Megan Riksen:

Hello and welcome to the Work Like a Laker podcast. I'm Megan Riksen, and joining me today is Grace. And Grace. I have a question for you. We're talking interviews today, so do you have an interview question that really stumped you?

Grace Pushman:

Okay. Funny you should ask. There's been a handful. Yeah, I think I've mentioned some on previous episodes, but the one that really was probably that not only just stumped me, but it was also very unique, was I was interviewing, it was my third and final interview for a position and I somehow it had come up that I really like to watch movies. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>, I love to watch movies. I'm a TV girl all the way, movies, tv. And they asked me, What's the last movie you saw? I think it was just like a conversational question off the cuff. Yeah. And I seriously was like a deer in headlights. I just like stared.

Megan Riksen:

What are movies?

Grace Pushman:

Exactly, <laugh>. Like normally I could talk hours about movies. You could like, I could like that's, I could spend a whole week talking about movies. But yeah, I just really was stumped and just stared at them and then kind of laughed. I was like, I gosh, I, I guess I'm too nervous I can, you know, think of one. And they laughed too and it was ended up fine and I still got offered the position, but it, yeah, that really caught me off guard for some reason.

Megan Riksen:

<Laugh>. But I think handling it in kind of that genuine way of being able to just laugh at yourself like, this is ridiculous. I cannot think of the last movie I want. Yes. Must be stressed. You know, like just be real about it.

Grace Pushman:

And they get it. Yeah. Because they know that you're nervous and it like, you know, it was, it ended up being fine but it was just,

Megan Riksen:

And that actually would probably be a very fun thing to include in your thank you note. Yeah.

Grace Pushman:

Could've said and I remembered Yes. The movie.

Grace Pushman:

Yes. True. I don't think I did that, but I should have. I should've listened to this podcast.

Megan Riksen:

<Laugh>. Well you got the job anyways. So true.

Grace Pushman:

Well, Megan, do you have, I'm curious if you have an example of the easiest type of interview I've ever had?

Megan Riksen:

Yeah, so, you know, a super casual one I had was back in high school. It was for my first like real position other than babysitting and it was at a clothing store and I literally walked in kind of wearing similar attire to the, you know, the type of clothing they wear there. So like, oh you look so cute.

Megan Riksen:

We chatted for a few minutes and then they're like, Oh yeah, I think you'd be great at this job. It's like, okay.

Grace Pushman:

Perfect. And I'm glad. I like that you mentioned that example because I feel like at this point in time a lot of our listeners probably have really only had interviews similar to that. Yes. Like for part-time jobs, they're often, they can be kind of a little bit more laid back. So that's why today we're gonna talk about some other types of interviews.

Megan Riksen:

Yes. Yeah. So that is what we're gonna be breaking down today cuz surprisingly there are so many different types of interviews. Yeah. According to an Indeed article. There actually are over 20 Wow. Types of interviews. Now we we're not gonna, you know, give you 20 today, but we're gonna go with some of the most common from that list. Some of which you've probably had and some of which, I mean there's a few on here that you might have never even heard of. Yeah. This type of interview depending on what industry you're looking to go into. So hopefully that's helpful as you are navigating the interview scene.

Megan Riksen:

Good deal. Okay. So I'll kick it off with the first one, which is very, very common. It's a phone interview. So this is just a format that's used typically as kind of that first contact between the candidate and the recruiter. It's gonna be something the that is likely fairly short. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>, the questions are likely fairly simple, just more, you know, getting to know you, maybe getting to know your background a little bit. But you know, it's not gonna be the most in depth thing because really they're just trying to narrow down that applicant pool before they start bringing people in, which is obviously a much more time intensive process than just chatting on the phone for 15 minutes.

Grace Pushman:

Yeah. And I would say these are very common.

Megan Riksen:

Exactly. Mm-hmm. <Affirmative>. Yeah. And you know, our tips for these are to smile. Yeah. When you're talking, it actually makes a difference. Your tone. Wait, make

Grace Pushman:

It, let's do a test. Okay.

Grace Pushman:

Right. Right now I am not smiling. No. I'm just changing my voice too much.

