Article: Interview Prep

By Spencer Rawle, USU Campus Ambassador

As accounting students, we are constantly applying and interviewing for internship opportunities. Right now, the accounting workforce is in high demand. For most accounting students, having three or more interviews is not uncommon during the recruiting season. Sometimes it is difficult to fully express your willingness and qualifications in an interview. I would like to share a few tips and tricks that have worked for me during the interviewing process.

 The first part of an interview is always the preparation. While preparing for any sort of interview, I like to think of different life experiences I have had that could apply to the internship I am applying for. The director of career development at my university gave me some great advice while interviewing for accounting internships. He advised that I think of at least five stories that could be applied in multiple contexts. These stories are usually about overcoming an obstacle and have multiple lessons that can be learned from them. When doing this, we are able to answer a variety of different questions with these stories.

Second, I would recommend a pump-up process before an interview. For me, whenever I drive to an interview, I listen to music that gets me really pumped up. Often this is something along the lines of ACDC or Van Halen. When I listen to this type of music, I get excited, which is something that employers value. Now, your pump-up routine does not need to involve music or anything that I use. I simply advise that you find something that excites you to do before you go into an interview. With this you will go in smiling and confident.

Once you are in the interview, remember that it should be a give and take conversation. The least excited I have been about a job was when the interviewer simply talked at me for an hour. I did not have an opportunity to express what I was looking for and how I qualified for the position. In contrast, you should not speak for the whole interview. It is important to understand what the position is, the company culture, and to get to know those you will be working with. The best way to know these things is to listen to those who interview you and ask them questions. Be prepared with questions to ask them about their experiences and the company culture. When an interview has a good give and take, both the interviewer and the interviewee can express themselves and get the most out of the interview they can.

The last piece of advice is to always send a thank you note. Whether this note is by e-mail or handwritten card, it is especially important to express your gratitude to the interviewer for taking the time to meet with you. Usually those who interview you are terribly busy, and they must make a conscious effort to make the time to meet with you. It is simply good manners to thank them for this.

Let us recap what we have learned. Before the interview, we need to prepare different stories that relate to skills associated with the internship. On the way to the interview, we need to pump ourselves up and get excited. While in the interview, we should have a good give and take conversation. Lastly, we should send a thank you note. When we do these things, we are more likely to get an internship offer in the accounting field. Good luck!