Interviews

It’s all about getting that interview. A strong cover letter and resume sets you apart from other applicants and increases your chances of being invited to an interview. The interview, the “thank you” response, and negotiating the offer are critical steps in landing that perfect position for you.

Preparing for an interview

A video guide to preparing for an interview

Your hiring success begins before you apply for a job. All correspondence with a potential employer is evidence using to hire, or not hire you. Think of each step of the process as part of an interview. Interviews are all about making a good impression. There are many facets to consider such as conversation strategies, body language, and attire that could affect your big moment. Learn how to respond to an interview invite and what to wear for the day.

During the interview

Your answers and behavior are very important during an interview. Anticipate the questions your interviewer may ask as well as the ones you should ask. Update and edit your web presence and social networking sites. Learn about the types or questions asked in interviews, how to answer them, and questions to prepare for them. And be mindful of Legal and Illegal Interview Questions!

Schedule an appointment with us to practice and prepare your interviewing skills. Bring a job description with you so we can tailor the mock interview to the role you’re apply for.

General Interview Resources

Practice on your own with StandOut – virtual mock interviewing platform

The UW is pleased to offer StandOut, a virtual mock interviewing platform, to help improve your interviewing skills. Visit https://uw.standout.com to log in with your UW NetID, and then follow the steps to create your StandOut account and access the practice interviews. Click on “Practice” in the menu and watch the first video, Welcome to Standout for a quick introduction.

This platform allows you to practice and record interviews through your webcam and microphone.
You can use pre-structured interview questions according to your field/industry.
When finished with a mock interview you can review your recorded responses and re-record any that you’d like.

Phone and video interviews

Employers use phone and video conference interviews as a way of screening candidates in order to narrow the pool of applicants who will be invited for in-person interviews. Learn how to master phone and video interviews.

Practicing is essential to making a good impression. Have your stories and answers ready by scheduling a practice phone interview with Career Services, be sure to include in the comments that you’d like this mock interview to be over the phone, and email us the position description ahead of time.

Technical Interviews

Technical interviews are most commonly conducted by hiring committees in technology, engineering, and computer science. These interviews are typically combined with Behavioral Interviews. Technical interviews are structured to assess a candidate’s ability to problem-solve using a particular technical skill or programming language. Employers are interested in how the candidate solves the problem and their process behind it.

After the interview

Stand out from other applicants. There’s more to do after the interview whether or not you are offered the job.