Megan Riksen:

Now. Yeah. Then I think you did. It's a robot voice. Yeah.

Grace Pushman:

<Laugh>. Well you heard it folks.

Megan Riksen:

<Laugh>. I mean we're always smiling when we're doing this podcast, so hopefully you can feel our joy. Exactly. you know, little things like not chewing gum, you know, a lot of the same rules apply as when you're face to face or virtual, any of those. But I would say still be prepared even though it is probably going to likely be maybe a little bit more informal than, than other types of interviews. Yeah. Still. Mm-hmm. <Affirmative>. So the next one then is the traditional interview, which what we mean by that is basically it's a one-on-one interview. It's you and the person doing the hiring for that job. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>. So that is, you know, gonna be a list of questions and we'll get into some types of questions a little bit later on. But yeah, this is kind of that, that one-on-one experience where you get a chance to really share who you are. You hopefully get a lot of opportunities and you should take the opportunities to share as many stories and examples as you can. Because that's what's gonna make a traditional interview a lot more interesting for the person on the other end.

Grace Pushman:

And I would say too, this is probably the one that most for our listeners are most familiar with as a traditional, at this point.

Megan Riksen:

You haven't and you might you probably going into any interview, you probably assume it's gonna feel like this. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>. So that's why it's always good to kind of check. I actually had a terrible interview experience where I thought I was going into. It was like a, I forgot what the job title was, but it was something where they were like, you're gonna be doing sales and marketing. And it was gonna be a one-on-one interview and they didn't ask me a single question, <laugh>,

Grace Pushman:

Oh no, that's a red flag.

Megan Riksen:

So I sat there hearing them talk about their company and what they do, but they didn't give me any actual information. I just heard about like golf outings and random things that they do as a team. <Affirmative>. so looking back, especially now as a career advisor, I know that that was a huge red flag for an organization that, you know, likely was gonna be having me do something like door to door sales. Yeah. Without wanting to tell me that kind of in the first interview. So that was kind of the, I thought it would be a traditional interview and then it really wasn't.

Grace Pushman:

Yeah. And I think that, you know, if you can get the interviewer to talk more than you, that's always great. Yes. But if they don't ask you one question, <laugh>, that's a pretty big red flag.

Megan Riksen:

You better assess why that happened. Yeah, exactly. And then the second interview is another format. So congratulations when you get to that second round, that's a huge, huge next step. And that means they're narrowing that pool of candidates down quite a bit. And you might in that interview, you, you might interact with the person that you spoke with or interviewed with the first time, but you likely will meet some other people in the organization. You might do things like get a tour if it's an in person. There can be a lot of things that kind of go into that second interview, but it likely is gonna be going a little deeper in terms of your experience and who you are than the initial.

Grace Pushman:

Yeah. Be a little bit, take a little bit longer. Yeah. Mm-hmm. <Affirmative>. Well the fourth one is virtual. And I won't go too in depth with this because we do actually have a whole episode on tips for virtual interviews. Yes. I think it's in season three, maybe

Megan Riksen:

<Laugh>. Sure. Well add it in the show notes.

Grace Pushman:

We go. But I will say just some things to keep in mind, they are more common now, especially after, or like during COVID and all in the last few years. But just some things to keep in mind is that you do wanna make sure your technology's working beforehand. So just have like maybe a friend call you on whatever platform they're using to make sure it's working and then make sure that your lighting and background look great. Cuz we have heard some horror stories about, you know, people's background. I mean, it doesn't have to be perfect. You're, if you're in your house like, you know, there's only so much you can do, but make your bed. I mean, try not to have your bed in the background first of all, but if you have to like make sure it's clean, made, closed closet doors, all that kind of stuff. So so that's a virtual one. The next one is a panel or team interview. These are very common often, you know, when you're getting hired in for a career position somewhere mm-hmm. <Affirmative>, at least one of your interviews will probably be

Megan Riksen:

Sure for I would say 99% of professional interviews. At some point you're gonna experience Yes. More than one person across the table.

