Congratulations! You just scheduled your first interview—a big deal!

Whether you’re interviewing for an internship or your first real-world job, this is an exciting part of growing your career. It might also feel intimidating and a little downright scary.

The secret? You’re not alone in feeling this way.

“Let’s be honest, interviews are inherently awkward!” said Andrew “Mons” Mansaray, director of talent acquisition at DOZ in Indianapolis. One of the keys to success, he explained, is acknowledging and accepting this is the case.

One of the other keys to a successful interview? Preparation! Here are some things to consider and expect when you head into your first interview. 

Expect to talk about yourself – both your strengths and weaknesses

Talking about yourself can be one of the most uncomfortable aspects of an interview, but taking time to plan ahead is a surefire way to come across as confident and competent.

Strengths

Chances are your interview is going to start with the classic, yet vague, “So, tell me about yourself.” While it sounds like a tall order, they don’t need to know you’ve watched the Eras tour movie 11 times or that you grew up in a diehard Indianapolis Colts family. Instead, stick to the classics:

• Your name
• Where you went to/are attending school
• Your major/degree
• Your professional interests, including why you applied for the role

Keep this short and sweet to avoid rambling about yourself. Aim for no more than a minute. If you have some time to spare, add in any previous internship, extracurricular and/or work experiences that are relevant to the role.

PRO TIP #1: While experience is important, don’t get discouraged if you don’t have a background you can directly tie to the role.

“Showcase your eagerness and willingness to learn,” said Karli Azar, a campus recruiter for CBIZ.

Your future goals are also important. “Most accounting firms, if not all, prefer candidates who are on the CPA track and can articulate their plan to achieve this goal.”

Weaknesses

One of the most common (and dreaded) interview questions is to discuss your greatest weakness. Announcing you’re awesome and flawless isn’t a way to get around answering the question. Instead, do a deep dive ahead of time. Write down some things that are challenging for you — talking to people at networking events, patience, organization — and come up with some creative ways to talk about them. Use this approach:

• First, don’t identify AS the problem.
  • “I struggle with disorganization,” NOT, “I’m a disorganized person.”
• Then, talk about how you have successfully addressed the issue.
  • “I’ve started taking 15–20 minutes each morning to add appointments to my calendar, prioritize tasks and organize my inbox.”
• Lastly, consider how you want to continue to improve.
  • I look forward to learning new project management systems and tools to further improve my organization.

Most importantly, don’t lie! It’s easy to lose track of a lie and say something that will contradict what you said later. In addition, interviewers can often tell when you’re not being genuine. Embrace honesty and authenticity.

The greatness weakness question might not be the only one that asks you to be critical of yourself. Other similar questions to be prepared to answer:

• When was a time you failed? How did you move forward?
• Tell me about a time you missed a deadline. What happened? How did you prevent it moving forward?
• What’s a challenge you’ve faced, and how did you handle it?
• How do you resolve conflict? What’s an example?

PRO TIP #2:

You’re already a rockstar for getting the interview, but Mansaray suggests taking it a step further with the STAR method for behavior-based questions.

“As humans, we love stories and the STAR method helps you tell a great story during your interview,” he said. “Be sure to use experiences on your resume to answer questions.”

What’s the STAR method?

• Situation: Set the scene and provide background information around the situation.
• Task: Explain what your responsibilities were to address the problem.
• Action: Describe the actions you took to solve the problem.
• Result: Share the outcomes of your actions. “Accountants love numbers, so if you can quantify your results you would be speaking their language,” Mansary explained.

Expect to ask questions

It might not feel like it, but interviews are actually two-way conversations.
Bringing questions to the table shows you’re just as invested in learning about them and deciding if the role is a good fit for you. It also gives you an opportunity to show you’ve researched the company and put additional effort into preparing for your interview.

Focus on questions that are about company culture, team structure, company strategy and things that relate to the general day-to-day of the firm/organization. Remember, you’re looking for some inside scoop and information that goes beyond the company website and the job description. If you ask anything too obvious — questions around what the company does, basics of the job, competitors — it shows you probably haven’t done your research. Spending time reading through their website, exploring their social media pages and doing a Google search should answer most of these.

You also want to avoid anything related to salary and benefits. Some interviewers may bring up your salary expectations (tip: do your research and have a realistic figure in mind!) and talk through some of the company perks. But most interviewers will frown upon anything related to money, especially in a first-round interview. Let them take the lead to open up that conversation.

Here are a few good questions to consider asking:

• How would you describe the firm/organization culture?
• What are some of the key challenges the firm/organization is facing right now?
• Who would I regularly be interacting with in this role?
• What is the traditional path for someone who starts at the firm/organization in this role?
• I saw you have X program. Can you tell me more about it?
• I’m pursuing the CPA Exam. How does the firm/organization support candidates during this process?

