How to have a successful first interview as a young professional

Jan 10

You have recently graduated college and have finally landed your first interview as a young professional. Congrats! You don’t know much about professional interviews but you do know you want to impress your potential employer. I interviewed Michele Dye, founder of Dyenamic Career Goals, to bring you some tips that will help you succeed in your first post-grad interview and hopefully help you jumpstart your career.

This is the first in a series of 3 posts that will help you prepare for your interview. Today we’ll go over tips to prepare for your interview. Later this week, you’ll learn what you need to do during and after the interview.

Before the interview:

1. Do your research

Set aside some time to get to know the company you are applying for. Some areas to research include the company’s

Product(s) or service offerings
Vision
Mission
Goals
Values

Knowing who they are and what they do will help you better answer questions during your interview. You can utilize this knowledge to assure your answers are relevant to the company and what they care about.

2. Get to know your potential interviewer

Knowing exactly who will be interviewing you may not always be possible, but a quick LinkedIn search will allow you to get to know some of the company’s employees within your potential department.

Reading about the employees’ experiences and backgrounds will help facilitate conversations during the interview and familiarize you with those you may be interacting with.

Bonus tip: It is also a good idea to research the company’s CEO, president, vice president, etc. prior to your interview in case you are asked about the company’s leadership.

3. Understand the job

Develop a good idea of what exactly the company is looking for in a potential employee by rereading the job description.

Businesses exist to solve a problem, so ask yourself what problem would you be hired to solve? Consider your skills, knowledge, and expertise when answering this question.

Be aware of what makes you special, unique, and fit for the role you are applying for. You will want to use this understanding to answer questions during your interview.

4. Know some questions

It is important to review some common interview questions such as “tell me a little bit about yourself” and “why are you the best person for the job,” but you must also prepare for some of the tougher questions.

Be ready to answer “negative” questions such as “what are your weaknesses'' and “when were some times you have failed.” It is important to understand how to navigate these types of questions.

Hint: Do not say what you think they want to hear. Be authentic in your answers.

Paula Colon

Paula Colon is the content marketing intern for Dyenamic Media LLC. She is a sophomore at the University of South Florida and is majoring in mass communications.