University at Buffalo (UB)
How to Stand Out
What should you wear? What questions will you be asked? What questions should you ask? We’ll help you prepared and stand out during an interview.
On this page:
Being prepared is the number one way to impress during an interview, and that includes not showing up empty-handed. Here's a list of things you might want to bring to your interview.
- Copies of your resume/CV
- A pen
- A notepad
- List of references
- Notes with talking points/examples of your experiences
- A list of prepared questions to ask
- Portfolio (if you have one) or examples of your work
- Folder/Briefcase (optional)
- Business cards (optional)
- Directions and contact information
- Driver’s Licenses or Passport
- A smile and positive energy
Map Out Directions Ahead of Time
Take the time before your interview, to get directions and even practice finding your interview location. There's nothing worse than looking sharp but showing up late because you got lost on the way to the interview.
When it comes to dressing for an in-person or video interview, think trendy, but conservative. Choose a classic suit coat, dress, shirt and pants or skirt. Wear clothing that is clean, wrinkle-free and fits you properly. This will show that you mean business.
When dressing for business professional, choose a classic suit coat, dress shirt and coordinating pants or skirt. Keep the colors basic to black, blue, gray and white. Ties and jewelry should be simple and not busy patterns. Business professional is more of a conservative style that is commonly worn during interviews.
Jackets
Shirts
Pants/Skirts
Shoes
Bags and Belts
Business casual is a little less formal than business professional. It's still intended to give a professional and businesslike impression. This means... you don't have to wear a suit jacket. But it's not so casual to where you can wear jeans and a t-shirt.
Shirts
Pants
Shoes
Bags and Belts
A new suit isn't in your budget?
Try visiting local thrift stores for a slightly used one.
Tips on Tying a Tie
Following along with Bob as he shows you three different ways to tie a tie.
What you talk about and how you say it can make or break your chances of getting hired. Here's how you can describe your skills and experiences.
What skills do you bring? No matter your field of study, it’s important to speak their language and demonstrate how your academic experiences translate to workplace performance.
Good news—you’ve likely already started to develop important soft skills that employers seek through your academic and extracurricular activities.
Based on nationally recognized criteria from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
Skill Sets
Career & Self-Development
Proactively develop oneself and one’s career through continual personal and professional learning, awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses, navigation of career opportunities, and networking to build relationships within and without one’s organization.
- Learn about yourself by taking the assessments in Focus2 and think about your results.
- Explore the resources, videos and blog in the Career Design Studio.
- Start making professional friends by using Bullseye powered by Handshake and LinkedIn.
- Be on the lookout for different trends in the job market.
- Build a resume and get an instant review with Big Interview.
- Attend events such as skillshops, Job + Internship Fairs, pop-ups, employer info. sessions and more! All you can find in Bullseye powered by Handshake.
- Do volunteer work, internships or summer jobs in fields that appeal to you.
- Explore the Here to Career program to discover how your on-campus work experience can set you apart in a highly competitive workforce.
- Learn about the Experiential Learning Network resources such as the Project Portal and Digital Badges.
- Show an awareness of own strengths and areas for development.
- Identify areas for continual growth while pursuing and applying feedback.
- Develop plans and goals for one’s future career.
- Professionally advocate for oneself and others.
- Display curiosity; seek out opportunities to learn.
- Assume duties or positions that will help one progress professionally.
- Establish, maintain, and/or leverage relationships with people who can help one professionally.
- Seek and embrace development opportunities.
- Voluntarily participate in further education, training, or other events to support one’s career.
- What are the greatest strengths you bring to this position? Being specific, how have you demonstrated that strength in a previous role?
- In what ways will one or more of the tasks or responsibilities from a previous role help you to be effective in this position?
- Tell me about a time when you learned a new skill
- Talk about a time when you learned from a mistake you made.
Communication
Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with persons inside and outside of an organization.
- Practice answering interview questions using Big Interview, our online interviewing tool.
- Book an appointment for a Practice Interview with the Career Design Center.
- Take communication and writing classes such as Creative Writing, Public Speaking and Business and Professional Communication.
- Schedule an Informational Interview with a professional in your field of interest by using Bullseye powered by Handshake or LinkedIn.
- Attend networking events, skillshops and job fairs to practice introducing yourself and meeting new people.
- Join chapters like Toastmasters to practice public speaking and leadership skills.
- During virtual events, turn your camera on and ask questions by unmuting yourself or in the chat.
- Participate in class discussions and volunteer to be your group’s spokesperson.
- Meet with your professors during office hours or talk with them after or before class.
- Ask for feedback about your writing and public speaking.
- Video yourself speaking on a topic, then watch it to assess your verbal and non-verbal strengths and areas for improvement.
