Interviews are an important and necessary process of job searching whether you like it or not. Interviews are a nervous, sweaty, uncomfortable process where you try to make yourself sound amazing but not arrogant. However, they are almost always critical in acquiring a good job or internship. Below are a few tips to help you prepare and ace interviews.
1. Know About the Employer
Prior to the interview, read the company’s website and look into the interviewer and hiring managers. Stalking them on LinkedIn may seem creepy, but you may find a common interest, connection, or peer that could lead to a good conversation or a good reference. A commonly asked interview question is “What do you know about the company?” The interviewer isn’t looking for a detailed report on their current sales or stock prices. Rather, the interviewer wants to know if this job or internship is something you have looked into a lot and, after knowing about the company’s basics, mission statement, etc…, are still very interested in employment there.
2. Arrive Early
For an interview, if you are not at 10 minutes early, you’re late. The optimal time to arrive is between 10-15 minutes early. Any earlier than that may seem creepy. Arriving just barely in time makes you seem unprepared. If you are worried about traffic, plan to arrive 20-30 minutes early and then hang out outside or in your car for a while until it is time to go in. I know of hiring managers that ask the secretary for a report of how the interviewee acted in the lobby prior to the interview to see if you seemed nervous, unprepared, confident, and/or excited. This means that you should be in interview mode the moment you walk in the door. Read a magazine, sit calmly and casually look around, but don’t play on your phone and try your best not to seem anxious or nervous.
3. Dress Professionally
The unwritten rule to how one should dress for an interview is to dress one “level” above the attire most commonly worn at that job or internship. This means that if employees in the position you are currently interviewing for usually wear khakis and a button-down, go one step further and wear a suit or sports coat to the interview. The interviewers are not judging you based on what color shirt you are wearing or if they like your pants. They are looking to make sure you put effort into your outfit and cleanliness. Do your hair, take a shower, do whatever you need to do to smell good.
4. Be Yourself
Every interviewee is going to go in there and spit out cookie-cutter reasons as to why they want this job and how they are organized and proactive. Make yourself stand out by adding personal touches and making sure your personality shines through. This doesn’t mean that you should give details about your personal life. Unless specifically asked, never bring up relationships, politics, alcohol/drugs, or religion because these will most likely lead to uncomfortable conversations. However, when they ask you to tell them about yourself, don’t spit out a copy of everything they can read on your resume. Tell them about what you like to do in your free time, a philanthropy you are passionate about volunteering with, and maybe a fun fact that is memorable and/or will cause a laugh. If you show them a taste of your personality the interviewer will feel more of a personal and friendly connection than someone who is robot-like.
