So, you’ve finally landed yourself an interview. You’ve spent hours upon hours perfecting your resume, searching through job search websites, filling out applications, and writing cover letters. The hard part’s over, right? Wrong. Now comes the dreaded interview. But don’t worry, who is better at interviews than the employees of Dunder Mifflin Inc?
Here are some top tips to ace your interview, from the masters themselves:
1. Start preparing early.
Like literally after you send in your application. Some companies will take weeks to get back to you, while others might reach out in mere days to schedule a meeting. If the latter becomes the case, you don’t want to be rushed by having only a few days to prepare. You want to have as much time as possible so you stay calm.
2. Research the company.
There is nothing more awkward than being asked “What do you like best about our company?” and having no answer. Look at the company’s website, their mission statement, their Wikipedia page, etc. Don’t worry, no one expects you to become an expert on the company, but you want to show your enthusiasm for the job. Know a few key facts about the company, and any recent events about them that have been in the news.
3. If possible, find out who will be interviewing you.
You won’t always know, and you don’t really have to. However if you want to be extra prepared, check out the LinkedIn of your interviewer. There, you’ll be able to see your interviewer’s job description, past jobs and education. You can see if you have anything in common with the person, which if you do, you should totally bring up in the interview (“Oh wow, we went to the same college? That’s crazy! We could be twins if I worked at your company.”)
4. Make practice questions.
Have all the regular questions down pat: “Tell me about yourself," “What are you greatest strengths/weaknesses," etc. You know they’re going to be asked, so get good at answering them. Try to think of specific examples that showcase your skill set and that you can incorporate into your answers. Think of the hardest question that someone could ask you, the one that would totally freak you out in the interview. Chances are this question won’t be asked, but if you’ve practiced answering the worst question imaginable, there’s no need to be scared of anything else you could be asked.
5. Be confident.
If they didn’t think you could be a good fit for the job, they wouldn’t have asked for an interview. You applied to this job because you know you can do it well, and you’re excited about doing it. You got this.
6. Think of questions to ask at the end of the interview.
Interviewers love it when you ask them questions. In fact, they usually consider it a bad sign if you don’t have any. Use your research from the company and your interviewer to design some specific questions about the company, the job or even your interviewer’s professional life. It’s absolutely acceptable to ask them how they got started at that company or what they like best about working there. It’s also a good idea to end with the question, “What’s the next step in my application process?” You don’t want to be left hanging, so use this question to find out when they’ll contact you next or if they need anything else from you.
7. Prepare a go-to interview outfit.
Imagine it’s the morning of your interview. You’re frantic, nervous and throwing every item of your closet onto your bed trying to find the perfect outfit. You have like 10 minutes before you have to leave. We don’t want this to happen. Pick out your whole outfit (right down to your socks) in advance. Go shopping if you need to. Have an idea of the hair and makeup you’d wear with it. Once you have your “interview look," you can wear it to all the interviews you have! Now you can focus on preparing for the content of your interview without worrying about what you’ll wear.
8. Rock the interview.
You’ve been following all these tips, right?! So I’m sure you did fantastic!!
9. Send a thank you email.
Trust me, it makes a difference. If the job comes down to you and another candidate, and you sent a thank you note while the other didn’t, you definitely have a better chance of getting the job. The thank you email is just common courtesy, and it’s another chance to express your enthusiasm about the job. Thank your interviewer for their time, and try to bring up something specific you connected over so they’ll remember you.
10. Good job! You did it! Go on and rock that job and the world!