Grace Pushman:

Yes. And that's what a panel or team interview is. That's when you have multiple people interviewing you at once. And I think it can feel intimidating cuz sometimes you walk into a room and there might be, you know, quite a few people in there mm-hmm. <Affirmative> who are ready to ask you some questions. But just remember that it's really essentially the same as a one-on-one. You just have to make sure that you're looking at everyone periodically to include them all in the conversation. And <laugh>, I have actually a, an example of one that I, I did, which was both virtual and a panel. I was working in Arizona as a teacher and I was applying for schools in Michigan. So it had to be virtual because I was long distance. And so it was a virtual interview and it was the final one.

Grace Pushman:

And it was panel and they didn't tell me this, but by panel they meant literally 30 plus people. It was, I think so many. I know. And that's, that's kind of uncommon. Yeah. But it can happen. But essentially what happened I think is that they just said, Okay, we're interviewing one of our can candidates, whoever wants to come in to the interview, go ahead. And then the part that was really funny is that because it was virtual, they literally projected me, it's outta school, they projected me onto like a overhead. So I was, you know, probably the size of a wall, my face. Um but it ended up fine. But you never know when you, when you do those. And then the next one, this one is one that I think is maybe less common and they really intrigue me personally because it's one of the only types I have not had myself. And it's a group interview. And so in a group interview, multiple candidates are being interviewed at once. Typically each candidate will answer the same question or sometimes they might have you do an activity together.

Megan Riksen:

Yeah. It might be a collaborative exercise of some

Grace Pushman:

Sort. Yeah. Mm-hmm. <Affirmative>, I know I've heard examples from students who have like applied to John Ball Zoo for example, and they did a group interview where you had to do sort of like a team builder activity together, like untangle yourself from a, that, that sort of thing. And I think often in those types of settings, they're really looking to see how you work with others mm-hmm. <Affirmative>. So just make sure that you're, you know, you wanna take some charge but you don't wanna bulldoze others and just think about how you're interacting with everyone.

Megan Riksen:

Right. I know that Teach for America used to, or maybe still does have a group interview component to their process as well. Cuz yeah, you're gonna be a teacher in a school and you need to be able to collaborate with your fellow teachers. You're obviously working with a room full of students. So seeing how you interact with people is, is a key part of that role.

Grace Pushman:

Exactly. Yeah. And then the next one here, number seven is the offsite or restaurant interview. So sometimes a manager may choose an offsite location that's maybe more casual casual than an office setting or other organization to get to know you better. And this may be more conversational. So sometimes in my experience, they don't always have like a set list of questions they're going to ask you. Right. It's more of a conversation. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative> but that doesn't mean it's not an interview. So make sure you're still bringing your A game. A game. And I would also say something to consider is sort of, think of it like maybe a first date where mm-hmm. <Affirmative> you don't wanna order or something really messy. Like think about, you know, is this going to be easy to eat in period conversation

Megan Riksen:

Can I eat this with a fork? Or do I have to like pick it up with both hands?

Grace Pushman:

You might wanna avoid like, you know, spaghetti. Yes. You might wanna avoid a messy burger.

Megan Riksen:

Maybe like an easy salad or something. Yes.

Grace Pushman:

And also, you know, just in a couple other things with this one they can be kind of more fun and casual, but there's also some added stressors of like, well how much did I spend? Cuz usually the interviewer should pick up the tab Typically. Yes. So often what will happen is you can let them inter not interview, you can let them order first. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative> and you can kind of see what price they went with and go with something similar to that. You can always ask 'em beforehand, Oh what's good here to get an idea of what to order. And another thing with that is alcoholic beverages just be cautious with that. I would say only for sure only order one if they do first. And even then you might wanna just be

Megan Riksen:

Yeah. Cautious. Especially if it's more of a like a networking thing. Oh yeah. But if it's an interview like we're talking about, I mean you kind of wanna be sharp anyways. Exactly. So Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Perfect. Cool. Okay. The next one is one that some of you I'm guessing have not heard of. And this is called the MMI, which stands for multiple mini interview. This is a format that's typical when you're applying to medical schools. You might also see it in other like grad or professional programs, but you know, typically it's happening kind of at that post undergraduate level. And there's a lot of different ways that they can happen. But typically there are stations that the applicants are kind of rotating through. And at each station you're given a scenario and you then go into the room or into the booth or go up to the table of the person who you're interacting with for that one and you're gonna walk them through how you would respond to that particular scenario.