- Use tools like Grammarly to check your papers and avoid errors.
- Utilize the Center for Excellence in Writing to improve your writing skills.
- Understand the importance of and demonstrate verbal, written, and non-verbal/body language, abilities.
- Employ active listening, persuasion, and influencing skills.
- Communicate in a clear and organized manner so that others can effectively understand.
- Frame communication with respect to diversity of learning styles, varied individual communication abilities, and cultural differences.
- Ask appropriate questions for specific information from supervisors, specialists, and others.
- Promptly inform relevant others when needing guidance with assigned tasks.
- Tell me about a public speaking experience you had?
- Tell me about a time you successfully communicated your point of view, or an idea you had?
- Describe a time you wrote an effective memo, email, report, blog post or paper.
Critical Thinking
Identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information.
- Participate in research projects through UB’s Experiential Learning Network. Check out the Career Community projects.
- Take classes from UB’s Learning and Instruction Department, such as Mathematical Reasoning & Communication and Academic Success Strategies.
- Earn a micro-credential to enhance your critical thinking skills related to topics such as Gender & Globalization and Addressing Public Health Disparities.
- Practice making step by step plans to solve problems.
- Participate in class discussions and debates.
- Brainstorm various ways you could solve a problem.
- Practice gathering information that will help you solve problems.
- Be inquisitive and take the initiative to solve problems. Seek out solutions to problems.
- Make decisions and solve problems using sound, inclusive reasoning and judgment.
- Gather and analyze information from a diverse set of sources and individuals to fully understand a problem.
- Proactively anticipate needs and prioritize action steps.
- Accurately summarize and interpret data with an awareness of personal biases that may impact outcomes.
- Effectively communicate actions and rationale, recognizing the diverse perspectives and lived experiences of stakeholders.
- Multi-task well in a fast-paced environment.
- Tell me about a time you overcame a challenge.
- In what ways have you used data to solve a problem or make a decision?
- When have you come up with a new idea or creative solution to a problem?
Equity & Inclusion
Demonstrate the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage and include people from different local and global cultures. Engage in anti-racist practices that actively challenge the systems, structures, and policies of racism.
- Participate in programs/services offered by the Intercultural and Diversity Center, such as weekly peer-facilitated Tough Topics conversations and Diversity Workshops.
- Check out the events and resources promoted by the Office of Inclusive Excellence like International Tea Time, a free meeting that brings together U.S. and international students for conversation, friendship and fun.
- Join and/or attend events presented by the Graduate Student Association clubs.
- Join social justice-focused committees or groups that might be available through your academic unit or department and check out the Allyship: Equity & Social Justice Advisory Group and UB’s LGBTQ+ Resources.
- Recognize your own implicit bias by taking one or more of the Implicit Association Tests (IAT) that offer a variety of belief associations, such as those involving racial groups, gender, sexuality, age, and religion.
- Participate in study abroad, alternative break trips and/or experiential learning.
- Check out Interstride, an online tool designed to support international students or students wishing to work abroad in their global job search.
- Talk with people you may not necessarily agree with and try to understand their perspective.
- Attend events with people who identify differently from you, such as differences in abilities, political views, religious affiliations, race, gender and/or sexual orientation.
- Read books or listen to podcasts by authors with different backgrounds and perspectives.
- Solicit and use feedback from multiple cultural perspectives to make inclusive and equity-minded decisions.
- Actively contribute to inclusive and equitable practices that influence individual and systemic change.
- Advocate for inclusion, equitable practices, justice, and empowerment for historically marginalized communities.
- Seek global cross-cultural interactions and experiences that enhance one’s understanding of people from different demographic groups and that leads to personal growth.
- Keep an open mind to diverse ideas and new ways of thinking.
- Identify resources and eliminate barriers resulting from individual and systemic racism, inequities, and biases.
- Demonstrate flexibility by adapting to diverse environments.
- Address systems of privilege that limit opportunities for members of historically marginalized communities.
- Tell me about a time that you demonstrated an understanding toward someone who is different from you in terms of culture, race, age, gender, sexual orientation or religion?
- When have you experienced a different culture first-hand?
Leadership
Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.
- Offer to be a team leader for a group assignment or organization.
- Take on leadership responsibilities in a club, work, internship or student group.
- Check out opportunities to get involved through Student Engagement and UB Linked.
- Think about how to maximize people’s strengths when managing a project.
- Seek opportunities to learn from people you see as leaders and use those lessons to hone your own leadership.
- Set up Informational Interviews with business and community leaders using LinkedIn.
- Take a Leadership class.
- Get involved in a para-professional experience such as an Orientation Leader, Resident Advisor or Career Peer Coach.
