Ultimate Guide to Interviews
Ultimate Guide to Interviews
The UGA Career Center has 14 interview rooms which employers use to conduct interviews with UGA students and alumni. On-campus interviews are coordinated through Handshake and provide employers the opportunity to meet a series of candidates to determine initial fit.
An interview gives the opportunity for both the employer and candidate to evaluate each other. The employer has an opportunity to make a more in-depth assessment of the candidate; the candidate has a chance to interact with organization representatives. Use the information below as a guide through your interview process.
Accepting the Interview
- Acknowledge or decline an invitation to visit an employer within 24 hours of receiving the invitation.
- You should only accept an invitation if you are genuinely interested in the position and have not accepted another job offer.
- Be sure to have a voicemail message that is clear and professional, should you miss an expected call from an employer.
- Communicate absences with your professors. Avoid conflicts with exams or project deadlines.
- Before applying for or signing up for an On-Campus or Virtual Interview, please click/tap below to review the Career Center's "Interview No-Show/Cancellation Policy."
The UGA Career Center has a strict no show and cancellation policy for on campus and virtual interviews. If a student cancels a scheduled interview less than 24 hours before the scheduled interview time, or if the student does not show up for a scheduled interview, the student’s Handshake account will be blocked. This policy will be enforced no matter what the reason (sickness, family emergency, car trouble, exam schedule, work conflict, etc.).
In order to have his/her Handshake account unblocked, the student must write an apology/explanation letter and email that to the employer within 48 hours of the missed interview. In addition, Holly Getchell, Director of Employer Relations, must be copied on that email. It is the student’s responsibility to look up the employer’s contact information. They can do so by coming to the Career Center front desk and looking in the on campus interview binder that holds employer contact information. This information will not be provided over the phone or via email. If a student fails to do the aforementioned tasks, his/her Handshake account will remain blocked.
Students unable to keep an appointment for a campus interview must cancel the interview through Handshake by 12:00 noon, two working days prior to the scheduled interview time. Students who fail to cancel their interviews in time and students who fail to appear for scheduled interviews may lose their interviewing privileges through the Career Center.
Before the Interview
- Schedule a mock interview with your career consultant.
- Obtain the interviewer’s name and title.
- Confirm the time, date, and location/platform of the interview.
- Research the position and organization thoroughly (see our "Researching Employers" page).
- Identify your skills and experiences that relate to the job.
- Review common questions and practice answering them out loud.
- Understand the four main types of interview questions, and how to prepare for them (see our "Sample Interview Questions" page).
- Prepare 3-5 questions to ask the interviewer.
- Plan what to wear (see our "How to Dress for Success" page).
During the Interview
- Time your arrival to 10-15 minutes before the interview start time and have printed copies of your resume.
- Relax, be yourself, and be positive. Be aware of your posture, eye contact, and body language.
- Listen closely to questions and be concise in your answers while giving concrete examples.
- Clarify the hiring timeline to inform when you should hear back from the interviewer.
- Collect business cards, or at least the name and title, from everyone you meet.
After the Interview
- Write a 'thank you' email to the interviewer(s) and review the email for spelling or grammatical errors (see our "Tailored Job Search Materials" page).
- Follow up with the employer to determine your application's status if the employer has not contacted you within the stated time frame.
- In follow-up, express your interest in the position and make it known why you are the ideal candidate.
- Continue to apply to other roles and network with employers until you have accepted an offer.
Career Center Tips
Traditional: Gains basic information about an applicant’s background, interests, skills, and reasons for applying.
Behavioral: Based on the premise that past behavior predicts future behavior on the job. Questions are situation-based and often start with, “Tell me about a time when...”
Case: Presents the interviewee with a problem to solve. Getting the correct answer is not as important as your analysis of the problem.
Situational: Presents the interviewee with a scenario to solve. The interviewer will pose a hypothetical situation and ask the interviewee how to resolve it.
Scheduling a mock interview is an excellent way to develop and enhance your interviewing skills.
You may contact the Career Center at (706) 542-3375 to schedule a mock interview with your Career Consultant. You may also utilize the online resource Big Interview to practice your interview skills and watch a playback of your performance.
Click/tap the button below to register/login to Big Interview: