Strategic Preparation
for Interviewing
S
uccessfully managing the interview is a criti-
cal step in getting any job. The interview
provides employers with an opportunity to
get to know you. Although interviews are naturally
anxiety-producing, there are many strategies that
will help you manage the situation effectively.
There is no set formula for predicting the format
of an interview since the organization’s priorities and
interviewer styles vary. The best preparation is to
know yourself well enough that you are able to con-
cretely describe yourself in the interview context.
Before the Interview
• Write down your answers to anticipated ques-
tions, then rehearse them out loud for total re-
call. This can increase your confidence.
• Practice answering typical questions with a friend
or other “mock interviewer,” or schedule a prac-
tice interview through Career Services.
• Review frequently asked questions from library
resources, and formulate answers.
• Convert opinion into fact by preparing specific
examples of your accomplishments as illustra-
tions of your skills/abilities/traits.
• Research the company and be prepared to state
the reasons you want to work there.
• Spend some time thinking about questions
you would like to ask.
• Dress in conservative business attire.
• Prepare yourself for surprise or awkward ques-
tions, and strategize ways to deal with them.
• Consider how to deal with nervous habits:
focus on the task and interviewer. Positive
visualization prior to the interview can help.
• Have an opening remark in mind.
• Take a pad and pen along with you for any notes
you wish to make after the interview.
• Know the time and location of the interview, and
arrive ten minutes early.
• Know the matches between your profile and
the position described and the employer.
During the Interview
• Stress the positive points about yourself in a
confident and honest manner.
• Be concise and specific when representing
yourself.
• Sixty percent of communication is nonverbal:
– be sensitive to your nonverbal behaviors: eye
contact, posture, tone, nervous habits.
– be sensitive to the interviewer’s nonverbal
behavior and respond to it.
• Be aware of the tone of the interview (the inter-
viewer may be trying to see how you react to
stress).
• Convey enthusiasm about the position.
• Listen to yourself talk; avoid saying too much
or too little.
f i s h e r . o s u . e d u / c a r e e r
• Take time to reflect, if necessary, before
answering (process your thoughts).
• Avoid putting down yourself or others.
• Politely ask for clarification of a question
which you do not fully understand.
• Know and use the interviewer’s name.
• Raise questions at the appropriate time; this
shows interest in the position.
• Before you leave, know the next step after the
interview.
• Thank interviewer for their time/consideration.
• If you enjoyed the interview and are still enthu-
siastic, let them know it!
After the Interview
• Write thank you letters to interviewers.
• Reflect on and write down points of the inter-
view that you felt good about/need improvement.
• Assess outcomes realistically.
• Be persistent in preparing for/participating in
future interviews.
• Participate in a Career Services practice inter-
view for constructive feedback regarding your
interviewing strengths/weaknesses.
How to Research a Company
You should know the answers to the following
questions for each company with which you
interview:
• What is the company’s culture?
• What does the company do?
• What type of business are they in?
• Who are their competitors?
• What size is the company?
• Where are they located?
• What are the different divisions?
• Does the company perform a service?
• Is it expanding or downsizing?
• What kind of training programs does it use?
• What new things are happening?
The company’s web site is a great place to start
your research. Resources also are available in 150
Gerlach and in the Business Resource Center. In
addition, publications such as the Wall Street
Journal or New York Times may be helpful.
Fisher College of Business Office of Career Services 1
Strategic Preparation for Interviewing

