This edition of the REACH Toolbox continues a series of articles that detail the services that are offered by the REACH Program and University Career Services to help students with disabilities achieve their career goals. Although most of these services may appear to be more general in nature, it is important to remember that all students, regardless of the presence or absence of disabilities, have exciting opportunities to explore their career interests, apply for jobs, prepare for interviews, and engage in their chosen fields of employment. Therefore, REACH and University Career Services endeavors to provide the following services to assist students for each of these phases:
- Take assessments to identify potential careers based on personality preferences and interests.
- Partner with Career Directors in respective colleges to learn about industry-specific internship/employment opportunities.
- Create a Handshake (BYU’s platform connecting students to employers) to receive opportunities tailored to specific interests and skills.
- Prepare for Career and STEM Fairs.
- Prepare application materials (e.g., cover letters, resumes, references, thank-you notes).
- Prepare for the job interview.
- Determine if and when disability disclosure to employers is appropriate.
- Learn strategies to request accommodations.
Purpose of the Job Interview
The job interview is the gateway to your future employment. Although it can be intimidating, you have the opportunity to make a strong impression on the employer and obtain the desired job. The key to reaching this goal is careful preparation. The following steps will help you prepare for this important event1:
Elements of the Job Interview
1. Research the company2.
- Connect with recruiters through BYU Handshake or LinkedIn.
- Research the company’s website to familiarize yourself with the location, key leadership, mission, vision, and scope of services/products that are offered to consumers to understand how the position to which you are applying fits into that scope.
- Review news articles about the company to understand the role that the company plays in the larger professional community and how the company separates itself from competitors.
- Learn what employees within the company are saying about their interview experiences, company culture, pay, benefits, size, and skills and experiences that are valued by the company by visiting Glassdoor (you will need to create a free account to view all information).
- Visit on-campus information sessions and other events that the company might host.
- Formulate a list of open-ended questions to ask the employer during the interview.
- Research the duties of the position to determine if you will need workplace accommodations to successfully accomplish those duties.
- Travel to the interview site in advance of your interview to know how much travel time you will need and to ensure that the site is accessible.
2. Compare your qualifications to the required and preferred qualifications stated on the job description to ensure that they are generally aligned with each other.
3. Prepare responses to interview questions 3. (Interviews often consist of questions related to how you might behave in certain situations. These behavioral-based questions are best answered using a Problem-Action-Result [PAR] response method.)
PAR response method:
- Problem (the context of a problem should not necessarily be interpreted as a conflict between two sides) – Explain the situation.
- Action – Speak in terms of what you did to work on the problem.
- Result – Discuss what happened because of your work.
Sample interview questions needing a PAR response:
- Why are you interested in this position?
- Tell me about a problem that you’ve solved in a unique or innovative way.
- Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead.
- Tell me about a time when you were in charge of a team project. What did you do? How did you do it? What was the result?
- Give an example of when you worked with someone who was difficult to get along with. How did you handle it? How did the relationship progress?
- How would you describe your ability to work as a member of a team? What is your preferred role?
- How do you prioritize projects and tasks when scheduling your time? Give me some examples.
- How would you respond if a senior co-worker asked you to do something that you felt was unethical?
- What is your greatest weakness/strength?
Disability-related questions4. (The issue of disability in an interview setting can be delicate because there is a large number of illegal questions and a comparatively small number of legal questions that an employer can ask.)
Illegal questions:
- Do you have any disabilities or impairments that might affect your ability to do the job?
- Have you ever been treated for any mental conditions?
- Have you ever been treated by a psychologist or psychiatrist? If so, for what?
- Do you suffer from any health-related condition that might prevent you from performing this job?
- How many days were you absent from work because of illness or disability last year?
- Have you ever filed a worker’s compensation claim?
Legal questions:
- Can you perform the job functions of this position?
- How would you perform the job functions?
- What are your professional certifications and licenses?
If you need accommodations for the interview or if you have a visible disability, be prepared to discuss your disability in the interview5.
- Keep your delivery positive.
- Discuss the relevant information that you will need to share about your disability so that your interviewer understands it on a basic level.
- Discuss the applicable strengths that you have gained as a result of your disability-related experiences.
- Discuss the accommodations that you will need to perform the essential functions of the job, and be prepared to discuss the monetary cost of those accommodations, how they can be obtained, and how they can be implemented.
- Avoid dwelling on challenges or hardships that result because of your disability.
Use mock interviews to prepare for your interview.
- University Career Services offers mock interviews for many vocational interests – phone (801) 422-3000 to schedule your mock interview.
Complete mock interviews using video recruitment software (video interviews are becoming more widely utilized because of their ease and convenience).
University Career Services has recently obtained a mock interview video software called Standout (follow the steps below to participate in practice interviews).
- Visit http://ucs.byu.edu/.
- Click the “Resources” tab.
- Scroll down the page until you see the “Standout” link and click it.
- Login to Standout with your NetID and password.
- After entering the Standout platform, click the “Practice” tab, and feel free to engage in any of the posted practice interviews (please note that I have created an “Addressing Disability in an Interview” practice).
4. Dress professionally.
- Wear neutral colors and patterns that are not flashy or distracting.
- Understand the company culture to know how formally your interviewers might dress, and plan to dress a bit more formally than them.
- Ensure that your clothes are wrinkle-free.
- Ensure that your appearance is neat and clean.
5. Bring the following items to your interview:
- Extra copies of your resume on bond paper.
- Notepad and pen.
- List of references.
- Information that you might need to complete application materials.
- Portfolio with sample work (if applicable).
6. Pay attention to non-verbal communication.
- Be mindful of your actions and behaviors in the waiting room because your interviewers will often ask the receptionist about them – be polite to the receptionist and maintain good posture while waiting to be called back for the interview.
- Smile, make eye contact, and give a firm handshake (if possible).
- Avoid nervous gestures such as foot-tapping or pen clicking.
- Control facial expressions to ensure that you project a positive image.
7. Execute appropriate follow-up.
- When asked if you have questions at the end of the interview, do not be afraid to refer to any notes that you have made (avoid questions about pay, benefits, and any information that could be obtained online during the interview).
Possible follow-up questions to ask:
- In your opinion, what makes this organization a great place to work?
- What do you consider the most important criteria for success in this job?
- How will my performance be evaluated?
- What are the opportunities for advancement?
- What are the next steps in the hiring process?
- Make note of your interviewers’ names and contact information so that you can send them hard-copy and electronic thank-you notes (refer to https://uac.byu.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/Thank-you%20Notes.pdf for full details).
- Contact your interviewers after the interview to ensure that they have all of the information that they need, and emphasize your desire to work for the company.
Please feel free to contact me (tyler_briggs@byu.edu) if you would like help to prepare for your job interview.
- Princeton University Office of Career Services. (2019). Preparing for interviews. Retrieved from https://careerservices.princeton.edu/undergraduate-students/interviews-offers/preparing-interviews.
- Brigham Young University (n.d.). Research a company. Retrieved from http://ucs.byu.edu/sites/default/files/Research-a-Company_0.pdf.
- Brigham Young University (n.d.). Interviewing. Retrieved from https://ucs.byu.edu/sites/default/files/Interviewing_101_2-12-2019.pdf.
- Workology Inc. (2019). What can you ask about disability in the interviews? Retrieved from https://workology.com/what-can-you-ask-about-disability-in-interviews/.
- REACH (n.d.). Disclosing your disability to your employer. Retrieved from https://uac.byu.edu/content/disclosing-your-disability-your-employer.