Interview Assistance

Do your homework. Learn as much as you can about the organization, the interviewer (or interviewers), and the position’s salary range. Know how your skills match up to the job description, and be ready to give examples of how you’ve put those qualifications into action.

This practice interview should be approached as though it were the real thing:

• Dress professionally.
• Come prepared with questions for the interviewer.
• Bring copies of your resume or your professional portfolios.

While you won’t get a job offer with this practice interview, you will receive feedback on your performance and suggestions for improvement.

There’s not a “best” way to answer questions, but there are a few approaches that you might want to be aware of before you show up to your interview.

• Behavior-based interviewing is one way your interviewer might ask questions. Based on the idea that the way you’ve handled past situations will inform the way you handle future situations, potential employers are looking at the ways you’ve dealt with scenarios like disappointment, team conflict, goal setting, and more. You can find countless lists of behavior-based interview questions online, and it would be helpful to review several lists when preparing for your interview.
• Another question-answer approach is known as the problem, action, result (PAR). Here, you’ll want to answer a question by stating a problem or situation that you faced, describing the action that you took, and then explaining the results of that action.

More than 800 students who participate in the Practice Interview Program receive professional training from over 50 corporate volunteers. These volunteers include top executives, hiring managers, and seasoned professionals from all across the state.

To view a list of organizations that have scheduled visits to campus to interview Ball State students and alumni this semester, log in to your Cardinal Career Link account. Once in your account, select the "Interviews I qualify for" link.