There’s no pleasant way to put this: searching for a job is hard. Landing an interview is even harder. If you’re lucky enough to be offered an opportunity to interview for a position, you want to get it right. Jerrell McCowin, a career counselor at the University’s Career Center, shares 10 things you need to know about interviews to make sure you succeed.
1. Prepare … over- prepare:
“Research is an important part of the interview process…Interviewers will be impressed that you’re that interested and passionate about the job that you’ve taken time to research and understand what the corporation is about, because by doing that, they’ll feel like you’re a good fit and that you’ll be able to transition into the corporation.
“Do your research. