Ways to prepare for an interview

[kaths]

Hey guys! I am going in for an interview for a counseling program.

 

Do you guys have a good way to know how to articulate your skills, interests and goals to an interviewer? Any good assessments or websites to look at?

 

How would some of you answer questions like

"Tell me about yourself?"

"What are your strengths?"

 

 

 

Any tips/advice/comments will be appreciated.. thanks!!

Edited March 5, 2014 by kaths

[HicklePickle]

I think you really have to do an honest assessment of yourself. What ARE your strengths, as it relates to counseling? Why are you applying for the program? Why did you pick to apply to the school? What conflicts have you encountered that you've learned from? What other experiences have prepared you got grad schools? Why should they pick you over someone else?

I've learned that you can't Google these answers. You have to answer then from your own perspective. That's what the admissions committee is looking for anyway. Nobody wants to hear the same googled answers over and over again.

[HicklePickle]

Also, say your answers out loud. Time yourself and try to keep answers under a minute. (I'd aim for 30-45 seconds) consider what is important to the answer and cut out anything irrelevant.

[kaths]

Thanks HicklePickle! Yeah I've been trying to answer those questions myself and I think I'm doing alright.. let's just hope they like what they hear. I was part of a practice interview a couple months ago that I know will be like the real deal next Monday. I was just bad at articulating my responses. So I am just trying to prepare..  but thanks

[HicklePickle]

Yeah, I know my answer didn't write give you what you wanted... but I've heard enough cliche interview answers to steer you away from that.

By the way, "tell me about yourself" is usually undergrad highlights, post grad highlights (jobs, classes, others relevant things) and current goals. Mine is, "I graduated from x school in y year with majors in z & b. I've worked at blah blah doing such and such and am looking forward to working in doopdeedoop." BOOM done.

[kaths]

Well I appreciate that. I think a lot of times we forget to be authentic because we try to say things they really wanna hear.. which is partly true but it takes us out of that mindset. 

 

Alright, thanks! I can try to work with that.

[LittleDarlings]

For me I just read up about all the interviewers I knew his background, I read up on the program and came up with questions. When they asked me about myself I told them my undergrad stats and my future goals. I had to write an essay before the interview so my answer about my strengths was already written out from that essay. I just remembered what I wrote. I tried not to sound too rehearsed though

[aphdapplicant]

Hey guys! I am going in for an interview for a counseling program.

Do you guys have a good way to know how to articulate your skills, interests and goals to an interviewer? Any good assessments or websites to look at?

I got the best advice from my advisor. Other than that - for your field, I'd say the Insider's Guide to Clinical and Counseling Grad Programs. Oh, also, though - they want to know you're teachable (i.e. don't have a lot of strong pre-established beliefs about topics in your field - they want to mold you). It's more about how you present yourself - and can you back your claims with coherent specific examples (e.g. Don't just say you work hard - give a specific example).

How would some of you answer questions like

"Tell me about yourself?"

They ask these types of questions (e.g. What do you like to do for fun?) because someone is going to have to spend a lot of time with you over ~5 years and they want to know you're a person they can relate to outside of your shared research interests (on a still professional level - they just want to know that you're an interesting person they can relate to somehow).

So I answer these questions truthfully, but focusing on things outside my field and research interests (e.g., sports I play, other things I like to learn about for fun [e.g. History/biographies of certain people]).

"What are your strengths?"

I just answered this one honestly.

Any tips/advice/comments will be appreciated.. thanks!!

See my responses above.

Edited March 13, 2014 by aphdapplicant

[Vene]

By the way, "tell me about yourself" is usually undergrad highlights, post grad highlights (jobs, classes, others relevant things) and current goals. Mine is, "I graduated from x school in y year with majors in z & b. I've worked at blah blah doing such and such and am looking forward to working in doopdeedoop." BOOM done.

Pretty much, you don't want to start talking about the vacation you just took or your pets. Keep everything in a professional context.

[legan]

http://www.uwgb.edu/careers/skills/interviewing-graduate-school.asp

 

That is a great list of interview questions. I tried to think of the absolute best, and most honest answer I could to each and every question, and then just practiced them aloud. I went down the list, one by one.