Interviewing
Interviews are an important part of the hiring process for employers seeking students or recent graduates for internship, co-op, and entry-level full-time positions. Depending upon their individual needs and circumstances, employers may choose to interview students on campus or remotely for either on-site or virtual work.
On-Campus Interviews
If you want to arrange interviews at the University Park campus for internship, co-op, and full-time positions you have posted in Nittany Lion Careers, we can help. To schedule interviews at another Penn State campus, please reach out to that campus' career office.
On-campus interviews typically occur from late September through early December and from late January through April. A standard interview day is 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., with two 15-minute breaks and a one–hour lunch break. If you are doing 30-minute interviews, you will have 13 interview slots; for 45-minute interviews, nine slots; for 60-minute interviews, six slots; and for 90-minute interviews, four slots. You should plan to finish your last interview each day by 5:00 p.m.
Most on-campus interviews take place at the Bank of America Career Services Center, but other sites may be available as needed. Regardless of location, plan to bring any paper, pens/pencils, notepads or other supplies you may need for your interviews.
Schedule Interviews
You can reserve interview space under the Shortcuts section on the Nittany Lion Careers home page.
Select the On-Campus Recruiting (OCR) tab, then select Request a Schedule. You will be prompted to select the appropriate semester (either fall or spring) and the OCR model (either Preselect or Preselect to Alternate). Preselect is the preselected group of students you have chosen to interview for the position. This option does not provide the option to select alternate interviewees. Preselect to Alternate is the preselected group of students you have chosen to interview for the position but also includes an alternate group of interviewees who may be considered if a preselected candidate should be unable to interview.
After completing the remaining mandatory sections, you may submit the Schedule Request form.
Enter Job Descriptions
Once your interviews have been confirmed, you will receive an email notice that your request has been approved and that you must log in to Nittany Lion Careers to review the schedule assignment and attach one or more job postings to finalize the schedule(s).
Your next step is to post your detailed job description(s) in Nittany Lion Careers. Your job posting(s) will not be approved or be visible "live" to students until you have attached it/them to your interview schedule(s).
Manage Interviews
Once an on-campus recruiting schedule has been approved, the position will be open for student résumé submission. You will also see that the trigger dates have been adjusted; these dates let you know the deadline for students to submit their résumés and your deadline to select those students you would like to invite for interviews. To request any changes, please contact the Recruiting Manager.
You can view your job description(s), note the trigger dates, and view submitted résumés—as well as cover letters and transcripts if you selected these to be submitted—in Nittany Lion Careers in real time. After the résumé submission deadline has passed, you can begin to designate students as Invited (first choice to interview), Alternate (second choice), or Not Invited. You are encouraged to preselect/invite as many students as you have interview time slots available, as well as at least four alternates. Please note that our staff cannot recommend or select specific students for employers to interview.
The students you have designated as invited will be notified via Nittany Lion Careers that they have been invited to interview. You should track your interview schedule as it fills. If you need to make changes to your interview schedule, please contact the Recruiting Manager prior to designating your invited students if possible, as it's much easier to adjust a schedule before students have signed up.
On-campus interview spaces are always in high demand. If you fail to show up for your scheduled interviews, if you leave campus prior to finishing scheduled interviews, or if you cancel interviews at the last minute without a valid reason, you may be prohibited from using on-campus recruiting services and/or facilities in the future.
Phone or Virtual Interviews
Employers who plan to conduct interviews by phone or virtually—using Zoom or another online platform—can make arrangements directly with their desired candidates via email.
Employers should clarify with all candidates whether virtual interviews are for screening purposes (to be followed by a possible on-campus or on-site interview) or for final decision-making regarding positions.
Be sure to provide all selected candidates with basic information (including date, time, and method of interviewing) and, if virtual, a link to access the appropriate platform for the interview.
