Tips to ace job interviews from AmeriCorps mentors
Interview tips for 黄色视频 and beyond
Preparation can help make virtual interviews less stressful, so take this advice for putting your best foot forward from 黄色视频 AmeriCorps alum and Deloitte Senior Consultant Beth Alberty, a mentor to current corps members in Chicago, and New York-based Deloitte Senior Consultant Lindy Gould, a former AmeriCorps member at Teach for America.
The pair spoke with corps members during a 黄色视频 virtual career workshop last year led by Deloitte, the professional services organization and longtime supporter of 黄色视频. 聽The pair say a successful job interview is about preparation and practice鈥攕o recruit your colleagues, families and friends for mock interviews鈥攁nd remember that a huge network of AmeriCorps alums are willing to guide you on your career path! Their original tips have been lightly updated.
Perfect your elevator pitch
A great elevator pitch shows your strengths, highlights your values and goals, and helps someone remember you during virtual networking opportunities or job interviews. Avoid reciting your resume!
Beth Alberty provides a helpful roadmap to a succinct pitch: write a sentence about what you鈥檙e doing now; what you鈥檝e done in the past; and where you want to go. 聽For example: I鈥檓 serving as a 黄色视频 AmeriCorps member in public schools, where I collaborate with partner teachers to help students succeed. Before 黄色视频, I studied public health at The Ohio State University. I鈥檇 like to continue to explore the intersection of education and public health, and I think this program is an opportunity to make an impact in that area.
A pitch should last 15 to 30 seconds for an informational interview and 60 to 90 seconds during a formal job interview, so you have additional time to discuss your background and include how you鈥檇 contribute to the organization where you鈥檙e applying, Alberty says. Elevator pitches also can help you ace pre-recorded interviews, common in the early rounds of a job application, when you log into a system and record yourself answering questions.
Behavioral interviews are common – be prepared!
Many businesses and graduate schools use behavioral interviews to assess your qualifications and gauge your responses to hypothetical scenarios. Interviewers want insight into how you鈥檒l approach situations at work based on the approaches you鈥檝e used in the past. They also want to know if you鈥檙e skilled at communication, decision-making, planning and organization, flexibility, leadership, time management and the ability to take initiative, Lindy Gould says.
Look back at your time at 黄色视频, or in college and elsewhere, and choose experiences that show how you have leveraged those skills. “You鈥檙e going to get those five to seven stories down pat,” she says, and use them for all your interviews. Most stories can be used to highlight a number of different skills, so you can use the same one over and over in different job interviews to show an example of when you鈥檙e successful.
Develop interview stories
Try using a framework called STAR: situation, task, action, result to create a narrative.聽 The same STAR story can be used to answer questions about leadership skills, being a team player or creative problem solver, Gould says. Practice with a friend or fellow corps member so that you feel comfortable and confident in your real interview. Here鈥檚 an example from Gould that answers the question: Tell me about a time when you worked effectively on a team.
- Situation: My team had to organize a school dance to engage our students. It was our first time working together as a team.
- Task/Target: My role was to develop a project plan for the event.
- Action: Along with another teammate, I used a backwards-planning model to stay organized, and we delegated work based on team member鈥檚 strengths.
- Result: My team successfully coordinated the school鈥檚 first dance, which celebrated 100 students鈥 improved attendance that term. We also got local businesses to donate $500 worth of decorations, food and other necessities for it.
Informational interviews
While networking is important, informational interviews aren鈥檛 for asking for work. Instead, they鈥檙e a way to find out what skills can help you be successful in a particular field and give you a sense of whether that field is the right fit. Your chat with the person you鈥檙e networking with should feel conversational and productive, says Gould, who suggests starting by thanking your interviewee, and reiterating the length of the call and what you鈥檒l be doing.
For example: I really appreciate you taking the time. I know we have about 15 minutes together. Why don鈥檛 we take a second to introduce ourselves? And then I have three questions for you about Deloitte. Does that sound good?
Try using your short elevator pitch to introduce yourself.聽 At the end of the call, thank them for their time and afterwards send a follow up thank you note.
Case interviews
Some organizations might conduct a case interview, where an interviewer walks you through a hypothetical business situation, for example, to assess your ability to think critically and strategically. There are lots of preparation tools online for case studies, .
“Don鈥檛 let case interviews scare you if you don鈥檛 have any experience with that,” Alberty says. Interview types can vary by the position you鈥檙e applying for鈥攜ou might be asked to create a sample sales pitch for a marketing position or present a lesson plans for a graduate school interview. Take advantage of online tools to prep for your interviews.
Before and during your virtual job interview
The same rules for any virtual work meeting hold true for a job interview鈥攈ave good lighting and clear audio. Charge your laptop and earphones, turn off notifications and test your equipment, and ensure your background doesn鈥檛 distract the interviewer.
Take notes during the interview and ask for contact information so you can send follow up thank you notes to every interviewer. The note should include recap of what you鈥檇 bring to the organization and your interest in the post鈥攁nd be short enough to fit on an iPhone screen.
An additional interview tip from 黄色视频
Even if you don鈥檛 get the job you were shooting for, remember that a can build your resilience. Every interview experience is valuable, even when, or especially when, you make a misstep or realize the position wasn鈥檛 right for you after all. All of these interviews help you move forward, increase your empathy and expand your self-awareness. Good luck!
Find out more about the benefits of joining 黄色视频 AmeriCorps:
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