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Career Resources - Interview Skills

Preparing for job interviews can be daunting, especially if you have been in your current position for a long time. On this page, we have posted information, advice, and links to interview skill websites. We hope this will provide useful information to help you in any job search.

Links to Interview Tips and Advice: Woman typing on Laptop

Tips for Success-The Interview, by Worksmart on EDD CalJOBs website

This page includes sample questions an employer may ask as well as questions you may wish to ask the employer.

Interview tips from Monster.com

The Quintessential Guide to Storytelling that Propels Careers, by Quint.com career website

Job Interviewing Quiz, by Quintessential Careers.com

 

Quick Tips to Keep in Mind:

Preparation is essential to any successful interview. The more you know about the organization and the duties of the specific position, the better prepared you will be to give a successful interview.

    Man reading business section
  • As part of your preparation, find and review the following documents if possible on the organization’s website:
    • Mission, Vision, and Values statements. Consider memorizing the mission statement. If asked if you know the entity’s mission and you can’t answer that, you will appear unprepared.
    • Strategic Plans.
    • If private corporation, look at Annual Reports.
    • Recent news stories about the organization. Familiarize yourself with their issues, problems, constituents, and successes
  • If you are seeking a State position, always call in advance and ask for a duty statement for the position. Then, customize your cover letter, resume, and interview preparation to the specific duties of the job.
  • Be prepared to ask questions. You are interviewing them as well to find out if the job would be a good job match for you, and you are showing the interviewer that you are truly interested in the position. Take a look at these sample questions, courtesy of Quint.com career website. Thank you letter
  • After the interview, send a thank you note. Make it a point to know the interview panel members’ names. You can ask for business cards to ensure you get the spelling correct and to help you remember when you’re a little stressed.