The interview gives you and the employer the opportunity to exchange information to determine if you are a good "fit" for each other.
Here are some easy steps to help you feel prepared and confident.
To be prepared before the interview, you will want to: Know the position, know the company, and know yourself
Expand the menu below to learn more about each of these
Some additional general tips prior to the interview day:
There are many different types of interviews, as well as interview methods and techniques. Every job is different, and some jobs use a combination of different interview strategies.
Different types of interviews include:
An interviewee will benefit from using the CAR strategy when responding to interview questions.
CAR stands for: describe the CHALLENGE, what was your ACTION, and what was the RESULT.
Expand the menu below to see more about each part of the CAR strategy
The challenge gives your interviewer some context of the situation. This part of the question should be concise, only about 30% of your response.
Example: While I was working in my part-time role at the music store, we noticed through our tracking that store visits and sales always dropped in the fall months, specifically October. In previous years, the owner had tried to run promotions to increase traffic, without success.
The action response should focus on what you specifically did. If you were working on; team, make sureto highlight your role and contributions.
Example: I approached the owner and asked if I could spearhead an initiative to bring customers in the door during our slower months. With a $200 budget, I created marketing plan and event calendar, including collaborations with local musicians, non-profits, and schools
The result should always be positive and directly correlated with the action you took. T to quantify yourresults as much as possible.
Example: Compared to previous years, our October sales increased by an average of 18 and foot trafficincreased by an average of 63%!
Expand the menu below to see some examples of common interview questions
Behavioral questions are used commonly by employers to evaluate if you have the soft skills and competencies needed for the job. By telling them how you performed in the past, they will have a sense of how you will perform in the future.
COMMON BEHAVIORAL QUESTIONS
Practice your answers to sample interview questions. If you can, find friends or family who will practice with you.
If you would like to set up a mock interview with the Career Connections team, fill out one of our Career Connections intake forms or email Jobs4you@cuesta.edu.
Career Connections has a Career Closet with free new and gently used clothes for students. Students can collect one free professional outfit per semester at Cuesta College.
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Need to reach Career Connections? You can:
Fill out our Career Connections intake form
Email us at Jobs4you@cuesta.edu
Call us during business hours at general office line (805) 546-3252
Visit us in-person during regular business hours (At the SLO campus. Monday through Thursday, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. Fridays by appointment only)