Career Path Research Guide

In addition to describing your qualifications and experiences, an interview is also an opportunity to demonstrate your interest in working for the specific organization you are interviewing for. This might mean asking a direct question about how this position will contribute to an ongoing project the organization is promoting, referencing the company's missions, goals, or values as they relate to your own experiences and values, or defining how your qualifications that uniquely relate to the department you will be working in or projects you would be working on.

While the preparation you need to do before an interview is different depending on the type of position and organization you are interviewing for, consider some of the following questions as starting points for interview preparation. This information can also help you evaluate if an organization is the right fit for you:

• What missions, values, or goals statement has the organization put out?
  • Think about how your own professional experiences, values and goals align with the organization's statements. Referencing this can help show how you will fit into the organization's overall workplace culture and professional environment.
• Is the organization working on any major projects or have they had any recent events that might relate to the position you are interviewing for?
  • Recent events and ongoing projects can be a great inspiration point when you are preparing your questions for an interview. Think about how these events may affect the responsibilities of the role you are interviewing for or how you might contribute to similar projects.
• What is the organization's financial status?
  • Many organizations publish their quarterly reports or other financial statements publicly! Even if the position you are interviewing for isn't a directly financial role, having a basic understanding of the partners, revenue sources, and expenditures of an organization can help inform you of their priorities, values, and financial stability.
• What department will you be working in? Do you know who would be your supervisor or who will be on your interview committee?
  • Understanding the team or department this position will be a part of can help you ask informed questions or emphasize work and academic experiences you have in similar environments. Additionally, having a general idea of your interviewer's professional identity can help you connect with them by mentioning similar experiences or values. Be aware that LinkedIn and similar professional networking tools often share when a user's account has been viewed. Many organizations have professional profiles for their employees on their websites with accurate and up-to-date information.
• What does the job posting say?
  • Just like you reviewed the job posting in detail when updating your resume and writing your cover letter, you should take another close look at the job posting before an interview! Look out for what industry buzzwords or specific skills and software familiarity the job posting mentions, so you can use the same framing and terms when discussing your experience!