If you have a set career goal or aspiration in life, it’s probably impossible to achieve that without first going through the much-dreaded interview process. I know how scary an interview can be. As a senior in high school, I had the opportunity to intern at a local magazine. This was my first time interviewing for anything because my only prior job had been babysitting. As my interview with the magazine drew nearer, I became painfully aware of how inexperienced I was. I had never stepped foot in a professional work setting, especially not in a field of work that I thought I could be interested in! I had no idea what to expect or where to start when it came to interviewing with a professional company. Luckily, the director of the internship program I was in shared some really helpful interview techniques with the class that still help me to this day. The first thing you should know about interviewing is that there are a couple of different types of interviews. The type of interview usually depends on the employer. You may want to consider tweaking your approach according to the one you receive.
The most common interview type is a one-on-one interview between the employer and the potential employee. This may give you more room to show your personality in the interview. You will want to personalize the way you introduce yourself. Doing so will help you stand out from other interviewees. Mentioning a hobby, interest or pet in your conversation can be a great ice breaker. Some employers are stricter than others and will stick to the questions they have lined up, but others are more open-ended and the interview may flow more like a normal conversation. Just let the employer lead and be sure to give what you say some personality (in a professional, respectful way).
Then there are group interviews. These are normally held in conference rooms and consist of multiple members of a company questioning the potential employee (sounds scary, right?) This was what I was met with at my interview for the internship. Group interviews sound really scary in concept but in reality, they are rarely that bad. You don’t have to worry quite as much about the flow of the conversation with group interviews because there are so many different people. Just make sure you carry yourself in a confident way and make eye contact with each person to show your confidence. Take it one question at a time and you should be fine!
Another common type of interview is a Skype interview. These are common with remote companies or larger companies. These can be similar to one-on-one interviews or group interviews depending on what job you’re applying for. Make sure that you are in contact with the employer before your interview so that any technical difficulties or connectivity problems can easily be resolved. This prevents the interview from being postponed or missed altogether. Remember that the employers are taking time out of their busy workdays to talk to you! Another trick for those who are really nervous about interviews is to write a few things down on a notepad that you keep near you throughout the interview. This can serve as a sort of cheat sheet while you make your points, but make sure that you aren’t reading it like a script!
Always give yourself extra time when getting to an interview. I would recommend trying to be there five to ten minutes early. This shows your interviewer that you have good time management skills and chronic lateness won’t be a problem with you. Handshakes are also pretty important. Make sure you have a firm shake and make eye contact with the interviewer as you introduce yourself. This is most likely their first time talking to you and you want to make a good impression! Other small details such as having a mint before you go in, having good posture when you sit, and controlling your hand movements can make or break your time there. When sitting, you want to appear as confident as possible. While I know how tempting it can be to want to sink right into the chair during an interview, try to fight this impulse to the best of your ability! Someone with good posture tells the employer that they are sure of themselves without even opening their mouth to speak.
Interviews can be really stressful if we let them, but they don’t have to. Before you go in for your next one, try to remember how awesome you are and how much you bring to the table. There is a reason you got the interview to begin with. The people you speak to are genuinely interested enough to block time out of their day to talk to you! Just stay confident and keep these tips in mind. You’ll kill it out there!
All photos courtesy of Giphy.