Art Careers
Written by Joe Meiser – Updated: Feb. 18, 2011
Since employers tend to interview multiple people for a single position, it’s important to take the time to prepare so that you will stand out among the candidates. To get ready for an interview, you should try to anticipate any question that you may be asked, and write out your answers in order to gather your thoughts. I suggest that you closely reread the job description to look for clues about what questions your interviewers might have. Although job descriptions are usually short, they can contain a lot of information about what precisely the interviewers may be looking for in a candidate. You should also study the organization’s website because it will provide more information about their priorities and operations, and give you a better sense of what the employer might want to know about you.
After you’ve created a long list of potential questions and gathered your thoughts by writing out your answers, you should conduct a few mock interviews so that you develop the ability to answer questions fluidly in a conversational manner. These mock interviews can feel contrived at first, but they will greatly enhance your ability to be articulate during the interview. You might want to do your first mock interview sessions with friends and classmates in order to get started, but you should also make an appointment with the Career Development Center. Our CDC offers mock interviews for students, and will help develop strong answers, understanding non-verbal cues, learn effective strategies for following up after your interview, and other important issues—you should definitely take advantage of their assistance if you are serious about the job you’re interviewing for.
No matter what the job is, some questions that you should definitely be prepared to answer are:
- Why are you a strong candidate for this position?
- Why are you interested in this position?
- What are your technical skills as related to the requirements of this job?
- What characteristics do you have that would help you succeed in this job?
- What are your long-term goals? (And how do these goals relate to the job you’re interviewing for?) Where do you see yourself in five years?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- Describe how you receive feedback and criticism. Give examples.
- How well do you work with others? Give examples of positive experiences that you’ve had, and examples of how you have resolved conflicts.
- How has your life and education prepared you for this position?
- What limitations do you have that would impact your performance in this position?
- What failures have you experienced, and what did you learn from them? Give specific examples.
- What extracurricular activities have you participated in and what did you learn from them?
- Why should the company hire you?
Remember that examples are very persuasive. During your interviews you will want to insert examples of actual experiences you’ve had, rather than simply answering questions in an abstract way. Use the acronym STAR to give the complete context and significance of your example:
- describe the Situation
- describe the Task that needed to be done
- describe the Action you took
- tell about the Result of your action, and how the situation was resolved
You should also remember to answer questions in a positive rather than a negative way. When a candidate answers a question in a positive, optimistic, ‘can-do’ manner, it is much more attractive than responding in a pessimistic, negative manner.
Many interviews will begin with the very open-ended request that you “tell about yourself”. Understand that the interviewer is asking about your ‘professional self’. So, with this in mind, you should be prepared to tell about your recent and important professional experiences and activities. When I was interviewing for jobs, I usually began by telling about my educational background, and then described important recent employment, listed my main accomplishments in each job, and then I would tell about other important professional activities that I was involved in. I made sure to hit the most significant lines from my resume while doing this, and I made a special effort to address experiences I had which related to the job I was interviewing for.
You will probably have a chance to ask your interviewer(s) some questions too. You will want to prepare some questions that are based on the research you’ve done on their specific company/program. This will have the dual purpose of letting them know that you have researched them, and it will also make your discussion with them more meaningful. You should formulate questions that you genuinely want an answer for; it is a bad idea to ask questions just to make conversation.
The conclusion of the interview is important because it will influence the interviewer’s lasting impression of you. It is a good idea to prepare a very brief statement, consisting of just a few points, that you can say at the very end. It would be good at the conclusion to reiterate your excitement about the prospect of working with them, and give a couple of reasons that you would be a good fit for the position.
Anticipate questions, be thoughtful, practice your answers, and you’ll make a great impression!
