Preparing to Interview: for Experienced Alumni

To successfully “sell” yourself to a potential employer, you must identify your skills and what you have to offer before you can convince someone that you are the ideal candidate.

Research Employers:

• Gain an idea of products or services, size of the organization, location(s), and annual sales
• Understand their philosophy, organizational structure, competition, availability of training programs, potential for growth, and recent developments
• Be able to formulate questions based on your research

Analyze Your Skills to Sell Yourself

• Identify your skills, strengths, and past experiences as they relate to the position you are pursuing.
• Reflecton your activities, accomplishments, and achievements.  Think about the skills you used as they relate to the job description.

Practice Your 30-Second Pitch

“Tell me about yourself” – interviews often begin this way. This is an opportunity to deploy your 30-Second Pitch – a short summary of your background, skills, qualifications, and career interests in approximately 30 seconds. Use this formula to focus on key area:

• The Present: Name, education, current role: What you are doing now with an emphasis on how it relates to your desired position.
• The Past: Academic, Professional or Volunteer Experiences, Interests
• The Future:Your desired professional position, highlighting how your goals align with the position for which you are interviewing.