Re: Regarding a Geology Student position Interview
Depends on the company, but most interviews are dominated by what I call "HR" questions; ie, behavioural ones. They want to know who you are and how you handle certain situations. Be prepared to give examples from your life - you can talk about anything. Show them that you are a well-rounded person, are a team player, can learn quickly and adapt to different environments, and have stress management skills. The interviewers want to know how you are going to handle yourself at work - working with other people, independantly and alongside peers and managers. They want to see confidence and an eagerness to work at their specific company. Keep in mind that if you do not get the job, it may not be because you are not qualified enough - it just mau be that they do not think that you're a good fit fot their team. There are usually a few technical questions as well, where yopu can draw upon examples from school. Interviewers want to know how you think and why you think the way you do, so be detailed in your explanations.
To prepare:
- You can find common behavioural questions online; it may help you to look threough some and think of examples from your life, to get you into the frame of mind of what types of questions they may ask
- Know stuff about the company! Look at their website and know where they operate, what kind of projects they run and what their company values are. Many interviewers have asked me specific questions about the company, and most of my interviews have had a question wondering why I am interested in the particluar company or why I want to work there
- Come up with examples in your head from your life that you can speak to
- Relax and don't be nervous (at least try not to be!); the interviewers are just people too, and some of them are nervous in asking you questions (if they haven't been doing it long). If you're nervous, they will feel the tension and will end the interview early. Don't worry about them writing things down - it's just for them to remember for themselves. Try not to think about it.
- Smile, be friendly, make conversation. Don't just walk in, avert your eyes, sit down and wait for them to start talking - you need to be confident and out-going. I myself am an introvert, but can force myself to be out-going and friendly.
