How to Nail Your Job Interview

Whether it’s your first interview or your fiftieth, you’re still going to feel a bit nervous and unprepared. You want to go into your interview feeling confident and convincing but you don’t know how (or you just want a refresher). When preparing for an interview, being sophisticated and well-informed are easy qualities to describe but sufficiently executing them is a skill that will take a little practice. When you find yourself in an unfamiliar and professional setting, it’s likely that you’ll feel exceptionally vulnerable and anxious. You’re about to have your entire employment history and proficiency analyzed and dissected. It’s OK to be apprehensive about something so important. Here are some tips that are sure to help you make a great first impression and nail your next job interview.

xx, Stay Basic

Be yourself

They’re interviewing YOU, not Bill Gates. Don’t try to use words that you’ve heard your professors using. Interviewers can see right through that facade and will be more likely to overlook you when it comes time to choose a candidate. Your resume was good enough to get you to this stage so just have fun. Be yourself and let the interviewer see that you’re the best choice for the job.

Know your resume

Being familiar with your resume is one of the most important factors in having a successful interview. You will be asked about previous positions and your responsibilities at said job. Be sure to review the tasks that you performed and speak intelligently about them when asked. You will only have a limited amount of time to show the interviewer that you were competent and successful in those roles. It’s smart to have an idea of times when you were exemplary in your position or when you rectified a mistake that was made on your behalf. Trying to concoct a story off the top of your head will prove to the employer that you’re unprepared. I’ve been in many situations where I had not anticipated an interviewer to ask me for an example of my work ethic and I had to improvise some bogus story that didn’t reflect me at all.

Recognize your strengths and weaknesses

An interviewer will typically ask you to “describe yourself in 3 words”. In an effort to plan ahead, think of a few adjectives beforehand. I always like to use “ambitious, meticulous/methodical and punctual”. Refining adjectives that mirror your individual personality and work ethic will always be appreciated more by the interviewer than if you just made up something random on the spot. You should also anticipate being asked to name your strengths and weaknesses. Be prepared to discuss them briefly but not in entirety. You’ll want to make something up, but be truthful. Like with everything else, interviewers can see straight through your bullshit. Make a list of realistic things that you’re good at and then qualities that you want to work on. Shorten the list to about 3 of each because this will make it easier for you to remember when you’re put on the spot. Examples of strengths would be that you’re creative, patient or determined. Weaknesses would include that you’re a perfectionist, you’re unfamiliar with a specific software or that you’re a workaholic. It’s a wise idea to include something like “but I’d like to learn” after mentioning any weaknesses you possess. You want to show the interviewer that you have a desire to continue educating yourself while on the job. Emphasizing the posit

ive will show wisdom and maturity.

Be prepared

Being prepared is something that should come naturally to someone, but unfortunately this isn’t the case. Have a modest, classy outfit picked out that isn’t too tight or too casual (unless the interviewer states otherwise). This step is pretty much guaranteed to minimize your stress. Have a printed copy of your availability so that your future employer has a good idea of when you’ll be able to work. This page should also feature dates that you already have things scheduled for, like doctor appointments, your birthday or a weekend trip. Know your other time commitments ahead of time. Be sure to get to the interview 15 minutes early. This will give you time to park, find the building/office, calm your nerves and fix your hair.

Relax

A tip that I have to constantly have to remind myself during an interview. I work myself up to the point where I’m profusely sweating and that’s just not a good look. My nerves also take center stage when the interviewing process is full swing and I find myself fidgeting under the table. DON’T FIDGET. It looks so unprofessional and the people you’re speaking to have 9/10 times already noticed it. Try to sit on your hands or concentrate on what the interviewer is actually saying because you don’t want to come off as uninterested or that you have somewhere else to be.

Have questions for the interviewer

Creating a list of questions to ask at the end of your interview is CRUCIAL. The interviewer is looking for you to be engaged in their business and they way that they operate. This doesn’t mean that you need to have 15 questions ready, but 5 or 6 should do the trick. You want to avoid questions with yes and no answers. Broad subjects are a tell tale sign that you just googled “end of interview questions” and didn’t bother to focus your questions on a specific company or position. You also don’t want to confuse the interviewer because first impressions are everything. Topics to think about include dress code, daily responsibilities, important qualities in their employees, company culture, challenges within the position and biggest obstacles or opportunities that the company faces.

Send a thank you

Thank you’s don’t have to be super formal. You can send a card or call and leave a message. It shouldn’t be done the day of, but make sure that it get’s sent within the next few days. Sending a short, nicely written letter is a good representation of your character and will hopefully set you apart from the other candidates. Expressing your gratitude for the opportunity should show the interviewer another side of your personality. Keep in mind that being courteous doesn’t need to be overwhelming. Keeping it short and sweet, while effectively getting your point across, will be sufficient.

Be patient & appreciative

This is probably the hardest part in the interviewing process. Being patient is never fun, especially if you really want this job or felt like you bombed the interview. I’ve found that the length of time following your interview varies tremendously. I had an interview on a Wednesday and was offered the job that same afternoon. Others have taken a little longer, usually a few days or a week. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t hear from anyone or if you do get a call but don’t get the job. I am the worst critic of myself when things like this happen because all I want to do is obsess over “what could I have done better” or “I shouldn’t have described myself that way”. If it were meant to happen, it would have. You can obsess all you want but it isn’t going to change anything. The only thing that you can do is consistently learn from your experiences and use them as a tool to be more successful in the future. You are capable of more than you give yourself credit for. Once you stop scrutinizing every failure, you will be capable of experiencing bigger and better accomplishments. The limit to your success coincides with your willingness to look beyond the inevitable and recognize your potential.

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