The day I got my email about interviewing for Peace Corps, I was so nervous and freaked out. I wouldn’t say it went perfectly (see tip #3) but I got through it and landed somewhere great.
If you’re invited to do an interview with Peace Corps, here are a few tips that could be helpful:
#1 Use the STAR Method
So this is useful in almost any job interview, but STAR is an acronym that can be really helpful when answering questions in a job interview. Basically when you answer a question in an interview that relies on your previous experience, you should be telling a story.
So, the ‘S’ stands for situation, here’s where you tell the background. The ‘T’ stands for ‘task’ where you describe the task you had to complete The ‘A’ means ‘action’, where you discuss the action you took and finally the ‘R’ is for ‘results’ where you share what happened as a result of the action you took.
So, when an interviewer asks, (just as an example!) “tell me about a time when you overcame a challenge in your workplace?” You should really work to explain the backstory, the importance of overcoming the challenge, how you were able to overcome it and what happened next.
I’ve personally found this method really useful because it helps you answer questions in a clear, logical and thorough way.
#2 Highlight your experiences
So, maybe I’m the only person who needed to hear this, but I remember before my interview feeling really nervous because I hadn’t worked abroad before, or in development work. I realized though that applying to Peace Corps can be a little hard because there aren’t a lot of programs that are like it, and that’s okay. Your previous experience working with diverse communities, or with monitoring and evaluation, public speaking and program development in any context is relevant to Peace Corps! Play to your strengths in the interview and work on building your narrative.
#3 Test your equipment thoroughly before the interview
So before my Peace Corps interview I had some computer issues, so I ended up needing to go borrow a laptop for the interview. I just asked if it had a webcam and I didn’t even bother trying to check it to see how it looked. Long story short, it was probably the worst webcam on the face of the earth. The quality was so bad that I literally just looked like a shadow and there was no amount of lighting that could make it look better. Me and the interviewer wasted a few minutes trying to figure it out and it just didn’t work.
The interview went fine. But, it was really embarrassing and actually just added unnecessary stress to the process.
Even if you don’t go through that, you may need to download the software for the interview and it’s best to make sure you can just focus on being your best self.
Which brings me to my final point:
#4 Stay calm!
This interview can feel really high stakes, especially if Peace Corps is something you’ve wanted to do for a long time, but the most important is to be calm. Feel free to take a moment when you’re asking questions, and make sure you present your most authentic self in the interview. Remember that the interviewer wants to learn as much about you as you need to learn about the position to make sure it is a good fit. Just do your best to prepare beforehand and be honest and thoughtful in the interview.
Take a breathe and relax, you got this.
PS.
Dress up! I know it’s a little cheesy to be fully dressed up for an interview over webcams, but I do actually think it helps.
Dominique Does 