This is Auburn. This is Success.
Auburn University Career Center Newsletter
April: Don't let your "Tulips" Ruin Your Interview
In this issue....
- Don't Let Your "Tulips" ruin your interview
- Career Center Resource: CareerShift
- National Student Employment Week
- Staff Spotlight: Addye Buckley-Burnell
Don't Let Your "Tulips" Ruin Your Interview
As the cold grip of winter finally leaves us, there is a buzz in the air (likely from some sort of flying insect, hopefully not on its way to give you anaphylactic shock). In no place is there more buzzing than the verdant tulip fields of Holland. There too is a great deal buzzing this time of year as students go through interview after interview, and in the process (forgive this terrible pun) use their "Tulips".
Now with the business of bad puns out of the way we can focus on the theme of this month's newsletter, interviewing. The interview is one of the most important parts of the application process, if not the most important part, and as such carries a lot of opportunity for success but also opportunity for failure.
This month we're going to share our top three tips to make sure you're prepared for your interview, and that your "tulips" don't ruin the interview (I can't promise that will be the last pun).
Tip 1: Do Your Research
Interview practice will take you far, and we're going to address that later, but the first step in being successful is doing a sufficient amount of research. In an interview you have to effectively demonstrate how you are the best candidate for a particular position, and if you only have surface level understanding of the organization and the position that will likely not be enough. Be sure you understand the goals and mission of the organization, and how you can contribute to their continued implementation. Seek to understand how your role might fit into the broader context/structure of the unit.
Finally, research yourself. Be sure to have a thorough knowledge of your background/experience/involvements and how those might relate to your new position. You've done a lot of amazing things in your time at Auburn, do a refresher course on yourself so that you can easily recall all those pertinent details when the time comes.
Tip 2: Be Specific
There will likely come a time during the course of your interview where you hear the phrase "Tell me about time...", "Discuss a situation...", "Provide an example...", etc., and when that time comes give them exactly that. Your responses to these questions should be specific. You are telling a story of a time where you were in a situation that meets the needs of the question. You interviewer wants to see those skills in action, so don't be afraid to provide some detail. We encourage students to use the STAR model for answering these questions. STAR is a helpful model that helpful acronym to help you keep everything on track.
- S: Situation. This is a brief background explanation of what was going on.
- T: Task. This is what you had to do to
- A: Action. This is what you actually did
- R: Result. This is what happened as a result of your action.
If you can form your answers into this model, you will be well on your way to being specific enough in delivering the type of specificity employers are looking for.
Tip 3: Be Concise
In the case of interviewing, more is not always more. Specificity and detail are important, but you want to be sure that you are not providing more than necessary. When undergoing practice, be sure that the examples and things you are addressing are relevant to the topic at hand. Long drawn out family trees, categorization of favorite colors, and other miscellanea are likely not important to the “Tell me about yourself” opening question. Instead, focus on the information that matters to the employer for that particular position and particular employer.
As you navigate the tricky tulip field of interviewing (I promise that's the last pun), always feel free to reach out to the Career Center. We're always happy to help as you navigate the process.
Interview Stream
Interview Stream is a helpful tool in doing individual practice for upcoming interviews. With thousands of questions in its database and question sets for hundreds of different types of positions, Interview Stream can provide a solid foundation for interview prep. You'll need a camera and internet connection to utilize most effectively. You will need to use your Auburn email address to create an account (e.g. ABC0001@auburn.edu)
Additional Food for Thought
April 9-13: National Student Employment Week
Haley Concourse
April 9, 2018
11AM - 1PM
Do you work on campus or off campus? In Auburn or Opelika? Stop by our table on Haley Concourse to drop a pin on our student employment map.
Haley Concourse
April 10, 2018
10:30 AM
We want you to know how much we appreciate all the hard work you do so we'll be giving away FREE DONUTS on Haley Concourse at 10:30 AM... but hurry quick before they are gone!
The Hotel at Auburn University
April 11, 2018
3 PM
Nominated student employees and their advisors will be honored for their hard work and commitment. Those who received an invitation will join us for a reception.
Social Media Spotlight
April 12, 2018
Share your student employee experience or highlight a fellow hard worker! Use the hashtag: #AUstudentsWORK for a chance to be featured!
Tiger Transit Hub
April 12, 2018
10 AM - 3 PM
Hard work makes for an appetite. Stop by our POP up event at the Tiger Transit outside the AU Student Center to grab yourself some free popcorn-- YOU EARNED IT!
Addye Buckley-Burnell
Addye hails from St. Louis, Missouri. She studied psychology in undergrad and later went on to earn her Master's. She is currently planning to continue her education en route to a PhD. She has been part of the Career Center staff for six years and loves the opportunity she has to help students during their collegiate and professional careers. When she's not at work, she is spending time with her husband and their three joyous kids and three fur babies. Her extracurricular interests include photography and crafting. Come by and say hi to Addye!
Career Center Resources
Auburn University Career Center
Email: aucc@auburn.edu
Website: career.auburn.edu
Location: 303 Martin Hall
Phone: (334) 844-4744
Facebook: facebook.com/aucareer
Twitter: @AUCareer