Interview Prep
An interview is an opportunity for an employer to assess your skills and evaluate if you are a good fit for the specific position and the overall company. As an interviewee, your role is to showcase how your experience and skills can help a potential employer achieve their organizational goals. It supplements your resume, cover letter, transcript, and other written applications.
Preparing for your interview
Successful interviews start with preparation. Interviews can be nerve-wracking so it’s important to prepare thoroughly and present yourself in the best possible light. Proper preparation will build confidence and allow you to clearly demonstrate your skills and experience in relation to the specific job. Luckily, there are a number of tools and techniques to make this task easier.
Research
Take time to research the company—its mission, values, and recent work—and think about how your skills and experiences align with their needs. It’s also important to understand the organization’s culture. Employers are looking for candidates who not only have the qualifications, but who will also contribute positively to the team dynamic. When you know the role and the workplace well, you’ll feel more confident and ready to engage meaningfully in the conversation. Also, research salaries. See what employees with this job title are making in your area, and then identify a salary range that you would be willing to accept based on your education and experience.
Review and update
Review the job description and look at the required skills and qualifications. How have you showcased the qualifications? Update your resume if needed and print several copies if you are attending an in-person interview.
Practice interview questions
Review the commonly asked interview questions below and practice answering them out loud. As you practice, you will start to sound – and feel – more comfortable. Use tools like BigInterview to hone your responses and then make a mock interview career coaching appointment for your final polish.
Prepare a list of questions
Most interviews end with 5-15 minutes for you to ask questions, depending on the time that the employer makes available. This is a very valuable time during the hiring process in which you get to ask about aspects of the position that are important to you and that you would like to learn more about. Because of this, you will want to prepare questions in advance. While it may seem that any question is fair to ask, most interviewers will evaluate you for your questions during this point of the interview, as a measure of how invested you are in this position. The most important step to success is to ALWAYS ask at least one or two questions, rather than decline the opportunity altogether. Declining an opportunity to ask questions is often interpreted by employers as “I am not that interested in this position.” Review questions you can ask the employer in the sections below.
Arrange your attire
The most important thing is to appear polished and feel confident, and the appropriate attire can help you accomplish that. If you are unsure what the dress code is for your interview, ask your primary contact who helped you schedule the interview. You can also drop-in to Career Success and discuss this with one of our peer coaches and visit our Clothing Closet should you need any professional clothing items.
Chart your course
If you are attending an in-person interview, make sure you know where you are going and anticipate travel interruptions to ensure your prompt arrival. You may even want to find your interview location and chart your course in the days leading up to the interview. If you are attending a virtual interview, ensure your devices are working properly and are charged. Also, check your background to ensure it is tidy.
Prepare with Interview Playbooks
Interview Playbooks from Big Interview help you prepare for a successful interview. This video curriculum is approximately one hour long.
New user to Big Interview?
Register as a new user on Big Interview. To get full access, you must use your UCSC email address.
Commonly asked interview questions
Although you can never prepare for every interview question, you can be ready and confident to answer questions that are most commonly asked. For most questions that you are asked, plan to talk for about 1-2 minutes per answer. This gives your interviewers enough information to evaluate your qualifications, while not rambling on for too long about irrelevant details.
- Tell me about yourself
- What are your strengths?
- What are your weaknesses
- Why are you interested in this position?
- What do you know about our company?
- What are your career goals?
- How has your coursework prepared you for this position?
- Why did you decide to attend UCSC
- What are some of your hobbies?
- How do you manage stress?
- Why should we hire you?
- Why are you leaving your current position?
- What are your salary expectations
- Do you have any questions for us?
Behavioral questions
These questions usually start with a phrase that invites you to speak about a past scenario or a hypothetical future scenario, such as “Tell me about a time when…?” or “Describe a situation in which…?” or “Give me an example of…”. From these prompts, interviewers can assess how you would approach a situation related to the position. Interviewers typically believe that your past behavior will provide insight into your future behavior, so it is important to walk through these answers in detail. Use the STAR Method below to help organize your response to these questions.
- Tell me about a time you handled a stressful situation.
- Tell me about a time you made a mistake and what you learned from that mistake.
- Tell me about a time when you worked as part of a team.
