Although it’s only the beginning of November, employers are already starting to recruit spring interns and hire graduating seniors for new positions. Whether you’re a freshman applying to be a secretary for an on-campus organization, a sophomore or junior looking for an internship, or a senior looking for a job, it pays to engrave these seven rules of interviewing into your brain long before you step through the double-doors of your dream company.
1. Arrive On Time
It seems so obvious, right? Nobody wants to hire a person who is always tardy. However, arriving too early is also an issue when it comes to the interview process. By arriving early, you’re forcing your interviewer to accommodate their plans to your arrival. There’s a reason why they chose that specific time to interview you. To play it safe, arrive five to 10 minutes early.
2. Wear Appropriate Clothing
This rule isn’t just about wearing a skirt that’s long enough or a neckline that’s high enough. If you were to interview at Google, where the corporate culture is very laidback, you wouldn’t show up wearing a full suit, bun, and briefcase. Research your interviewer’s corporate culture; find out what they wear and show up in an outfit that is slightly nicer.
3. Be Aware of Your Body Language
A large percentage of our daily communication is nonverbal, and most of the time we aren’t even aware of how we’re presenting ourselves. As a quick test, assess how you’re sitting and imagine someone across from you sitting the exact same way. What would you think about that person? What kind of assumptions would you make? Always sit up straight and never cross your arms. The key is to project a “relaxed confidence.” If you practice in class the days leading up to the interview, it will come to you naturally when the big moment arrives!
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4. Match Your Communication Styles
You can prepare ahead of time all you want, but a large majority of the interview process involves thinking on your feet during the actual interview. If you notice that your interviewer is a fast talker, try to hasten the pace of your voice a little bit more. If he/she is gesturing wildly, start gesturing more when you speak. Mirroring speech and gestures signals similarity to the interviewer, which is something you want to reinforce.
5. Be Prepared
I recently attended a networking event where students and potential employers got to talk to one another. The list of potential employers that were attending was given out ahead of time, which made it seem unfathomable when a fellow student attendee came up to one of the best firms in the industry and asked, “So what do you guys do?” Know your audience, do your research, and your employers will be impressed when they realize how serious you are about the position.
6. Get Excited!
The company is most likely looking at several other candidates. If you were forced to choose between two candidates with equal qualifications but one seemed more excited about the opportunity, guess which one you would probably pick? We’ve constantly been told to remain aloof and not to seem desperate, but in an interview, you need to convey how excited you are about the opportunity
7. Give Examples of Your Success
This is one of the most important tips of this list. A prospective candidate can’t just turn in a resume and expect the interviewer to talk for 15 more minutes. Just like in an academic research paper, every assertion needs to be backed up with evidence. If you assert that you are excellent at managing teams, be armed with a story about an instance where you successfully managed your team and produced a positive result. If you listed that you speak Spanish, be prepared to hold a bilingual conversation; you never know what will happen! Always be honest, always be truthful, and always be prepared to show how awesome you are to any interviewer that comes your way.