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Voxmasters: Interview Preparations

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As part of MLDP, we encourage student participants to attend other Rockefeller Center programs in order to enrich their Dartmouth experience. Read a student account of a Rockefeller Center program, and for more information about MLDP, click here.

On Wednesday, October 23rd, VoxMasters focused on preparing for interviews, a particularly well-timed theme for Dartmouth students as many of us are interviewing for corporate recruiting, internships or study abroad programs.

The student leaders Sarah and Shoshana first discussed some guidelines for effective interviewing regarding both content and delivery. One of the most important things to remember when interviewing is to maintain eye contact with the interviewer, Shoshana said. Maintaining eye contact is more comfortable for both parties and also shows the interviewer that you are engaged and interested. Citing her personal experience in Washington D.C., Shoshana discussed the importance of having a strong handshake and that some people in D.C. actually practice shaking hands in order to ensure a perfect first impression.
We moved on to address some common questions that are asked by interviewers such as “Tell me a little bit about yourself” and “What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?” While it is important to prepare thoroughly for common interview questions, it is also important to sound genuine and conversational.
Afterwards, we started practicing one-on-one interviews with fellow students for a variety of scenarios—consulting interviews, FSP interviews, and non-profit internship interviews.
For me, this Voxmasters session was helpful because interviews are difficult to prepare for because we don’t know what questions will be asked beforehand. Going through a practice interview enabled me to review effective interviewing skills and also practice talking about myself in a compelling way.

-- Written by Colbert Ye ’16, MLDP Participant Fall 2013