The interview process for an audiology externship or job can seem very overwhelming. But with good planning and practice, you’ll be able to ace that interview. Hone your skills with our helpful tips:

General interviewing tips
Acing your video interview
Body language skills

Answering interview questions
Questions you should be asking
Post-interview thank you notes

Interviewing tips

Your resume has provided you with the opportunity for a face-to-face interview…now what?

Below are some tips to be aware of for your interview with a potential employer:

Research the employer
• Have a solid foundation of knowledge about the employer, requirements of the job and even some background of the person(s) interviewing you.
Review common interview questions
• Prepare your responses to common questions such as your weaknesses, strengths, etc.
• Make sure that you convey to the interviewer how you turned a weakness into something positive.
Dress for success
      • Be professional. It’s okay to be overdressed.
      • Keep accessories to a minimum.
      • No chewing gum, shut off your cell phone, and do not bring your coffee-cup or water bottle.
Be on time
      • Arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment allowing you to complete any additional paperwork and observe the dynamics of the work
environment.
  • Bring extra copies of your resume along with a reference list.
      • Bring a pad and pen to jot down notes.
Make a good first impression…you have about 20 seconds
      • Remember to smile.
      • Maintain eye contact.
      • Have a firm hand-shake.
Be authentic, upbeat, focused, confident
      • Even though you have prepared responses for some common questions, they should not sound rehearsed.
      • Make sure your answers are short and concise…do not ramble on.
      • Do not bad mouth a previous employer or co-worker.
Remember body language
• Smiling, eye contact, solid posture, active listening are important to convey.
• Poor body language can be a distraction – avoid slouching, looking off in the distance, playing with a pen, fidgeting in chair, mumbling and chewing gum.
Ask questions
• Asking questions will provide insight to the hiring manager if you have any interest in the job.

Tips to ace your video interview

With video interviewing becoming more common, it is more important than ever to ensure that your interview runs smoothly. Even though your interview will take place via video, you still need to prepare for your interview as if it was in person.

Find a quiet place
Find a quiet place in your home rather than a public place. You want your potential employer focused on you and not what someone is doing in the background. Taking the time to have a quiet place for your interview conveys the message that this is important for you, as well as your future employer.

Minimize distractions

A laptop or desktop is ideal, but if you need to use a tablet make sure that it can be made stationary on a desk and the screen is large enough to see the interviewer easily.
A mobile phone is not an option…it is too small, and you cannot hold it up for the entire interview. If your hand is not steady, your video will be shaky.

Tip – Turn off email and other notifications so that they are not popping up.

Putting your best face forward
Preparation is key! Test your technology beforehand, ask a friend or family member to:

Adjust the angle of your computer and microphone level. You should be level with the camera; add some books, or that shipping box, to achieve the right height.
The lighting should be positioned in front of you, not behind you!
Keep your background to a minimum, as well as your attire.
The little box with your image can be a distraction to you. If easily distracted, place a post it note over your image, so that way you are focused on the interviewer instead of continually glancing down at yourself.

Give a little more when on camera… pump up your energy, lean in towards the camera, smile more than you would in a face to face interview. Record yourself beforehand to see the differences. Remember you want to convey your positive upbeat self and the camera will not always show that, so practicing getting the right tone is so important.

If things go wrong
Let’s face it…with technology, there’s always a chance for things to go wrong. Here are some back up plans for that eventuality.

Before the start of the interview, ask for a phone number in case the audio or video stops working. That way you can continue by phone or at least re-schedule the interview if you cannot get the video up and running again.
If noisy distractions occur such as a loud siren or construction, apologize for the interruption and ask for a few moments until the noise subsides. You may also want to mute your microphone if the noise is quite annoying.
There can always be an unexpected interruption from a family member, pet or house mate. If it happens, apologize, and if necessary mute your microphone and turn off the camera if it is something that must be dealt with immediately.

With any type of interview, preparation is paramount. For a video interview, it requires a few extra steps for you to ace that interview!

