Research

Research helps you to prepare effective questions for the interview and answers for interview questions. 

• Look up projects (past and present), size and structure of company, and any recent featured articles. 

• Find information about company mission, recent initiatives, problems facing the industry. 

• Research salary and cost of living.

Prepare

• Employers are researching you; make sure your social media profiles won’t create a negative impression. Adjust digital accounts to private if you do not want employers to be looking at your content.

• Write well thought-out questions that convey that you have an interest in the position and organization to ask at the end of the interview.

• Review your resume, cover letter and portfolio presentation. Present work that is the most relevant to the employer and position you are applying for.

• Be prepared to provide examples for everything on your resume and show how they connect to the job description.

• Prepare to answer questions about your accomplishments, strengths, and weaknesses. 

• Review the job description again so it is fresh in your mind.

  • Highlight specific points in the job description that you would like to discuss by sharing your experiences.

Practice

• Complete a mock interview with CPD in a Career Advising Appointment, utilize the mock interview tool, and review the questions at the bottom of this page.

• Have answers mentally prepared but not memorized.

• Do something that is self-care related and get a good night's sleep the evening before the interview.

• Think about how your experiences can be tied to the job description and the organization. 

• If you are doing a phone or video interview, review our Virtual Interview page.

Best Practices

• Write down pertinent details for the interview: interviewers’ names and titles, phone number, location and where to park.

• For an in-person interview, arrive fifteen minutes early to ensure you are on time. If you are unsure on where you are going, arrive even earlier. Consider things like traffic and parking.

• Bring the questions prepared during your research.

• If appropriate, bring a leave-behind, small physical examples or sketchbooks and business cards. 

• Electronic portfolio: chose a format such as a pdf; don’t rely on a wi-fi connection for access.

• Have a professional email address and voicemail; check messages frequently.

Reflect & Follow-up

• Collect business cards/contact info and send personalized thank-you emails to each interviewer.

• Thank-you notes are an opportunity to re-emphasize your qualifications and enthusiasm for the position, as well as to impart anything you wish you had said during the interview. Reference a specific conversation in the interview to frame your thank-you note.

• Conduct a personal debrief of how you felt throughout the interview. Note areas of concern to practice further.

• Keep a list of specific interview questions asked and how you responded. 

• You will begin to see a pattern in the interview process, with the types of questions you are asked and where you tend to get stuck or feel challenged.

Negotiating

• Coroflot, Salary, Payscale and Glassdoor are great resources to research salary information. 

• California now prohibits employers from requesting previous salary information.

• In California, job seekers can ask for the salary range for a given position.

• Avoid asking questions about salary until offered a position. Give a range if pressed during the interview as well as using terms like “competitive”. Reference your salary research during the Prepare phase to give an appropriate range.

• The bottom of this range should represent your minimum and the middle of the range should be your ideal amount. While it is always good to ask for more than you think you can get, that ask must not be out of line with realistic expectations.

• When offered a position, always ask for time (at least 24-48hrs) to review an offer before accepting or negotiating.