How to study for the interview
How to study for the interview
How to study for the interview
Getting an on campus interview is no easy task. It’s hard to get to this part of the student affairs job search. That’s why it’s as important to study in preparation for your on campus interview in the days leading up to it.
How do you study for the interview?
Some of you might rely on cramming the night before.
I highly recommend avoiding that.
You don’t want to spend the few hours leading up to your on campus interview to be spent rapidly reviewing all you know about the position.
Instead, you should spend the days leading up to this critical interview actively preparing for it: one step at a time.
This article builds on what is covered in the preparing for the on campus interview article and what is included your briefing book. This article will cover specific strategies that you should employ when studying for your upcoming interview. It includes reviewing major themes that emerged from your research; lingering questions; chunking your time; and active reflection.
It’s written! Now study!
You’ve spent a significant amount of time creating this briefing book and carefully reviewing the institution, the staff, its mission, and how your background and abilities fit into the role. Now you must study. You’ll need to spend time with your information in order to represent yourself as a well prepared and polished professional.
The creation of the briefing book was your first step. You learned more about the institution and the role throughout the process. As you read and study these materials ask yourself:
-Are there any major themes that emerged from this research?
-What’re some lingering questions that I have?
-What’re some insights I’ve gained throughout this process?
How to study your briefing book
There are numerous things that you can do to study your briefing book. Here are the top three below:
Time chunking involves a big project (like studying for your on campus interview) and breaking it up into smaller tasks that you accomplish over time. This is an opportunity for you to take the 5-7 days leading up to your on campus interview to read and re-read your briefing book in its entirety.
Time chunking doesn’t even require that you take up a lot of time. Really, you can spend as little as 15-30 minutes every day reading your research material and highlighting, annotating, and adding notes to where you’ve discovered interesting information.
Lastly, you should also spend the days leading up to your on campus interview reflecting on your briefing book and the research contained within it. It’s important at this stage to create questions as you read; draw conclusions; and look for trends when reading, re-reading, and reviewing your briefing book.
Cramming is a no-no
You don’t want to spend the 24 hours leading up to your interview cramming for it. Take at least the prior 5-7 days before your on campus interview and read your briefing book from start to finish. Remember: this will only take between 15 and 30 minutes every day.
Reading your briefing book every day will give you some additional insight into what you’ve created. Perhaps there was something you missed, some detail that stood out, or some pressing question that arose through your own research. Don’t forget to treat your briefing book like a study guide. Read, annotate, add notes, and create questions. This briefing book is for YOU, so you need to make it work for you.
Takeaways
This article built on what was covered in the preparing for the on campus interview article and what is included in your briefing book. This article covered specific strategies that you should employ when studying for your upcoming interview. It included reviewing major themes that emerged from you research; lingering questions; chunking your time; and active reflection.
I hope that you found this article useful! If you need some additional help on your student affairs job search, then check out the eBook The Student Affairs Job Search: A Comprehensive Guide available here.
Happy searching,
References
Eng, D. (2019, July 1). On Campus Interview Job Hakr | Student Affairs Job Search. Accessed January 21, 2020. Retrieved from www.jobhakr.com/blog-1/2019/6/26/4-steps-to-navigating-the-on-campus-student-affairs-interview.
Eng, D. (2020, January 14). Institutional Culture and Structure Job Hakr | Student Affairs Job Search. Accessed January 21, 2020. Retrieved from www.jobhakr.com/blog-1/2020/1/14/institutional-culture-and-structure.
Eng, D. (2020, January 2). What is an on-campus interview? Job Hakr | Student Affairs Job Search. Accessed January 21, 2020. Retrieved from www.jobhakr.com/blog-1/2020/1/2/what-is-an-on-campus-interview.
Eng, D. (2020, January 7). Align with the Job Job Hakr | Student Affairs Job Search. Accessed January 21, 2020. Retrieved from www.jobhakr.com/blog-1/2020/1/7/align-with-the-job.
Kolomitro, K. (2019, February 11). Is reflection an afterthought in active learning? Retrieved January 21, 2020, from https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/news-and-views/is-reflection-an-afterthought-in-active-learning
Reh, F.J. (2019, July 4). Why You Should Try Chunking to Increase Your Work Efficiency. Accessed January 21, 2020. Retrieved from www.thebalancecareers.com/dont-multi-task-when-you-can-use-chunking-2276184.
Cite this Article
Eng, D. (2020, February 04). How to study for the interview. Retrieved MONTH DATE, YEAR, from https://www.jobhakr.com/blog-1/2020/2/4/how-to-study-for-the-interview
Internal Ref: JHKRU5W0SW3UA