Megan Riksen:

So what they're looking for is not just, you know, do you get to the right answer because there might not even be a right answer, it's just can you walk them through step by step your reasoning? Because I would say, you know, in most things in life, but certainly in like a more, you know, medical scenario, there's gonna be ethical implications Yeah. To what's happening. There are always gonna be pros and cons of the choices that are made mm-hmm. <Affirmative>. So being able to speak to kind of both sides and really explain your thought process and how you arrive at which, you know, kind of response you actually choose is what they're looking for. Cause it's not always just gonna be like crystal clear correct answer is a right. And you also wanna make sure that, you know, if you're given five minutes, use the entire five. Yeah. and you've actually observed one. Right?

Grace Pushman:

Yeah. So I believe CLAS advising still does this for pre-professionals. Yeah. they'll do practice ones. Yeah. And when I, but when I was still getting my degree here at Grand Valley, I did sort of like an externship in their office. Oh, cool. And I was able to see them do the, the practice mmis and it was really fun to watch mm-hmm. <Affirmative>. I imagine it's a little bit stressful if you're one of the people doing it, but but yeah, it, it's really, you really wanna try to take up as much time as you have to really explain your, your thought process and your decision making. Yep.

Megan Riksen:

Yep. It's like, it means thinking on your feet Yeah. Which all interviews are, but kind of that's,

Grace Pushman:

And that's what you do as a working in the medical field right. Is you have to really, Yeah. Sometimes that's life or death to think, gotta think on your feet,

Megan Riksen:

You have to do it right away. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative> for sure. All right. The next type would be a career fair interview. And so I kind of use interview a little bit more lightly because career fairs and, you know, we're, we're back in person now this year for our larger career and internship fair. Which essentially when you're walking around to the booths, you're gonna be having teeny tiny little mini interviews with everyone. You kind of want to approach them in that way. So you might hopefully be able to have a little knowledge of the organization you're going up to have a sense for the types of opportunities they have that you want to learn more about, things like that. So you know, especially when it's in person, you do wanna dress professionally. I think that's really important. You still, it's great to have a resume so you're doing a lot of the same preparation that you would do for a one-on-one or a group interview or whatever.

Megan Riksen:

It's just gonna be a micro version of that. And I will say there also are companies who, they might meet you at the booth and then either on site take you maybe to the break room and do a quick, like more in depth interview there with you one on one Or they might say, Can you come to our office tomorrow or next week or something. Yeah. So I think always kind of being as prepared as possible and just as open-minded to whatever kind of happens through that interaction, not letting it catch you off guard.

Grace Pushman:

Yeah, good point. Good tips.

Megan Riksen:

Yeah. So we'll stop there. Feel free to check out our show notes with that article with the 20 types. Yeah. If you wanna read more about some of the lesser common ones that we've, that we've come up, come up against. So now we're gonna move into more like interview content. So some of the types of questions you might receive and just in general some ways to kind of categorize or theme the questions that you might see in any of those interview types and formats that we'd just mentioned.

Grace Pushman:

So the first one is a performance question or Yeah. For a performance question where they might ask you to do something in front of them mm-hmm. <Affirmative>, that would be part of your job. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. So for ex, I've had actually quite a few of these. One I had when I was a teacher, I had to teach a math lesson to a real group of third graders. Oh my goodness. It was with the real students. Yeah. Yep. With real students. That one they did tell me beforehand so I could kind of prep and I had some manipulatives with me and stuff that I knew I would need. Another one was for this position I have now, I had to do a resume review in front of Yep, me too. The interviewing committee. Yep. And I will say I think that often that one stresses people out. However, when you're in the moment, sometimes I think it's almost the easiest because you forget about yourself a little bit. Right. It's almost easier not to have to talk about yourself and to just be able to focus on the task.

Megan Riksen:

Yeah, good point. Yeah,

Grace Pushman:

It really depends. Mm-Hmm.

