How to Prepare for An Interview

Self-assessment

Identify who you are, where you want to go and how you intend to accomplish this. Examine and evaluate your:

Upon completion of this self-assessment, you should be comfortable in expressing who you are in specific terms or examples. You will also know what you have to offer and where you future career lies during an interview. If this is not the case see a CDC staff member for assistance.

Research Your Prospective Employer

Employers expect candidates to have basic knowledge of their organization, products and industry. You, as a candidate, also need to know how they evaluate and promote personnel, orientation and development programs, geographical locations and leisure/recreation opportunities of those locations.

Research of this nature is accomplished through the use of the following:

Research often raises important questions that you can have answered at the interview. Remember, you are seeking a career, not just a job.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Interviewing is a skill that takes practice to develop. The more practice, the better you will interview and the more comfortable you will be during the interview. Do not try to script exact answers to anticipated questions. Rather, practice telling stories that illustrate your abilities and traits. With the emergence of behavioral interviewing, this is what interviewers are seeking. CDC recommends the STAR Method for telling your story: Situation, Task, Action Taken, and Result.

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Last modified: August 01, 2008 11:35:03