Job Interview Tips

A common interview question is as “tell me about yourself”.  Have some points that you want to make about your experience and plug these into whatever open ended question that they ask.

Be sure you can talk about or answer questions about the company to show that you have investigated the job and informed yourself about the company.  One student failed an interview because he asked questions about the company when answers were readily available on the web site or job description.  You should have some questions about who you would work with and how many different projects you would work on, perhaps how hours are billed.  These are types of questions that would not be on a web site.

Some common interview questions are to describe your favorite classes, give example class projects (esp group projects — they want to know how potential hires work in groups), and your strengths and weaknesses (trite but still people ask). For weaknesses you can always say you need more experience (typical for a new graduate) or list something that you are currently learning so that it also has a positive spin.  Do not discuss weaknesses such as procrastination or difficulty writing.

Several people recently have reported being asked to look at a map and describe head contours. For environmental  positions a little review of regulatory terms might come in handy.  You might want to do a quick review of course notes from a class relevant to the position.

Check the web sites below for more questions and tips.  Note that some of them are not relevant (have you been bonded is used when you need to have insurance to perform a job), but many are generally relevant.

Ex web sites:
http://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/100-potential-interview-questions
http://www.ceswoodstock.org/job_search/intervuquest.shtml
https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-to-answer-the-31-most-common-interview-questions