Interview preparation guide

Before the interview

1. Read the vacancy text / website / future vision of the organisation carefully. (Tip: always save the vacancy text when applying).
2. You can check on LinkedIn whether there are more WUR alumni working at the organisation. You may want to ask them how it is like working there and if they have any tips for your interview.
3. Make sure you have prepared questions on beforehand that you can ask during the interview. Example questions.
4. Look up the persons with whom you have the job interview via LinkedIn: you can get to know their background and functions.
5. Think about 3 strengths of yourself, desirably which fit well with the vacancy requirements. Try to think about STAR(R) examples of these strengths as well. Check out our List with professional skills for inspiration.
6. Also think about 3 points of improvement. When discussed during the interview, elaborate on that you can still learn to develop these points.
7. Think about those things that you still want to learn. What kind of skills would you like to get during the job? This is especially of importance during an internship.
8. Make sure you can tell something about yourself, your pitch: who are you, what do you want? Tell the red threat of your life until now.
9. Think about why you are motivated for this position: what motivates you so much that you want to work for this function/organisation?
10. Make sure that the photo you use on your CV is comparable with how you currently look like.

During the interview

Preparation

1. Wear professional and clean clothes. If the organisation is informal, adjust your clothing style to this.
2. Take a notebook and pen with you, so you can write down keywords during the conversation.
3. Take a copy of the vacancy text, your CV and motivation letter with you.
4. Make sure you are at the location on time, approximately 10 minutes on beforehand.
5. Write down the contact details of the person whom you have the interview with. In case you are too late, you can still contact that person to tell you are a bit later.

During the interview

1. Try to be yourself during the interview, be authentic. Tell personal examples, show them who you are as a person, but keep it professional.
2. Try to have a bit of small talk when you are on the way to the room where the interview takes place.
3. Answer the questions. Try to stick to the point and not talk endlessly by giving much information. If you do not know the answer, state that you want to think about it and will get back to it later. During the interview, there should be a conversation instead of a monologue of answers. So, try to answer the questions short and powerful, so interviewers can react on it.
4. Ask questions yourself as well. Max. 5 questions are sufficient. Find a list of example questions here.
5. Show the persons whom you have the interview with why you want to have the position. Be specific and clear, show your interest/motivation.
6. The interview often takes 30 minutes – 1 hour.
7. Often max. 6 candidates are invited for the first job interview. At a second interview, often there are 2-3 candidates left.

During an online interview

1. Pay attention to the light: are you well visible?
2. Pay attention to your background: what do you show? (No moving objects/persons, your bed, or distracting filter).
3. Make sure you are comfortable: sit on a chair in which you sit straight and well.
4. Put away your phone (and on silence) so that you cannot be distracted.
5. Test your internet connection on beforehand.
6. Get to know the program/software in which you will have the interview. Do you not know it? Look it up and watch a tutorial.
7. Make sure you sit in a quiet spot. If the interview is in MS Teams, you can turn Noise Suppression to High. More information: Reduce background noise in Teams meetings - Office Support.
8. In case there is no waiting lobby, you will be accepted to the interview meeting immediately. So, prepare yourself for this, make sure you have your pitch ready because the interview starts right away.
9. An online interview often takes about 30 minutes.

The end of the interview

1. Thank the interview committee for their time. Ask what the next steps are: when do you hear back from them? What is the next step?
2. If you want, you can ask if there were many people interested in the vacancy. Often this is mentioned by the organisation. Do not ask how many applicants there are.
3. Do not say that you would also like to apply for other positions within this organisation. This does not show your motivation for this specific position. (When you hear you did not get selected for this position, you can mention that you are very interested in the organisation and ask if there are any comparable positions available).
4. Remember that an interview is a conversation aimed at discovering a mutal good fit between both parties. The organisation is looking for a suitable candidate, but it's also important that the position aligns well with your own needs and preferences.

After the interview

If you are selected:

• Congratulations! For questions about the agreement or conditions, contact our career officer to brainstorm about the job proposal. The responsibility stays with you, but brainstorming can help you.

If you are not selected:

• Ask about feedback: why did you not get selected? What could you have done better? These questions allow you to improve certain interview skills for future interviews.
• Stay professional and react friendly on the rejection: perhaps the recruiter has some leads for you.
• Optional: mention that you are very interested in the organisation and ask if there are any comparable positions available.