Need some more inspiration? Harvard Business Review rounded up 38 solid questions to ask during an interview.

Equally important to the questions you ask is paying attention to how they respond. If they dodge the question, give a very vague answer, act offended you asked or overall have a negative response, it could be a red flag.

PRO TIP #3: “I always recommend the final question you should ask during an interview is “What are the next steps in this process, and when can I expect to hear back regarding this position?” Azar said. “This allows you as a candidate to have peace of mind and know when to follow up if you haven’t heard back by the anticipated date."

Expect to bring your creative thinking to the table

Not all interview questions are straightforward. Some like to throw a wrench into the process with off-the-wall questions. These are often to see how you do thinking on your feet and your creative thinking skills. If you get one and feel thrown for a loop, take a deep breath! Don’t be afraid to have a few seconds of silence while you collect your thoughts and offer an answer. And don’t worry about it being right. Most of the time there’s no right or wrong answer; it’s just an opportunity to get a little more insight into you.

Some examples of weird questions we’ve heard before:

• What part of a tree would you be: trunk, roots, leaves, or branches? Why?
• How do you make an M&M?
• If you were a magazine, what would you be?
• How would you describe [insert random color or object here] to a blind person?
• How many [insert random item, like ping pong balls] can you fit into a [car of choice, like limousine]?

PRO TIP #4: “The only way to become more confident is practice, practice and more practice,” said Mansaray.

Azar agreed. “Ask a friend to conduct a mock interview with you, similar to those offered at many universities,” she suggested. “Remember, an interview is just a conversation where you are the focus, and you are the best person to talk about your experiences and skills.”

Expect to be treated in a professional manner

As we said at the beginning, an interview is a two-way conversation. If at any time someone makes you feel uncomfortable, including using inappropriate, racist or sexist language, you don’t have to stay.

In addition, there are many questions that are unethical and illegal to ask a candidate. The U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission outlines that interviewers should avoid any questions related to “personal characteristics that are protected by law, such as race, color, religion, sex, national origin or age.” Asking these implies potential discrimination.

It’s also illegal for any employer to ask if you have a disability (though they can legally ask if you need any special accommodations for an underlying disability) and questions about your medical history, including medications you take and information about family members.

Red flag questions include:

• What church do you attend?
• Are you practicing your religion?
• Do you have children? What do you do for childcare?
• What language did you grow up speaking?
• Where are you from really?
• Are you a U.S. citizen?
• Are you married?
• Do you expect to get pregnant in the next year?
• Do you have any mental health conditions?
• Is anyone in your family bipolar?
• Have you ever spent time in rehab?
• How old are you? (Caveat: If the job has a type of legal age requirement, like being 21 in order to drive a company vehicle, etc., they can ask this to verify you meet those requirements. Other than that, they shouldn’t be asking!)

If an interviewer asks you one of these or a similar question, you have a few options.

• You can answer it. Everyone’s human, and sometimes a question comes out without negative intent (like discrimination) and instead with genuine curiosity. If you’re having a more friendly conversation during the interview and it naturally comes up that you went to the same high school, they might ask what year you graduated without thinking about potential age discrimination.
• You can give an indirect answer. If someone asks what year you graduated high school but it feels less curious and more as a way to get intel, you can offer something like, “My high school experience isn’t that relevant, but I’d love to talk about my recent internship experience, where I got hands-on consulting experience.”
• You can refuse and acknowledge it’s inappropriate. A simple “I’m not sure how that’s relevant or appropriate to answer” will likely take the interviewer by surprise and, hopefully, redirect them. If they push, don’t apologize, or don’t see the inappropriate nature of their question, you have a right to end the interview and leave. While that might seem frustrating and upsetting, know you’re likely dodging a bullet.

Expect to be nervous

It’s completely normal to feel nervous heading into an interview, and the people interviewing you would probably be shocked if you weren’t.

In order to show your best self, take some time to do some deep breathing or even a guided meditation before you head into your interview. A few other things that can help: Listening to music that puts you in a good mood or getting a pep talk from a loved one.

Making sure to get a good night’s sleep before will also be critical for showing up cool and confident. Make sure to wear something appropriate but comfortable; there’s nothing worse than itchy fabric or something that feels too tight and distracts you.

PRO TIP #5: Another way to help ease nervousness? Get used to the interview format! “Most firms are moving to an entirely virtual interview process so instead of calling friends and family, have them hop on whatever platform the employer is using to get comfortable,” said Mansaray.

Expect to find your place

No matter how your interview experience goes, it’s all part of the journey of finding your place and the right career path for you. Not every interview is going to be a success, but it’s still a learning experience and getting you one step closer to where you’re meant to be. Stay positive, and good luck!

For more student tips, resources, perks and events, join the Indiana CPA Society as a High School Student Member or College Student Member for FREE!

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