Megan Riksen:

<Affirmative>. Yeah, for sure. Okay, so then the next one is scenario, which we covered this a little bit when we were talking about that MMI kind of, that we're that you see more commonly in med school interviews. But you could, you could encounter a scenario question really in most formats of interviews. So in this scenario, haha, you are given a prompt, you're given a situation that the interviewer wants to know what you would do, how you would, or how you would handle that. Right? So many times it's a situation you haven't encountered before and they're looking not just for your approach. But yeah, as I kind of mentioned before, it might be an ethical dilemma, maybe it's a conflict of interest. So you, you wanna, it's all about the process of how you arrive at kind of your final decision of what you would do. So that that person across from you can, you know, cuz they're using the scenarios, they're gonna probably be pretty real life to the job that you're applying for mm-hmm. <Affirmative>. So it's a great way for them to see how you would approach a real world problem that you might need to tackle once you're starting the job. So you really wanna think through all elements of that and not just have a super brief Well I would do this.

Grace Pushman:

Yeah. And sometimes too, even if it's a hypothetical scenario Yeah. You might have had something similar happen previously Yeah, yeah. That you can kind of draw connection to and say, Yeah, I'd never had that happen, however, I did have this this experience and this is what I did then. So I, you know.

Grace Pushman:

Yeah. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. The next one is a case interview. So during a case interview, the interviewer asks you to analyze and solve a challenging business situation or, you know, situation for that specific field. Many of the cases they present are based on real life situations, often having occurred at the company. Technology, financial and consulting industries may use a case interview to see how you problem solve in situations that you may experience at work. And it is actually kind of similar to the scenario question mm-hmm. <Affirmative> and that you really wanna be verbal about what your decision making process is and why you've decided to do what you're going to do in that case.

Megan Riksen:

Yes, exactly. I will say maybe a little bit of a distinction with a case interview is I think there, there often can be a correct mm-hmm. <Affirmative> answer, like the case might involve some sort of math calculations where you're, where you're solving Yep. Something I'm thinking particularly, I know Deloitte Consulting for example, they, they do some pretty in-depth case interviews and Yeah. You're you're doing some, some mental <laugh> aerobics to kind of arrive, you know, of course they want you to talk through the scenario, but sometimes there is an actual right answer as well. So,

Grace Pushman:

And when you think of it that way, it's kind of almost like a performance interview too. Exactly. Like, because we're doing what the job is. Yeah.

Megan Riksen:

100%. Yeah. Yeah. For sure. Okay. Technical questions would be next. So a technical interview is a type of interview format. Employers use use when they really want to gauge a candidate's technical skills as they relate to the position. So again, you'll see some overlap right. In these styles of questions. Like a case interview style question could be very technical. But, you know, essentially they're, they want you to show your stuff. This is their chance to kind of show a lot of maybe your more academic knowledge Yeah. Things you learned in class. Here's how I would do that. So you're, no, you're gonna see this more in technology, engineering, science sometimes in healthcare, depending on the field. And, you know, it's, yeah, it's really your chance to take a deep breath, not get too stressed out if right away you, you don't know. And definitely if you need some time to kind of reflect on it be sure to ask for that. Yeah. Cause those, they can be tricky. They might be multiple part questions. It's okay to kind of take a deep breath and ask for some time. Yes. And

Grace Pushman:

That's, and that's, I'm glad you mentioned that cause that's really true of any question, Right? You, you really do wanna stop mm-hmm. <Affirmative>, pause, think about it before answering, but yeah, definitely. Especially for a question like a technical one. Yeah. The next one is one I have never experienced personally and I'm kind of thankful <laugh> once you hear it. Yes. It's called the stress test. So some professions put employees in stressful situations that require, require critical thinking and problem solving. A stress interview takes place when an interviewer asks intimidating or mildly uncomfortable questions in hopes of witnessing how a potential employee performs in a stressful situation. This type of interview gives the hiring team an opportunity to gauge how a candidate responds to stress prioritizes multiple important tasks or deals with challenging clients. The tactics used in these interviews vary based on the type of role the hiring team needs to fill.

