Preparing for an interview no matter whether it is for an internship, college admission or your first "real" job can be stressful. Believe it or not, it is actually the preparation that can reduce stress and drive a successful outcome. I have had a lot of interviews over the years, some good and some not so good.
Here are a few things I've learned along the way:
1. No detail is too small: Beyond doing some of the more obvious types of interview prep like researching the company you are interviewing with or making a list of questions, it can be the little things that make a difference. Research who you will be meeting with – you never know if there might be some type of personal connection or shared interest. At a minimum, you'll gain some useful information. Also, know where the interview will take place, do a "dry run" to be sure you know how long it will take to get there, try on your outfit in advance so you are not "scrambling" for a clean blouse the morning of an interview, and make sure you have a folder ready with any printed materials you want to bring (resume, references, transcript, etc.)
2. Know your resume: Make time to review your own background and accomplishments. As you reflect on what you have done, jot down some notes about how you achieved your high grades, why you earned an award or what you learned from a prior internship/job/volunteer opportunity. These notes will help you share not just what you have accomplished but also what is special about how you got there.
3. Stay focused: It may be second nature to peek at your phone or look around the room while someone is talking with you, but an interview is not the place for multi-tasking. Leave your phone in your purse and put it on "Do Not Disturb" so no one is distracted by muted ringing/vibrating. Just because your interviewer takes a call during the interview does not mean you should pull out your phone while he/she is talking. They will notice! Really listen to the person you are meeting with and look at the interaction as an opportunity to learn about him/her. Listening closely will give you ideas for questions and tell you a lot about the culture you may be joining.
4. Be yourself: This sounds easy but you might find yourself doing something completely out of character like laughing too much, telling a very personal story you had no intention of sharing or getting defensive when asked about a poor grade or negative experience. Nerves sometimes get the better of us but if you focus on making sure you are genuine, your true personality can shine through even if the words coming out of your mouth are not always perfect. If you are an enthusiastic person – let your enthusiasm come through. If you speak quietly, don't change your speaking voice for the interview. Changing who you truly are makes it harder for your interviewer to get to know you and to recognize what makes you unique. Being true to yourself lets both you and your interviewer see whether you are a good fit for the opportunity AND whether the opportunity is a good fit for you!
5. If something goes wrong, don't worry – you can recover! And still get an offer! I know this because it happened to me. My interview was in a coffee shop and my interviewer and I settled in to a booth for my interview. In answering my very first question, I was talking with my hands (I'm Italian so I can't help it!) and totally knocked over my Starbucks' Coffee which in turn spilled all over my interviewer – including her white blouse! I was mortified, jumped up from our booth and ran to get napkins to wipe up the mess – being careful not to start wiping up her blouse! I turned red, apologized profusely, cleaned up as much as I could and suggested we move to a clean booth. Did I mention that we were sitting in the midst of a coffee shop where several other employees from that same company were – they got to witness the entire mishap! After a few awkward minutes, we sat down again, this time with a bottle of water for me and picked up our conversation again. I went on to interview with others from the same company during that day and pre-empted my morning coffee catastrophe by acknowledging that since I already threw coffee all over the VP of Human Resources, there isn't much else I could do to mess up. Acknowledging my awkwardness and laughing about it seemed to disarm everyone and believe it or not, the VP of HR called me shortly after that interview with a job offer! Even people with lots of experience interviewing make mistakes so do your best to take a deep breath, smile and move forward when the unexpected happens!
