Chances are as a college student, you’re going on a job interview at some point during your four years at your respective college or university. College News has created a guide for your convenience, as you to provide your first job interview answers

Before the job interview answers: Know What You’re Getting Into

Before you attend your interview, make sure you research the company completely. For your job interview answers, it is important to understand where you are interviewing and what the company is about.  You should know how many people are in the company, when it was founded, and a little bit about its mission statement.

It is also pivotal to understand the position you’re applying for. Make sure you can handle all of its responsibilities and tasks. If it helps, ask someone you may know who already works for the company or knows it well. Chances are, they’d be able to give you some pointers about the position.

Dress the Part:

Upon graduating from college, every college student should have at least one suit they wear for interviews. It should be tasteful and either in black, gray or navy blue. About.com has a great guide to dressing well and here are some of my favorite points to remember.

Ladies:

If you’re wearing a pantsuit, make sure it’s hemmed correctly. If you choose a skirt ensemble, make sure you can sit comfortably in it without pulling a Britney Spears getting out of a limo and you flash something you shouldn’t to your interviewer.

Also, make sure you stay in the conservative arena: i.e. tasteful shoes and jewelry. Make sure your hair is neat and not crazy or windblown.

Gentlemen:

Boys, feel free to look for a tie that is also tasteful, but still reflects your personality. For instance, I wouldn’t do “Spongebob Squarepants,” but if you’re favorite colors are blue and green, a striped tie wouldn’t be all that crazy.

Don’t pull a Dwight Schrute either. Long sleeves are ideal, as well as a belt and dark socks. Oh and speaking of “The Office,” make sure you don’t have Jim Halpert hair either. Keep it neat. This way, you’ll look good giving your job interview answers.

During the Interview

Types of Questions:

Jobinterviewquestions.org has the best chart for different types of questions that you can be asked at an interview. Here are five of the most popular types of questions I’ve found at my own job interview experiences--and what job interview answers to give:

1. Tell us a little about yourself. 

You are obviously going to want to highlight your strengths in writing if it’s for a journalism-related job, or your amazing math skills if it’s for an accounting position. Also, this is a great time to tell employers something fun and a little quirky factoid about yourself. It helps them to better remember who you are.

2. Yes or No Questions

This is when the employer looks over your resume and may comment or ask about certain points on it.  Answer yes or no, and explain further if prompted. This usually is over fairly quickly.

3. Hypothetical Questions

Hypothetical questions happened a lot during my baby-sitting and caregiving interviews. I was asked many times, “What would you do to solve a fight between two children?” or “What would you do if a baby couldn’t stop crying?”

Just answer as clearly and honestly as you possibly can. Jobinterviewquestions.org says this assesses how fast you can think on your feet.

4. Leading Questions

These can also be when your employer looks over your resume and sees you excel in a certain area. When prompted, don’t just say “Yes I do.” Explain yourself and sell yourself in order to make the employer see how perfect you are for the position.

5. Behavioral Questions

These questions use examples on how you handled things in the past. Answer them honestly and wisely and think before you act on them.

Remember: Look at the STAR (approach)

Use the STAR Approach when answering a question during your interview. Jobinterviewquestions.org explains the approach as such:

S – Situation (describe situation)
T – Task or problem (describe problem you faced)
A – Action (what action did you take)
R – Result (what was result of your action)

Additionally, for your job interview answers, be sure to that you:

1. Never be scared to ask your interviewer to clarify a question. Job interviews determine the next chapter of your life, so it’s important to understand completely everything you’re asked in your interview.
2. Don’t be cliché. Chances are, if you’re applying for the position, the employers know that you’re passionate about what you are looking to do and most likely “have wanted to do it ever since you were little.” Otherwise, why would you be there?
3. Definitely ask if you have any questions about the company. Don’t hold back because you will seem shy, and asking questions shows interest in the company.

After your Interview

Follow-up:

The follow-up is the trickiest part of job interview. Let’s say if you interview and the employer says they’ll let you know in a week.  After a week has passed, give them grace period of a day or two--if you still have no answer, e-mail them. Still nothing? Try calling.

Keep at it:

Don’t treat the interview you just went on as the end-all and be-all of job interviews. There will be others, especially if you keep applying to more and more jobs.

And if you don’t get the job?

Don’t let it get you down. People don’t get jobs they interviewed for every day. There will be others and hey, rejection builds character right?  Having a sense of humor about it will help.

If you do get the job:

Congratulations!  If you’re absolutely sure you want the position, accept on the spot. Otherwise, it’s perfectly fine to wait a few days before you officially accept, but I would say no longer than three business days. Also, don’t hesitate to negotiate salary at this point. If you want more help with your job interview questions, go to The Job Interview Secret to get the inside knowledge on job interviews.