By Isabel Justice // AOIT Intern Class of 2023
Throughout AOIT, we discuss several ways to have a successful interview for upcoming jobs you may desire. We practice these methods and tactics with appropriate resume guidance in order to ensure preparation for interviews when it’s time to get an internship or job.
Having an exceptional resume and cover letter is a perfect way to impress your potential employers when applying for a position. Since a remarkable resume attracts employer’s and recruiter’s attention and sells your best abilities and achievements, a powerful resume can unlock new opportunities. A resume demonstrates your suitability for a job or project and, more significantly, it helps you land an interview.
Don’t know what to include in your resume?
- Put your name, city, state, phone number, and email in the heading. Employers will often get in touch with you by phone or email.
- A professional objective. Which is a word or phrase that emphasizes your goals and successes. You should be descriptive enough to offer your resume some professional direction.
- Education, from the highest level of education to the lowest.
- Experience, this category typically reflects your contact with specific employers. Include internships, part-time jobs, volunteer work, summer jobs, etc.
- References you may have that would help you attain the interview if your potential employer requests them.
Do some industry and business research. You could be questioned during an interview about your perceptions of the company’s position within its industry, its rivals, its competitive advantages, and the best course of action. Avoid attempting to properly examine a dozen different sectors for this reason. Instead, concentrate your employment search on a select few industries.
A copy of your Resume should be brought to each interview. At every interview, bring a copy of your resume with you. If you bring an extra copy, it looks professional and demonstrates that you were well-prepared for the interview.
Your “selling points” and the reasons you want the job should be clearly stated. In preparation for every interview should be prepared with 3 – 5 key selling points in mind, such as why you are the best person for the job. Prepare a sample of each selling point ( “I’m an effective communicator.”). And be ready to explain to the interviewer why you are interested in the position, as well as what it is that fascinates you about it, what benefits it gives that you find helpful, and what skills it demands of you.
Get ready for the typical interview questions. So that you won’t have to scramble for them during the actual interview, practice your responses.
Common interview questions:
- Tell me something about yourself.
- How did you hear about this position?
- Why do you want to work here?
- Why did you decide to apply for this position?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- What do you know about this company/organization?
Prepare a list of questions for the interviewer. Bring some thoughtful questions prepared for the interviewer that will show both your knowledge of the business and your true purpose. Every time an interviewer asks if you have any questions, you should always be prepared with one or two. Otherwise, they might assume that you are not particularly interested in the position or the organization if you respond, “No, not really.”
Questions to ask the interviewer:
- How would you describe the responsibilities of the position?
- What are you looking for in a candidate?
- What are the most significant challenges of this job?
- How would you describe an ordinary day in this position?
- Are there opportunities for training and advancement within the role/company?
Never forget to thank your interviewer in writing (email, letter, etc). The best time to appreciate someone for their time is within 24 hours following the interview. In doing so, you express interest in the position. Additionally, it keeps you in their minds as they explore alternative alternatives among those you met.
Work Cited – “20 Tips for Great Job Interviews.” Experis, 25 May 2021, https://www.experis.com/en/insights/articles/2021/05/25/20-tips-for-great-job-interviews. Accessed 28 June 2022.