Interview Advice from Employers & Recruiters

Employers shared these tips after a practice interview event in Fall 2020: 

  • Deliver your stories, including results, in a clear and concise manner. Hit the highlights and open the door for your interviewer to ask follow-up questions! Practice pausing after the question is asked to gather your thoughts and structure your answer. Practice using the STAR method to have clear and concise responses.

  • Slow down, listen, and don’t be afraid to ask for some time to think about the answer. We get nervous during interviews, that is natural. Make sure you listen to the questions asked and structure your answers accordingly. It is also okay to ask for a question to be repeated or to ask claryifing questions to the interviewer.

  • Look at the camera in an online interview for eye contact with the interviewer. It might feel awkward at first, put practice recording yourself in Big Interview. Try putting the picture of the interviewer directly under the camera so you can get a glimpse to observe reactions.

  • Show your interest and investment in the organization and role. Show the interviewers your interest by preparing a researched and genuine answer to why you are interested in the organization, asking questions at the end of each interview, sending thank you notes, and following up if you haven’t heard back from an organization after an interview. For thank you note inspiration, check out this the muse article
By Erin Carlini (she/her)
Erin Carlini (she/her) Assistant Director, Engineering Master's Career Services & Professional Development