Grace Pushman:

Hiring teams may ask complex or confusing questions, conduct a si a simulation or role play to see how you act in a certain situation or ask you to perform a task to witness your technical abilities. And I think that with this one, the key is to remain calm. Yes. And again, if you need to take a minute mm-hmm. <Affirmative>, if you need to ask them to repeat something, but just try to remain calm, you know, easier said than done, but just remember it's, it's an interview. They're, they're te they're testing you. So you know, it's not a real situation if they're saying something that's uncomfortable to you. Well there's a line there with, with

Megan Riksen:

Yeah. Like a huge caveat. Yeah, of course. When it's approaching the illegal.

Grace Pushman:

Yeah. Yeah. So just, just yeah, just take a deep breath and just do your best there and they know that they're putting you in an uncomfortable spot.

Megan Riksen:

Right. And they're likely, I mean hopefully they're doing it for a good reason. Yeah. Because they wanna make sure when you get into the actual role, you'll be able to handle the stressors of that position. Exactly. So hopefully it's kind of a fair Yes. Test Yes. That they're giving you cuz they know what they're putting you in when you start. Good. Okay. Diversity related questions. So these are questions that uncover what diversity means to you. So essentially really getting at your values. These sort of questions also are really maybe getting after your ability to work with others. I know for the career center, we definitely had a Yeah. Diversity related question. And so it's important for those questions, I think it's probably most important to have, you know, kind of a set of stories, have thought through some examples of times in your life where you've worked with a variety of people who are different from you. So think really broadly. Yeah. and try to, you know, kind of narrow in on some actual stories you can tell because it, those questions are pretty easy to just be like, well of course I believe in this, or Yeah, of course this is important, but until you make it real with an example from your life it's not gonna really have any teeth. Yeah.

Grace Pushman:

And, and be as positive as you can. Yeah. Especially in your language. Yeah. One thing I've noticed when I do practice interviews with students, I do ask a diversity question and sometimes I've heard people use the language like deal with like I had to deal with. And, you know, just even though they aren't maybe necessarily attending for that to sound negative Yeah. It kind of does. So you just, you know, these ones just practice and think about the stories you wanna tell and make sure that you're being positive and mm-hmm. <Affirmative> how you value diversity and, and people who are different from you. Yep. All right. The next one is an uncommon question and we kind of talked about this a little bit at the beginning when I mentioned the one that stumped me about the movies. Yes. But these questions feel like they have zero place in the interview. They will make no sense as to why they're asking. So for example, you might get asked something like, if you could be a superhero, what superhero would you be? If you could get rid of one of the states in the nation? Which one, if you were a candy bar, what would you be? These questions are looking at how you handle getting thrown something you weren't expected, Your sense of humor, creativity, et cetera. And like in my example, obviously I didn't handle it well in the sense that I didn't have an answer mm-hmm. <Affirmative>, but I still, I laughed and I showed my personality that I was like, I didn't let being ruffled phase me. Like I just kinda laugh with them and apologize

Megan Riksen:

Because truly they don't care what animal you would want to be. Or what your last movie was.

Grace Pushman:

Exactly. It's almost just more of a personality check. Like 100% can you laugh at yourself or

Megan Riksen:

Know Right. Yeah. Not taking yourself too seriously. Yeah. The worst thing to do I would say would be like, eh, I don't know.

Grace Pushman:

And just not play along at all.

Megan Riksen:

Yeah. And not play along at all. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>, like basically telling them is a dumb question. <Laugh>.

Grace Pushman:

Yeah. <laugh>. Totally.

Megan Riksen:

Essentially. Good. Okay. Open ended questions. Or the next type which really these are, you might be asked to discuss a topic that hopefully you know something about, maybe you don't, but you know, for example, for a med school interview you might be asked to discuss a topic related to something going on in healthcare. Yeah. Right now. So this is a good chance to kind of often, I would say maybe often is too strong of a word, but sometimes, you know, it's it's around something that's current. Yeah. A current conversation in the field, something that's important. So it's another, you know, thing to research, right? Yeah. Kind of understanding, reading some news related to the company, related to the industry, related to the field. So that you're kind of equipped with some of that knowledge. So if you're asked one of these open-ended questions, you have something to say.

