I hate to tell you this, but interviews tend to be stressful no matter what. Whether they're for college, a new job or even a new activity that is selective with who they bring on to their team. While there is no perfect way to prepare yourself for an interview, there are a few key steps to make sure that you are as prepared and confident as you can be.
1. Update your resume.
Updating your resume and making sure that it's up to par with whatever company, person or group you are speaking to is probably the most important step that you can do. If you are starting from scratch, find a template and examples online and begin filling in the blanks with your current experience. If you have one already that just needs sprucing up, I highly recommend bringing it to the writing center at your school or local library to have them look it over for you. Make sure you have all of the typos edited and that it's as short as possible (I.e. under two pages. Interviewers typically don't like to read multiple pages when it comes to resumes). Simple and clean is the best way to go. Last but not least, bring a few clean copies to your interview and voila!
2. Know your strengths and weaknesses.
Before you go to an interview, make sure that you are qualified. If you are, then understand what your strengths are and how you would contribute to the company or group if they added you to their team. If you aren't as qualified as you would like, definitely know your strengths, but also understand your weaknesses. If you're able to explain to them what you are working on to be their best candidate, then they will take your honesty into consideration and look at your strengths that much more.
3. Research, research, research!
Just like companies and individuals are doing background and Facebook checks on you, you should be doing the same. Understand who they are, what they do and what they're looking for. Look up where they are located and how to get there from your house — is the drive doable to do everyday? Look at LinkedIn and Glassfoor for information and reviews from previous employees. Doing this will not only benefit you in the long run, but most definitely give you an edge during your interview.
4. Plan out your outfit.
You don't have time the morning of the interview to be frantically ripping through your closet for the ideal outfit. The night before, take a look in your closet and lay out a clean pair of clothes that you'll feel confident and comfortable in. It's important to not be fidgeting and pulling at your clothes during your interview — after all, you don't want them to be distracted from your answers. And you don't want to be focusing on anything but being your best self.
5. Get there early, not on time.
Make sure to give yourself an extra allotted amount of time to get to the interview location. Take into consideration the weather, time of day, traffic and distance. The last thing you want to do is be late! As a last resort, if there's absolutely no way that you'll be there by the time you agreed on, let your interviewer know as soon as possible.
While you may be stressing for your upcoming interview, just know that you are awesome and will be a great asset to whatever company or team you may be trying to join! You have a skill set that is unique, and no one in the world is like you. Be yourself, be confident, have fun with it and know that everything happens for a reason. Whether you get it or not, the experience is what matters. The more experienced you are, the better you'll be for the next interview! So go get them! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.