Frequently Asked Interviewing • What are some of the challenges I might

Questions encounter on this job?
• How many people have held this job in the past
• Tell me about yourself. five years? Why did the previous person leave?
• What are your career objectives? What factors • What are the biggest challenges facing your
did you consider in making those objectives? company? Your department or division?
• Why did you choose to go into this field? • Is there a formal performance review? How often?
• What are your most significant work/non-
work achievements?
Types of Interviews
• What do you feel are your strengths and how
will they relate to this position? 1. Traditional This is what most people think of as
• Where do you see yourself in five years? an “interview.”
• What would be your biggest contribution to • Directed by the interviewer.
our operations? • Interviewer speaks about 25% of the
• Why are you a good candidate for this position? time; the interviewee, 75% of the time.
• Give me an example of a time you utilized • Includes a “question-and-answer” ses-
your leadership skills. sion, with the typical questions asked.
• What weaknesses would you want to improve? • Structured, with an introduction, ques-
How? tion and answer period, and a close.
• Are your grades a good indicator of your
2. Non-directive This is a very unstruc-
academic ability?
tured interview style. It is more like a con-
• Why should I hire you?
versation than an interview. The
• What separates you from other candidates?
interviewer may do all of the talking or
• What impact have you made at the FCOB or at
very little. The best way to handle this type is to
Ohio State?
make opportunities to talk about your skills and
how they fit the position and to ask questions.
Questions to Ask Interviewers
3. Behavioral Interview Since research has indicated
You can’t expect to ask all of these questions in a
that the interview is not always the most effective
first interview—but seeking the answers through-
means of selection, more and more companies are
out the recruiting process will help you decide if
using this method. Behavioral interviews assume that
the company/position is a good fit:
past performance is a predictor of future behavior.
• What is the management structure of the
Therefore, questions are targeted to measure your
company?
potential in several critical areas, such as leadership,
• How would you describe the growth potential
problem solving and decision-making, by asking you
of the company?
to cite specific examples of your past performance in
• What do you like/dislike about the company?
each of the designated areas. This has also been re-
• Is there a defined career path?
ferred to as the STAR method:
• Who would I work for and what level are they?
• What hours/travel/locations are required? Situation: describe a problem, decision, project, etc.
• How much supervision would I receive? Task: what were the major tasks involved?
• How structured is the job? Action: what did you do?
• Does this position lead to more responsibili- Result: what were the outcomes of your actions?
ties? What is the time frame?
Responses to these types of questions must be pre-
• Is there a training program and, if so,
pared ahead of time; think about various situations
how long does it last?
from work, classes or activities. Do not use
• What are the actual job requirements?
examples from your personal life.
• Who else would I be working with? Individual?
• Give me an example of a time when you faced a
Team? Rotation?
conflict and how you resolved it.
• Is there a required continuing education
• Tell me about a project you started/finished on
program?
your own. Tell me about a problem you uncov-
• Do promotions require relocation?
ered.
• What are the company’s/department’s future
• Tell me about the toughest decision you ever
plans?
made.
• What would a typical day be like?

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Strategic Preparation for Interviewing
• Tell me how you get others to accept your ideas.
• Tell me about a time when you failed.
4. Case Interview Many management consulting
firms have raised the ante for those who want to
work in their industry by utilizing case studies as
part of the interview process. By presenting an
actual business problem and expecting a well-
formulated and concise response to possible solu-
tions, consulting recruiters are testing candidates’
abilities to listen, analyze and solve problems on
their feet. There are many Internet sites devoted to
preparing for case interviews. Among these,
www.wetfeet.com/advice/interviewing.asp will link
you to some good advice. To learn more about case
interviewing, see a Career Services job search con-
sultant.
How to Stay Graceful in a
Stress Interview*
Stress interviews test how well you react to pres-
sure. Most commonly used in investment banking,
stress interviewing is the deliberate creation of an
uncomfortable situation in order to test how the
candidate reacts to pressure.
The ethics of this kind of interviewing are ques-
tionable, and it is far from certain that the stress
created is similar to what would occur on the job.
However, it’s also true that one person’s stress situ-
ation is another person’s fair, if tough, question.
Some of common examples of stress-creating tech-
niques are:
• The interviewer doesn’t say anything for the first
five or ten minutes of the interview.
• The interviewer is reading the paper when the
candidate comes into the room.
• The interviewer asks a tough question right off
the bat, without even introducing himself.
• The interviewer challenges your answer by dis-
agreeing with you.
• The interviewer pauses for a long time after lis-
tening to your response.
• The interviewer ridicules your background.
• The interviewer takes you into a department
meeting with no introduction.
• The interviewer is deliberately very late, then
keeps looking at his or her watch.
• The interviewer pretends to fall asleep.
How might you handle such a situation, if you
still want the job?
If the interviewer ignores you when you walk in
the room, just dive in with something like, “I’d like
to take this opportunity to introduce myself and tell
you why I think I’m the right person for this job.”
After a long pause, you might say, “Perhaps I didn’t
make myself clear.” Then explain your previous
response.
If the manager ridicules your background, you
could say, “Perhaps you expected different qualifi-
cations, but these have served me well so far and I
intend to continue to build on them.”
If the manager thrusts you into a department
meeting without an introduction, just introduce
yourself and ask the other people for their names,
then explain that you are happy to meet them and
learn more about the department.
If the interviewer pretends to fall asleep, write a
note saying, “I enjoyed meeting you,” put it in front
of the interviewer, and rise to leave. Chances are,
you’ll get the interviewer’s full attention.
The important thing, if you’re unfortunate
enough to encounter this form of interviewing, is to
keep your cool, maintain your dignity, and find a
way to use the situation to your advantage.
* “How to Stay Graceful in a Stress Interview”
reprinted with permission of wetfeet.com.
Effectively Managing Touchy
Interview Questions
There you are in an interview and the interviewer
asks you a question about your age, marital status,
plans for a family or any of a number of potentially
discriminatory questions. You know these questions
are illegal; an interviewer would have to show a con-
sistent policy of asking the same questions of all ap-
plicants, and further, would have to show that the
questions related to qualifications for the job. What
are your options when faced with such questions?
You could:
• answer the question
• challenge the employer as to why he/she is ask-
ing the question
• suggest you would be happy to answer the
question, but ask the employer to explain how
this question relates to your qualifications for
the position.
You may want to discuss the above choices with a
staff member so you will be prepared if you ever face
this situation in an interview. The following chart
outlines areas of inquiry which are lawful and un-
lawful in the state of Ohio. If you are concerned
about any interview you have, especially on campus,
please make an appointment with a Career Services
job consultant.
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Strategic Preparation for Interviewing