Grace Pushman:

Yeah. That, and I mean it kind of goes along with a lot of the other stuff it does. The other questions that you may have for sure. The next one is presentation and it's kind of exactly what it sounds like. You might be asked to give a presentation in your interview. I think I've only had two both for higher ed positions. I was so nervous for both, especially the one for the job I have now because I already knew the people I would be presenting to. Which I, for me personally is just the worst. Like, yes, I can public speak Okay. If it's like a bunch of people I don't know. Sure. But the second he puts one person I know in the, in the crowd, I will get so nervous. So really it's just a matter of preparing. Often they will tell you beforehand what the topic will be. When I, I did one at U of M and they let me choose my topic, which was kind of fun. Yeah. And then the one I had here, they gave me a specific topic to cover mm-hmm. <Affirmative> and but you get to prep beforehand for sure. I would say one recommendation I have, and this is just the teacher in me, is try to come up with some questions for the group.

Grace Pushman:

While you present so that you can take some of the focus off you. So like present something and then ask them an engaging question to talk with each other about. Because even though it's a interview, it doesn't have to be all you talking typically. I mean maybe it depends on the subject, but like I found that to be really helpful. Yeah.

Megan Riksen:

That's a good tip. Awesome. Okay. Our last kind of style of question is <laugh>. It's our catchall. Yeah. We're saying these are our standard questions. And we've threw behavioral based questions kind of under that umbrella because they are so, so common. Yeah. And we're not gonna go into super depth on those because we have an entire podcast just devoted to behavioral based interviews. Yeah. And we go and give lots of examples of, you know, what those might sound like. But you know, if you are completely new to this topic, these behavioral based questions are like, tell me about a time when, give an example. Basically you're gonna be telling a story. Yeah. So listen to our other episode for all our tips.

Grace Pushman:

Teaser .

Megan Riksen:

<Laugh>. Yeah. Come on now and subscribe. Right. Like follow this podcast. The other kind of standard style of question would be the Ws. So the who, what, when, where, why. So who might be, tell me about yourself. Who are you, what are your strengths and weaknesses? The what could be, what do you know about us? What do you know about this role? The why could be why do you want to work for us? Why do you want this position? Why do you want to be a XYZ nurse, teacher, whatever. You know, I would say these are great kind of warmup prep questions. Yeah. But they're still very, very important. Totally. Yeah. You, I mean you have to be able to know why, why you wanna work there.

Grace Pushman:

Some interviews consist solely of these. Exactly. Exactly. They're very

Megan Riksen:

They're very common. Super standard. And then the the last one will say is, you know, do you have any questions for us? Yes.

Grace Pushman:

Probably the most common .

Megan Riksen:

Yeah. I would say so many interviews and that way. Yeah. and it's your chance then to ask questions and you know, the number one tip there is just to have some Yeah. <Laugh> and hopefully to have, you know, thought through what some genuine questions you have.

Grace Pushman:

Genuine open-ended.

Megan Riksen:

Open-Ended. Yeah. About the organization, about the role, about you know, the work culture. You can even ask your interviewers some specific questions about how they feel working at their organization. Yeah. Lots of things you can do for that.

Grace Pushman:

Yeah. Yeah. I think we covered it.

Megan Riksen:

I think so too. <Laugh>, you feel like we just talked a lot. But yeah, hopefully it's helpful to kind of start thinking through some of these interviews, maybe the ones you haven't encountered and how you're gonna prepare and then deal with it

Grace Pushman:

<Laugh>. And if you're still listening, cause this is one of our longest podcasts of the season, we give you props, come in to the, come into the Career Center. Yes. And say I listened to the end of the interview episode and we'll give you a free padfolio.

Megan Riksen:

My gosh. Yes, I will. So, and maybe some candy. I will find some swag for you. Oh, I love this. Yeah. Can't wait. Yes, please come in and let us know. Awesome. All right, well thank you so much to everyone for listening and we hope you tune into a future episode soon.