassdoor, salary.com, indeed)
- The Person Who Had the Job Before You
- The Recruiter
See how to use these 4 research tips here.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Check out a few more career tips you should know before entering your first job!
