Our Best On-Campus Interview Tips and Resources

With OCI week coming up at different schools, I thought now might be a great time to round up some of our interviewing resources, as well as to ask the readers — what are your best on-campus interview tips? Do you think on-campus interviews need a different set of skills than regular interviews? What’s the best interview advice you’ve ever gotten? If you’re coming up on OCI week, how are you prepping for it? If you’re on the other side and someone who interviews people for on-campus interviews, what are YOUR best tips? 

For my $.02, I definitely think on-campus interviews are a bit different — the stress level is through the roof because you have a ton of them in a very short period of time, plus many of your friends are going through the same experience you are, which somehow normalizes it and amplifies it all at the same time. That said, I think in the real world, just getting to the interview stage of things is a journey, particularly if you’re more of a generalist and don’t have special skills or clients — so OCI week can be really easy from that perspective. Plus, in OCI week most interviewers and interviewees have a good sense of a shared timeline, whereas in the real world you may interview and hear back that afternoon — or hear nothing for months. (I’m a weirdo in that I still have really good memories of OCI week, but that’s probably just me!)

With that said, here are some of our best on-campus interview tips and tricks…

What to Wear to an On-Campus Interview

• Interview Shoes and Accessories
  • Job Interview Heels
  • The Best Work Bags
  • The Guide to Pantyhose for Work
  • What to Look For in Interview Flats
• Interview Attire: Clothes
  • The Corporette Guide to Interview Suits: Tips on Basic Women’s Suiting
  • The Best Women’s Suits of 2018
  • Budget-Friendly Interview Suits
• Interview Attire Questions
  • Can You Interview in 4” Heels?
  • Black Suits and Summer Job Interviews
  • How High to Button Your Shirt for Interviews
  • Can You Wear a Sheath Dress and Jacket to an Interview?
  • Gray Suits for Interviews?
  • The Rules about Dresses for a “Business Casual” Interviewing Event
  • Can You Mix Different Black Fabrics to Create a “Suit”?
  • When “Conservative” Doesn’t Feel Right
• Tips for Interview Makeup, Hair and More
  • Interview Makeup Tips
  • How to Style Long Hair for Job Interviews
  • How to Make a Blowout Last for Days
  • Foot Tattoos and Interviews

Resume Advice

• How to Indicate a Sabbatical on Your Resume
• Greek Affiliations and Your Resume
• References — Who To Ask When You’ve Only Had One Job

Interview Tips and Tricks for On-Campus Interviews and Regular Interviews

• Corporette 101: The Old Mirror Trick
• 5 Things to Always Bring to Interviews
• What is Your Best Interview Advice?
• Do You Have To Give your Salary History?
• How to Interview After You Were Fired
• Should You Remove an Engagement Ring for Interviews?

After the Interview: Dealing with Anxiety, Following Up, and More

• Dealing With Anxiety (Post-Interview Or Otherwise)
• How to Thank Your Interviewers (super old post; we’re due for an update!)
• How To Thank Your References
• Should You Accept a Job Offer On The Spot?
• All of Our Best Tips on Salary Negotiation (although that may not be an option for a lockstep offer)

Stock photo at top: Deposit Photos / Wavebreakmedia.