Graduate School and Division of Student Affairs - Interviews - Interview Preparation and Success Guide

Sep 25, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys

Graduate School and Division of Student Affairs interview guidance focuses on preparing to reduce anxiety and present a strong fit. It emphasizes researching yourself and the company, organizing experiences into clear, confident answers, and developing familiar stories for different questions. The guide outlines key question types—introductory, general strength and pride, self-reflection on weakness, and behavioral “tell me about a time” prompts—using the STAR approach and practical improvement strategies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

How to Prepare

Prepare stories

Do Your Research!

What to watch out for

#1 Introductory Questions

#2 General Questions

#3 Self-Reflection Questions

#4 Behavioral Interview Questions

The Graduate School and Division of Student Affairs Interviews Congratulations, you’ve been offered an interview! This is your chance to show your future employer that you are a great fit for their organization.“Fit” is the alignment of your interests, skills, and values with the firm’s cultural values and desired skill set. With a little preparation and practice, you can turn an intimidating process into a confident conversation. Here are the main elements of interview success. How to Prepare: The single most important thing you can do to increase your chances of success and reduce interview anxiety is to prepare by researching both yourself and the company. Think of (and write down) all the experiences and skills you bring to the table. Were there unique classes you took? What classes have you taught? What challenges have you overcome in the lab? What professional situations have you been in? For the company, look at their mission, history, product lines, services, and news items. Their website is a great place to start. Also, what is the status of their industry in general? How are their competitors doing? What innovations have popped up recently? Who is merging or going out of business? Your goal during the interview will be to place the stories you share about your background into the context of the company you will be working for so they understand how you fit in. Your answers should be clear, concise, and confident, and that’s where your preparation comes in. The more familiar you are with your background and how that fits with the company, the easier it will be to give well-organized answers with confidence. If you’re trying to remember the details of an experience on the spot, you will fumble around until you get there. Prepare stories. Think about times when you: • Solved a problem Do Your Research! Researching the organization achieves two goals: it shows the interviewers you are serious about the job, andyou willgive better answers by placing your background in the organization’s context. • Overcame a challenge • Made a mistake • Worked as a leader • Worked in a team • Did something interesting/unique While you don’t want to make your answers sound memorized, the stories and information should be very familiar so you can discuss them in different ways depending on the unique questions you are asked. The Graduate School and Division of Student Affairs What to watch out for: \#1 Introductory Questions “Tell me about yourself/Tell me more about your background” Answering this question is similar to giving your elevator pitch, but focused on the unique aspects related to the position you are interviewing for. Provide a brief overview to peak the interviewer’s interest. Keep it short (30-60 seconds), and consider including these elements when relevant to the position or industry: • The basics of your program and year • Information about how you became interested in your field initially and what brought you to Notre Dame • Highlights of your experience so far, including research, leadership roles, related courses you taught or took, and other professional experiences • A description of what interests you in the position and organization. \#2 General Questions “What is your biggest strength/What are you most proud of?” When answering general questions, it is essential to avoid responding only with general information. Instead, always include a specific story or example of a time when you used that biggest strength in a successful way. Interviewers relate to stories, and the example helps substantiate your claim. \#3 Self-Reflection Questions “What is your biggest weakness/What is something you are trying to improve?” This can be one of the most difficult questions for candidates, primarily because they don’t understand what employers are looking for. Avoid trying to make it sound like a positive (I’m a perfectionist). Employers want to see some genuine self-reflectio

FAQs

What is the single most important way to increase interview success?

Prepare by researching both yourself and the company. This reduces anxiety and helps you give better, well-context answers in context.

How should you answer introductory questions like “Tell me about yourself”?

Give a brief overview tied to the position—your program basics, how you became interested in your field, relevant highlights, and what interests you about the role—keeping it short (30–60 seconds).

How can you respond to a self-reflection weakness question effectively?

Avoid sounding positive for its own sake. Choose an area you are actively improving, identify it clearly (about 25% of the answer), then explain 2–3 concrete strategies for growth (about 75%).

Sep 25, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys

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