Interviews can be very stressful, especially if you have never had one before and you do not know what to expect. Below are tips and resources to help you prepare whether it is your first interview or your hundredth interview.
- Research Position & Company: Make sure you understand what the company does, its values, and culture. Look at the company’s top products/initiatives and identify factors/characteristics that make the company unique compared to their major competitors in their field/industry. Consider the qualifications of the position you are interviewing for and refresh yourself on anything you might be rusty on and explore any areas or tools you may not know.
- Practice Answers: Plan out what you are going to say to common interview questions, while not coming across as a robot. You want to be authentic but prepared. Here is a list of
some common questions and example answers.
- Practice Interview: Have a friend or family member conduct a mock interview for you. There are also some websites that allow you to do free behavioral or technical mock interviews with people in your industry and get feedback such as Pramp
or Free Interview Prep
.
- Arrive Early: As a general rule, arrive fifteen minutes early (or more). This way you can account for any security access requirements the site may have while still having time to relax, recenter, and focus yourself for your interview. Take a “physiological sigh
” (~1 min) to calm any nerves before walking in.
- Be Positive and Engaged: Listen to all the questions. Do not feel the need to rush to answer. If you need time to think, ask the interviewers for a few moments to think over the question. Watch your body language to show you’re engaged (sit up, lean forward, and do not cross your arms, touch your hair/face excessively, etc.). Avoid making any negative comments about previous experiences or past employers. Focus on expressing your major accomplishments and the things that make you unique.
- “Tell Me About Yourself”: Watch this video
(~10 mins) for advice on how to tackle this tough interview question with several great examples for people with various levels of experience and backgrounds.
- Use the STAR Method: This a very useful framework for answering questions about previous professional situations that start with “Tell me about a time…” or “Share a time when…”. Some common pitfalls when using the STAR Method are: (1) Giving a situation too much context or not explaining the situation logically. You want to assume your interviewer has no background knowledge of the situation but you want to explain in a clear and concise way. (2) Using “We” instead of “I”. While companies want to know you work well in a team, they are not interested in the team when they are interviewing you. They are focused on your capabilities and what you can do. (3) Giving unclear results. You want to make sure that the results from your actions are very clear, and if possible, you should quantify your results with numbers.
- Ask Questions: Do not be afraid to ask questions, even if it is just a clarifying question. Asking questions shows that you have a genuine interest and want to make sure the company and position are a good fit for you. Have a set of questions you would like to ask to engage the interviewers, such as “Why did you choose to work here?” or “What is your favorite project?”.
- Send a Thank You: Be sure to send a thank you note or email. Some companies or interviewers will automatically rule you out if they do not receive a “thank you”.
Karissa Schipke
is currently the SWE Early Career Professionals Affinity Group Professional Development co-Chair. She holds a BS in Computer Science and recently graduated with her MS in Computer Science & Engineering in December 2023 from South Dakota Mines. She is also the SWE Member Engagement Committee Community College Work Group Lead, working to support community colleges across the country and the Community Colleges Affinity Group. She will begin working at RTX Collins Aerospace as a Systems Engineer this month.
About SWE Early Career Professionals Affinity Group (ECP AG):
The mission of the SWE Early Career Professionals Affinity Group is to aid in the recruitment and development of early career professionals, and to facilitate their engagement with and participation in SWE. By providing a forum for networking, professional development, and opportunities to promote diversity of thought, the ECP AG aims to empower early career professionals to succeed professionally and personally. Collegiate seniors, graduate students, and individuals in the first 10 years of their career are encouraged to join.
To learn about upcoming ECP AG events and activities, join the newsletter mailing list
, Slack
, and LinkedIn
. If you are a SWE member, be sure to opt-in to receiving ECP AG emails by logging into your SWE account on swe.org
> My Information > scroll down to Communication Preferences > click on Change in the right corner > ensure the checkbox is ticked next to “OPT IN Early Career Profession AG Emails” > Save.
