Interviews
An interview will give you the chance to have a conversation with the employer and to share information. Your objective is to share information regarding your skills, experience, personality and interests and to gain further information about the position and your fit within the organization.
The main thing to keep in mind about an interview is that the subject of discussion will be about you. You must know yourself, the job and information about the organization.
Interview Basics
All interview questions are related to four key issues:
-
Why are you here? What brings you to our company? i.e. What do you know about this organization?
-
What kind of person are you? i.e. What are your goals, values, personality traits?
-
What can you do for our company? What can you do for me? i.e. What are your skills, special knowledge and aspirations?
-
How much are you going to cost? i.e. What are your salary expectations? What will you cost in training? etc.
Prepare answers in those four areas, plus:
- "Do you have any questions?"
Academic/Faculty Interviews
Interviews for an academic job is different from interviewing for an industry positoin. Academic interviews are usually lengthier and more time consuming, however, many of the same principles apply.
You must be prepared with in-depth information and knowledge about your skills, abilities and challenges as they relate to your research and teaching, and to the department and university/college ats a whole. Start your research by talking with academics in your field of interest, your department and of course your Advisor.
Practice! Practice! Practice!
Practice may not make perfect, but it will make progress. The more you practice interviewing, the more prepared you'll be and the more confidence you'll have. The Experiential Learning Hub has two ways to help you prepare for your interview:
- Login to Symplicity, our online virtual interview platform to practice your interview skills independently. You can choose from pre-populated interviews or design your own. After completing your interview, you can review it and/or send the link to anyone you wish (including our team!) to get feedback.
- Book a mock interview with one of our trained peer helpers. To book an appointment login to https://experienceguelph.ca and on the left hand menu, click 'Career' and then 'Peer Appointments'.