How can I prepare for my interview?

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Hopefully, before you signed up for an interview with a company, you did a little bit of research on that company. In order to prepare for the interview, try to do some more in-depth research. Keep in mind the following two things: 1) Recruiters are always impressed with applicants who have a good knowledge of the company, and 2) You are trying to convince the recruiter that the company needs you. Both of those points require that you do a little homework. Here are some tips to help you.

• If the company has scheduled an information session, definitely attend it.
• Look at the company literature in the Career Development Center library. The CDC may have literature you can take home, or you can make copies.
• Get a copy of the Organizations Interviewing on Campus booklet from the CDC. This publication lists all of the organizations who recruited at Caltech or came to Career Day. See if the company has a web site and if so, explore it. If the company employs Caltech alumni, consider writing to or emailing them to have an informal discussion about the company. Additionally, the business cards of past recruiters (on which alumni are identified) are kept in notebooks in the CDC library.
• The CDC holds assertive interviewing workshops and also has a handout on assertive interviewing. We won't go into the finer details of interviewing protocol here (like how to dress, what to bring, what to say, etc.), so attend a workshop if you have the time and at the very least read the handout. The CDC also has many good books and videos on how to interview successfully, and you can meet with a career counselor to schedule a videotaped practice interview.
• Although you should have already put a copy of your resume in the company folder, bring several more with you to the interview. There may be more than one interviewer, and it's a thoughtful gesture to make sure that everyone has a copy. The recruiters may also want to distribute copies to their superiors back at the office.