Lawful Interview Questions Unlawful Interview Questions

Name Name Inquiries into any title indicating race, color, religion, sex,
national origin, handicap, age, or ancestry

Address Inquiry into place and length at current address Inquiry into foreign address which would indicate national origin

Age Any inquiry limited to establishing that applicant • Requiring birth certificate/baptismal record before hiring
meets any minimum age requirement that may • Any inquiry which may reveal the date of high school graduation
be established by law • Any inquiry which may reveal applicant is at least 40 years of age

Birthplace, • Inquiry into place of birth

national origin, • Inquiry into place of birth of parents, grandparents, or spouse
or ancestry • Inquiry into national origin or ancestry

Race or color Any inquiry which would indicate race or color

Sex • Inquiry which would indicate sex

• Inquiry made to members of one sex but not to the other

Height and Inquiries as to ability to perform actual Being a certain height or weight will not be considered to be a job
Weight job requirements requirement unless the employer can show that no employee with
the ineligible height or weight could do the work

Religion/ • Any inquiry which would indicate or identify religious

creed denomination or custom
• Applicant may not be told any religious identity or preference
of the employer
• Request of pastor's recommendation or references

Handicap Inquiries necessary to determine applicant's ability • Any inquiry into past or current medical conditions not related
to perform specific job without significant hazard to position applied for
• Any inquiry into Workers’ Compensation or similar claims

Citizenship • Whether a U.S. citizen • If native-born or naturalized

• If not, intentions to become one • Proof of citizenship before hiring
• If U.S. residence is legal • Whether parents native-born or naturalized
• If spouse is citizen
• Require proof of citizenship after being hired
• Any other requirement mandated by the Immigra-
tion Reform and Control Act of 1986, as amended

Photographs May be required after hiring for identification Require photograph before hiring

Arrests/ Inquiry into conviction of specific crimes Any inquiry which would reveal arrests without convictions
convictions related to qualifications for job applied for

Education • Inquiry into nature and extent of academic, • Inquiry revealing the nationality or affiliations of the school
professional, vocational training • Inquiry as to the mother tongue or how language ability was
• Inquiry into language skills, such as reading/ acquired
writing of foreign languages, if job related

Relatives Name, address, relationship of person to be notified Any inquiry about a relative that would be unlawful if made about
in case of emergency the applicant

Organizations Inquiry into membership in professional organizations and Inquiry into every club and organization where membership
offices held, excluding any organization, the name or is held
character of which indicates the race, color, religion, sex,
national origin, handicap, age, or ancestry of its members

Military • Inquiry into service in U.S. Armed Forces when • Inquiry as to military service in any country other than U.S.
Service such service is a qualification for the job • Request military service records
• Requires a military discharge certificate after • Type of discharge
being hired

Work Inquiry into willingness or ability to work required Any inquiries into willingness regarding particular religion holiday
schedule schedule

Miscellaneous Any question required to reveal qualifications for Any non-job related inquiry which may elicit or attempt to elicit any
the job applied for information concerning race, color, religion, sex, national origin,
handicap, age or ancestry of an applicant for employment or membership

References General personal and work references which do Request references specifically from clergymen or any other
not reveal the race, color, religion, sex, national persons who might reflect race, color, religion, sex, national origin,
origin, handicap, age or ancestry of the applicant handicap, age or ancestry of the applicant

Fisher College of Business Office of Career Services 4