By: Ziling Huang

I read an article on glassdoor.com that gives a few interview questions you should know for your interviews. I hope it will help with some upcoming career fairs.

Talk about yourself!

Be confident!!!
Don’t give too much of your accomplishments in the beginning. You want to keep it for later questions.
Skip your personal history and give 2-3 sentences about your career path, and how you ended up in this job interview.
You want to leave enough curiosity to the recruiter and be brief in the beginning.

Why do you want to work for (company name)?

Be sure to know the company’s background/history.
Know about your desired position and the company’s requirement.
Express your enthusiasm for the job, and also maybe talk about your connection with this company.

How do you hear about this job?

A great opportunity to show the recruiter about motivation and why you want to work in this company.
If you have a personal connection at the company, this could be a good time to mention their names.

Why should we hire you?

From this question, the recruiter is looking for your skills that you can bring to the team.
If you have had work experience before, it’s a good time to mention the number of years, and your past position.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

This question is a more profound question that asks your future career goals, be realistic.
If you plan to work at this company for up to five years, you need to make sure this is the cultural environment you want to work for.
If you don’t know your future career goals, you could say this job will lead me in the right direction.

There are more interview questions in detail on glassdoor.com. If you would like to know more, click on the following link:

https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/interview-questions-you-should-be-prepared-to-answer-this-month/

Author: Tyler Spellman

There are many things you can do to prepare for an interview. This can involve researching the company you are interviewing for, practicing behavioral questions, and preparing questions to ask the interviewers. Something not spoken much about is how to prepare for the actual day of the interview. Interviews can seem extremely daunting, so being prepared the day of is essential for your success. I have listed a few tips below to help make your interviews less intimidating.

Plan for Travel Time

For my first interview, I had to travel to the company’s Boston office, which is a two-hour drive from the UMass campus. I also knew that rush hour traffic combined with the strict parking regulations would add an amplified amount of time to my travels. To account for this, I decided to drive home from UMass the night before and take the train into Boston. As a result, I avoided all traffic and took my time. I chose a train time two hours in advance to avoid any conflicts such as the train arriving late. The day of your interview, it is important to consider these aspects in order to give yourself enough time before the interview. It also shows a good first impression arriving a little bit early. If your interview is on campus, it is much easier to handle. However, it is still important to take these factors into consideration.

Pack a Small Bag

The day of your interview you may want to bring a few things with you, but it is a hassle to carry everything, especially dressed in business professional clothing. If you have a nice, small, neutral-colored bag, I recommend you bring it. You can place your phone, wallet, pens, and anything else you may want without filling your pockets. Some essentials for my interview bag are a small snack (usually a granola bar), water, and gum. If you are low on energy, it will benefit you to have a snack on hand. Also, chewing gum right before you walk in couldn’t hurt. Lastly, make sure you check the weather for rain. The day of my interview it was pouring out, so I made sure to bring an umbrella. I did not want my outfit getting rained on!

Bring a Padfolio

The most important item to bring to an interview is a padfolio. I wrote down 5-10 questions I had for the interviewers in my padfolio in case I needed to glance at them. I also put in several copies of my resume. In my padfolio I had a few notes about the company that I looked over before heading in. Bringing a padfolio is important because it gives you a place to take notes during the interview. These notes may come of great use to you in the future. Not to mention, it is also extremely professional.

Follow Up

Last but not least, don’t forget to follow up with the interviewers. Sending a personal thank you will leave a great, lasting impression. It may even make the difference between you and another candidate. Although this task is small, it goes a long way.

I hope that these tips that I used for my first interview help when you go for your interviews! Hopefully completing these small tasks will greatly reduce the stress that comes with interviewing as it did for me.