Copy_of_Interview_Basics.pptx_1

Winter 2024
Interview Basics
Internship and Career Center
South Hall
PRESENTER
Elizabeth Storer, M.A.
Senior Career Advisor
icc.ucdavis.edu @ucdavisicc
Resources
Through the ICC
CAREER CAREER RESUME APPOINTMENTS

RESOURCE PLANNING REVIEW+ & DROP-IN
MANUAL LINKS ADVISING
Workshop Agenda
● Interview preparation
● Types of interviews
● During the interview
● Post-interview follow up
● Practice!
Has anyone been to
an interview?
Why should you prepare
for an interview?
Interview Prep
● Research the company
● Review job posting and job
description
● Understand the mission of the
organization
● Dress for success
● Exercise professional readiness
● Practice, practice, practice!
Do Your Research
● Utilize online resources:
○ Company website
○ Glassdoor.com
○ LinkedIn
● Connect with people in your

network that may know more
about the company or job
○ Career advisors
○ Classmates
○ Friends/relatives
○ UC Davis alumni
Review the Job Description
● Highlight keywords
● Read all sections, not just the “qualifications”
Keep a copy of
section
the job
● Understand the duties and expectations of the
description when
position applying for roles,
in case the
company
Important Tip: For every job requirement, list an removes the role
example of how you’ve met that requirement once the position
date passes.
Professional Readiness
● Professional email address and voicemail greeting
○ Check both often during the job search
● Confirm interview details

○ Type of interview, location, length, attendees
● Arrive early
○ Leave time for traffic/parking
○ 20-30 minutes early to general location
○ 10-15 minutes early to reception area
○ 5-10 minutes early if virtual
Dress for Success
Consider the formality of the company culture,
and dress one notch above the norm! Bring Essentials Only:
Wear clothes that will be comfortable to interview in ● Padfolio & pen

(sometimes all day!) ● Professional bag or
● Wrinkle-free + lint-free + stain-free clothes purse
● Closed-toe dress shoes ● Copies of your resume
& references list
● Personal items, phone
Important Tips:
● Try on your outfit a couple of days before
● Be mindful of jewelry
● Do not wear fragrances
● Turn your phone off
Practice, Practice, Practice!
● In front of the mirror

● With a friend
● Record yourself
● Drop-in peer advising
● Career advising appointment
through Handshake
During the Interview...
Types of Interviews
● Recruiter conversations
● Telephone
● Virtual
● Automated
● One-on-one
● Group
● Panel
● Over a meal
● Case studies or technical
● Serial
Virtual
Virtual Interviews background
example
● Do audio and visual test
● Update or download web meeting

applications like Zoom, Microsoft
Teams, etc.
● Present yourself as a professional Blur

○ Well lit room (even lighting) background
example
○ Clean and non-distracting
background
○ Fit well into the frame
○ Use “blur” background or
virtual background
Make a Positive First
Impression
● Greet interviewers
● Friendly smile throughout
interview
● Maintain eye contact with the
employer or camera
● Turn off or silence your phone
● Do not read a script
Common Interview
Questions
● Tell me about yourself.
● Why do you want this position?
● What is your greatest strength/weakness?
● Behavioral interview questions
● Do you have any questions for us?
Important Tip: Use the job description to help

write out potential interview questions based on
their preferred skills and qualifications
Tell Us About Yourself
● Most frequently asked by employers
● “Elevator pitch”
● Keep response to 1-2 minutes
● Cover educational background, relevant
experiences, skills, and interests
● Wrap up with how your past experience has
positioned you well for this specific role
Tell Us About Yourself - Example
PRESENT: Currently, I am a 4th year student at the University of California, Davis
working towards my Bachelor of Science in Managerial Economics. In addition to my
academics, I serve as a Co-Director of Finances with the Economics and Business
Student Association where I led the development of tracking and fundraising of $5,000
for our organization.
PAST: Before taking on a leadership role, I volunteered with the Boys and Girls club to
support kids in the afterschool program on leadership, fitness, and homework, where I
developed my critical thinking and interpersonal skills.
FUTURE: And while I liked the work that I have done in the past, I deeply enjoyed the
development of financial budgets for organizations, which is why I am very excited about
the opportunity to review and implement new budget strategies in this position.
Let’s Practice!
● Keep response to 1-2 minutes
● Formula: Present, Past, Future
Why do you want this position?
Communicate fit between:
● Your skills & qualifications for the role