- Explore blogs, webinars and videos on leadership in the Career Design Studio.
- Understand your preferred leadership style.
- Assess yourself on a team. Identify ways you can be a better leader by understanding those around you.
- Inspire, persuade, and motivate self and others under a shared vision.
- Seek out and leverage diverse resources and feedback from others to inform direction.
- Use innovative thinking to go beyond traditional methods.
- Serve as a role model to others by approaching tasks with confidence and a positive attitude.
- Motivate and inspire others by encouraging them and by building mutual trust.
- Plan, initiate, manage, complete and evaluate projects.
- Tell me about a time you took initiative to solve a problem.
- Tell me about a time you took a leadership role in a group or team.
- When have you partnered with someone on a task that had different strengths than yours?
Professionalism
Knowing work environments differ greatly, understand and demonstrate effective work habits, and act in the interest of the larger community and workplace.
- Reflect on how you have handled conflict at work or at school. How could you have acted more professionally?
- Work on being authentic and taking concerns directly to individuals.
- Avoid engaging in negative interactions in school and in the workplace.
- Listen and reflect on what other people are saying before you talk.
- Set up informational interviews with professionals to learn about expectations for behaving at work using LinkedIn.
- Review your social media presence. Would you want to share your social media image with your employer?
- Keep a positive attitude and be cordial. In a challenging situation or when dealing with negativity, stay positive and proactive.
- Work in a part-time job and observe workplace behavior.
- Be punctual for all classes, meetings, and work shifts and communicate when you cannot attend appropriately.
- Act equitably with integrity and accountability to self, others, and the organization.
- Maintain a positive personal brand in alignment with organization and personal career values.
- Be present and prepared.
- Demonstrate dependability (e.g., report consistently for work or meetings).
- Prioritize and complete tasks to accomplish organizational goals.
- Consistently meet or exceed goals and expectations.
- Have an attention to detail, resulting in few if any errors in their work.
- Show a high level of dedication toward doing a good job.
- Tell me about a time when you were able to manage multiple priorities and still meet a deadline.
- How would you define “professionalism”? In what ways have you demonstrated professionalism?
Teamwork
Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities.
- Get involved! Join student organizations and engage in service-learning.
- Check out opportunities to get involved through Student Engagement and UB Linked.
- Join a sports team, student organization, or intramural team.
- Get a job on campus or a part-time job where you work with other team members.
- Work with others on a class project with shared duties.
- Work with your team members to develop a detailed plan for approaching a project and guidelines of each team member’s responsibilities.
- Practice respecting people’s viewpoints even if you disagree with them.
- Listen carefully to others, taking time to understand and ask appropriate questions without interrupting.
- Effectively manage conflict, interact with and respect diverse personalities, and meet ambiguity with resilience.
- Be accountable for individual and team responsibilities and deliverables.
- Employ personal strengths, knowledge, and talents to complement those of others.
- Exercise the ability to compromise and be agile.
- Collaborate with others to achieve common goals.
- Build strong, positive working relationships with supervisor and team members/coworkers.
- Tell me about a time you worked in a team or group to accomplish a goal. What did you specifically do to contribute to the success of the group? (Tell about what you did as part of the team; not the team’s work).
- Tell me about a time you had conflict or disagreement with a group member. How did you resolve it?
Technology
Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals.
- Search job postings in your intended field to see what types of technology are essential and recommended for your future career and focus on developing your skills in those areas.
- Create and keep up-to-date online profiles like Bullseye powered by Handshake and LinkedIn.
- Take a skills assessment for technology-related skills you list on your LinkedIn profile.
- Try using new technology for a project.
- Use online tutorials to expand your knowledge of software used in your industry/career area.
- Help a club/organization or business build a digital presence.
- Learn how to use Microsoft Excel effectively.
- Use an online calendar such as Microsoft or Google to keep up with all your appointments, meetings, classes, tests, and due dates.
- Take a computer & digital literacy class or Intro to Computer Information systems class.
- Practice using technology tools to develop presentations, communicate online and coordinate group projects.
- Look for opportunities in internships and jobs that use new technology.
- Subscribe to trending technology-related Twitter feeds and Instagram accounts.
- Navigate change and be open to learning new technologies.
- Use technology to improve efficiency and productivity of their work.
- Identify appropriate technology for completing specific tasks.
- Manage technology to integrate information to support relevant, effective, and timely decision-making.
- Quickly adapt to new or unfamiliar technologies.
- Manipulate information, construct ideas, and use technology to achieve strategic goals.
- When have you used digital technology (i.e., computer software, social media, Microsoft Excel) to solve a problem or complete a task?
- Tell me about a time when you learned a new technology on your own.
What's Next
Shine like a star when you answer those experience questions.