- Give me two examples of how your previous work experience will assist your efforts in this position.
- Describe a problem you’ve encountered recently and the steps you took to solve that problem.
- Tell me about a time where you went above and beyond what was expected of you.
- Describe the most significant leadership role that you have had.
- Describe a time when you worked on a project with minimal direction or guidance
- Tell me about a time when you worked on multiple projects. How did you stay on track?
STAR method
The STAR method is a helpful way to structure responses to behavioral interview questions—questions that ask about how you’ve handled situations in the past to predict your future success in a role. It helps you tell a clear, compelling story that highlights your skills and decision-making.
S – Situation
Set the stage. Briefly describe the context—who was involved, what was happening, and where it took place.
T – Task
Explain the challenge or responsibility you were facing. What goal needed to be accomplished?
A – Action
Describe the specific steps you took. Focus on your individual contributions, even if you worked on a team.
R – Result
Share the outcome. What happened? What did you accomplish or learn? If things didn’t go perfectly, highlight how you grew from the experience.
Example of STAR Method
Question/Prompt: Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership.
Response
SITUATION: My communications capstone course required a large group project, and my teammates selected me to be the leader of our group.
TASK: For this project, we had to develop a full marketing plan for a local business in Santa Cruz.
ACTION: As the team leader, I coordinated group meetings using Slack & When2Meet, communicated with local businesses, and met weekly with the professor to provide updates on behalf of our team. Additionally, I monitored the progress of each member on tasks such as ad development for our website. Once all work was completed, I edited the final contributions from the team into our final portfolio.
RESULT: The business was so pleased with our plan that they used two of our print and web designs for their company, and our group received an A in the class.
Questions to ask during an interview
- What are the ongoing or special departmental projects?
- What are the top priorities for the person selected for the position over the next three months?
- What do you like best about working for this company?
- What training or development programs are offered?
- What is your timetable for making a decision?
The interview process
Before the interview begins
- Be on time! Aim to arrive at least 10–15 minutes early.
- Bring the supplies you prepared the night before your interview.
- Be considerate and polite to all staff members.
- Put mobile devices on silent.
- Avoid any scents that may be distracting to the employer.
- Enter with a positive attitude.
During the interview
- Listen carefully to the interviewer and make sure you answer the question your interviewer is asking.
- Relate your skills, accomplishments, and objectives to the needs of the company.
- Provide specific examples when possible using the STAR method
- Focus on the positive aspects of your training and experience. You don’t have to apologize for any perceived lack of experience or background.
- Use clear and direct language. Avoid using filler words such as “um” or “like.” Make your point and don’t ramble.
- Maintain eye contact with your interviewer(s). If there are multiple interviewers, remember to engage with all of them.
- Be aware of your body language. Convey confidence and engagement with your posture.
- Ask your prepared questions.
- If you do not have the interviewer’s contact information, request a business card so that you can send a thank you note.
After the interview
- Send a thank you note within 24 hours of the interview.
- Evaluate your performance. Did any questions stump you? Consider how you can improve your answers for the next interview.
- Think about what you learned about the position and employer during the interview. Assess how the position would meet your priorities and goals.
- If a job offer is provided on the spot, which is uncommon, it is appropriate to thank the employer and to tell them that you need more time to consider the offer. Ask about the company’s timeline and deadline for your answer.
- If you do not hear from the employer after the hiring timeline they initially indicated, follow up once. Call or email the interviewer or human resources contact. Reaffirm your interest in the position and inquire about the new hiring timeline.
Practice with Question Sets from Big Interview
Dressing professionally is part of a successful interview
UCSC’s Career Clothing Closet provides free, lightly-used professional clothing for students to help you look your best at your next interview, career fair, or internship. Stop by the Career Success office and select up to 3 items per quarter. Wearing appropriate clothing for an interview or career fair will help you feel comfortable and confident, which enables you to make a great first impression.
A professional photo helps you look your best
The Career Success office has a Professional Photo Booth for UCSC students to use. It’s usually available as a drop-in service during our office hours; however during our career fairs, the photo booth is on-site at the events. We recommend you dress in a way that makes you feel good and look professional. Make your profile photo match your aspirations.