Adapted from: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/video-interview-guide#6 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64x880PzZ9k

The interview – body language skills

You finally have the interview. Therefore, it is important to remember that how you carry yourself during an interview is as equally important as to how you present yourself and answer questions during the interview process. During the interview you want to convey a sense of confidence, not arrogance or disinterest. Body language can send these messages to the interviewer regardless of what you are saying.

Follow these recommendations to project poise and confidence (not jitters and arrogance) during your next job interview.

The waiting room
You want to put on your confidence even before the interview commences. In the waiting area, have good posture while standing and sitting. Keep your back straight and your chin parallel to the ground. While you may not have met your interviewer at this point, it's still possible that the receptionist or potential future co-workers are observing you.

When you sit down to wait, place your briefcase or purse to the left side of your chair — that will reduce awkwardness when you have to shake the interviewer's hand, and grab your personal items.

The handshake
Most likely, the handshake will be your only moment of physical contact with the interviewer. Studies say that handshakes play a significant role in first impressions, so make it count.

Your shake should be neither bone crushing, nor limp fish. Aim for a firm handshake, and as you shake, make eye contact and smile.

During the interview
While first impressions do count for a lot, it's during your conversation the interviewers will have an extended time to get to know you a little better.

Your answers to questions are important, as is your stance while listening and responding. Keep these body language tips in mind:

Posture and sitting style: First and foremost: No slumping! Keep your back straight. Lean forward slightly to indicate interest. Do not recline back into the chair fully; this can make you seem bored or disengaged.

Avoid crossing your arms or placing items in your lap; these habits indicate defensiveness, nerves, and a need for self-protection, when what you'd ideally convey during an interview is confidence.

Tip: If you're offered a choice of seating, opt for the straight-backed chair —plush, cushioned chairs and couches may be comfy, but it's hard to sit gracefully within them.

Avoid crossing your legs: Crossing and re-crossing your legs will come across as fidgeting.

Suppress restless habits: Speaking of fidgeting…if you're a nail-biter, knuckle cracker, hair twirler, or leg tapper, don't allow these habits to make an appearance during the interview. All will appear unprofessional and convey nerves.

Use your hands: Do you naturally talk with your hands? Go ahead and let them move during the interview. Stopping the natural gestures may lead to an awkward appearance. Just make sure your motions don't become so enthusiastic that they distract from your words.

Eye contact: It's important to make eye contact during your interview, but don’t mistake that for a directive to make constant eye contact. That is disconcerting and aggressive. At the same time, avoiding eye contact entirely comes across as untrustworthy and distant — it could make it seem like your answers are dishonest. Balance it out: Aim to make eye contact as you listen and respond to questions, but allow it to break occasionally, and let your eyes wander. Remember that if there is more than one person in the interview, you need to make eye contact with all of them initially and whenever a question is posed to you from that person.

Adapted from: https://www.thebalance.com/body-language-tips-for-your-next-job-interview-2060576

How to answer those interview questions

During any interview, you have the potential to be asked one of several typical interview questions. Being prepared can help you ace the interview so you can answer these questions to your advantage. Many times you can turn one of these questions into a positive and tie it into a professional accomplishment. In general. Answers should be approximately 60 seconds as you do not want the interviewer’s attention to fade.

What is your greatest strength?
Prior to the interview, reflect on some of your personal strengths. Tie each of these strengths into an accomplishment. Depending on what position you are interviewing for, choose a strength that would best support the position being discussed. For example, you have experience teaching others can be transferrable as a strength by reducing the time for new student extern training. You can relate this to your accomplishment which is decreasing student training by two days.
What is your greatest weakness?
Again, as with your strengths, have a list. Remember, you can tie a weakness back to what can be considered a strength. Recognizing a weakness and figuring out how to handle it, shows that you have the foresight to handle it in a positive way.
Can you work under pressure?
Before answering, find out what the interviewer means by pressure as the definition can vary significantly from person to person. Again, show how you can work under pressure and describe a few accomplishments.
What did you think of your last manager?
Most importantly with this question, stay positive and do not list any shortcomings or frustrations you had with your boss.
What motivates you?
Interviews can be stressful and sometimes you feel like you would want to answer a question with a joke... restrain yourself from saying, “A steady paycheck!” Tie your motivation to the work being performed at the specific company and that you would like to contribute to the success of the organization.
What has been your biggest failure?
This is another opportunity where you can tell a story that isn’t only a failure, but how you turned it into a learning experience.