● The position & your career goals
Tip: Don’t only
● Organization’s mission & your personal values
focus on how
the job would
benefit you!
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Strength Weakness
● Pick a strengths that would ● Don’t pick something essential
complement this role for the job
● Review the job description to ● Rephrase “weakness” as “area
make sure your strength is of improvement”
relevant to the role ● Mention what steps you have
● Give an example of how you already taken to improve in this
have demonstrated this skill area
● Communicate how you do not
anticipate your weakness being
an issue in the role
Behavior Interview Questions
“Describe
a situation in
which…” “Tell me about a
time when…”
S.A.R. Method
SITUATION ACTION RESULTS
Think of a situation Specify the actions Communicate the

in which you were you took to positive result of
involved that had a complete the task your actions!
positive outcome and/or respond to
the challenge
S.A.R. Stories
● Develop S.A.R. stories that you can explain with ease
○ Delivery should be natural and conversational, not memorized or
rehearsed
● Use your list of concrete examples that you created based on the job
posting to create S.A.R. stories
○ Ensure that you give examples most related to position
● These stories prove you can do what you say
○ Several qualities will be communicated in the telling of the “story”
Value Added Statements
These statements explain how your

experiences align with the job
● Never assume that an employer will
see the connection between your
experience and the job
● Build the bridge between your
experience and what the employer
wants
Do you have any questions
for us?
● Prepare a list of questions to ask the interviewer Always have
● Some of your questions may be addressed during the
at least 2
course of the interview, so pay attention
● DO NOT ask questions about salary & benefits until after questions to
an offer has been made. ask the
○ Visit the Evaluating and Negotiating a Job Offer employer!
workshop!
EXAMPLES:
● How would you describe the company culture?
● What are some of the characteristics you are looking for
in a new team member?
Interview Tips
● Listen carefully before answering
● Be mindful of how many questions are going to be
asked in your interview, and time yourself
accordingly
○ Try to be concise
● If not certain you have answered a question fully,
ask for clarification (use this sparingly)
● If you don’t know the answer to a question, ask if
they can come back to it
○ Let them know you would like to give it more
thought
○ Share relevant information you do know
Using AI to Prepare for an Interview
Generative AI can help you prepare in advance. We recommend using the SAR format to format
your answers; or Situation- Action- Result
Sample Prompts:
● Please generate 10 first-round interview questions for this job description (paste in job
description)
● Now, please generate responses based on my resume (paste in resume) in the SAR answer
format
Considerations:
● Remember that ChatGPT is available to everyone and others may see the same response
that you see; it’s important to give the system specific and unique prompts to get better
answers
● Be sure to carefully review the content it provides and check for accuracy, bias, and
authenticity.
LinkedIn Tool for Interviews
LinkedIn has an integrated tool for
interview prep that includes:
● Sample questions (and answers) for
a variety of industries
● Ability to self-record your answers
via video
● AI software that analyzes your
responses for word count, speed,
pitch, etc
● You can send your video answer to
your LinkedIn connections for
feedback
After the Interview...
Immediate Post-Interview Steps
● At the end of the interview
○ Confirm next steps in process
○ Offer your references list
○ Ask for business cards or contact
information of interviewers
● Upon leaving the interview
○ Write down everything you can
remember (e.g. issues, challenges,
priorities) and incorporate what you
learned in your thank-you letter
Send a Thank You Within 24 Hours
● Write in professional tone
● Proofread carefully
● Avoid generic messages and
template emails
● Try to incorporate specifics
about the interview, your
qualifications and your positive
impression of the company/staff
Follow Up
● Follow up 1 week after the date they
stated they would have a decision
● If no timeline is provided, follow up 1-2
weeks after your interview
● Follow up through email and/or phone
to:
○ Express your continued interest
in the position
○ Check if there is anything else
they need from you
○ Ask if a hiring decision has been
made
Keep a Positive
Outlook
● YOU MAY EXPERIENCE
REJECTION; this is part of the
process
● Know that:
○ It is appropriate to ask for
feedback
○ The more interviews you go
on, the better your
interviewing skills will
become!
Thank you for
attending today’s
workshop!
We want your feedback!
Tell us how we did through this

link:
http://www.icc.ucdavis.edu/ws-eval
CAREER RESUME RESUME APPOINTMENTS

RESOURCE STARTER REVIEW+ & DROP-IN
MANUAL KIT ADVISING

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Winter 2024

CAREER CAREER RESUME APPOINTMENTS

● Connect with people in your

● Conﬁrm interview details

Wear clothes that will be comfortable to interview in ● Padfolio & pen

● In front of the mirror

● Update or download web meeting

● Present yourself as a professional Blur

Important Tip: Use the job description to help

● Your skills & qualiﬁcations for the role

SITUATION ACTION RESULTS

Think of a situation Specify the actions Communicate the

These statements explain how your

Tell us how we did through this

CAREER RESUME RESUME APPOINTMENTS

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