This is only a few of the potential questions that an interviewer can ask. Being prepared will only help you so you will not have to formulate answers to questions in an already nerve-wracking situation.

Adapted from: https://www.td.org/insights/12-tricky-interview-questionsand-how-to-answer-them

The interview – questions you should be asking

Remember, the interview is also an opportunity for you to ask questions to find out whether a job is the right fit for you. So, when you hear the phrase, “do you have any questions for us”, take the opening to discuss any concerns you may have that were not addressed in the course of the interview.

Below is a sample of questions in several categories:

The job – You want to make sure that you have a good understanding of the job responsibilities now and in the future.

Is this a new role that has been created?
Do you expect the main responsibilities for this position to change in the next six months to a year?

Training and professional development – Think of each new job as the next step on your path to career success; so you want to know if this job will help you get there.

Would I be able to represent the company at industry conferences?
How will I be trained?

Your performance – You want to be successful; so learning, up front, the goals of the position and how your work will be evaluated is important.

What are the most important things you’d like to see someone accomplish in the first 30, 60, 90 days on the job?
What are the performance expectations of this position over the first 12 months?

Interviewer – Asking questions of the interviewer shows that you’re interested in him or her, but be sure that the questions are work-related. This will also help build rapport.

How long have you been with the company?
What’s your favorite part of working here?

The company – Even though you will work in one department with one manager, you’re still working for the company as a whole.

What are the company’s goals over the next few years?
How can this department support the current goals of the company?

The team – Since you will be working with these people on a daily basis, asking questions is the way to uncover whether it is the right fit for you.

Who will I report to directly?
Can you tell me about the team with whom I will be working?

These are just a few of the questions and more available from the link below. Use these questions as a guideline for your interviews. Be prepared as you never want to say, “No, I have no questions.”

Adapted from: https://www.themuse.com/advice/51-interview-questions-you-should-be-asking

Post-interview thank you notes

Not sure if you should send a thank you note after an interview? Consider this:

91% of employers like being thanked after an interview.
22% of employers are less likely to hire a candidate who did not send a thank you note.
57% of job seekers do not send thank you notes after an interview (leaving room for you to outshine the competition!).

The value of sending a thank you note:

Impresses employers with your follow-through.
Shows courtesy toward the interviewer.
Shows your understanding of professional courtesy.
Conveys your interest in the position.
Provides you an opportunity to get back in front of the employer again, in case you have faded from the memory of an employer
who met too many people too quickly.
Allows you to introduce information that you neglected to mention in the interview.
Allows you to clarify anything that you don't think you communicated well during the interview.
Demonstrates your skill at written (or emailed) communications.
Meets your competition so you don't lose an opportunity simply because your competitor sent a thank you.

So go ahead and send that thank you note. It can help your chances of getting the job!

Thank you note tips:

It's best to send the thank you as soon as possible post-interview.
Most employers (90%) find email a perfectly acceptable form of communication.
During the interview, be sure and get the name(s) and contact information of the people with whom you've interviewed. A great way to obtain this information is to ask for the interviewers' business cards. If you have business cards of your own, be sure to bring them with you and give one to them too.
If you met with multiple interviewers, make sure to send each person a unique thank you note.
Spelling counts! Carefully check to make sure you've spelled each person's name correctly.

Sample thank you notes:

Here is a great resource to help you write thank you notes: Sample thank you notes

Adapted from: https://www.job-hunt.org/job_interviews/job-interview-thank-you.shtml

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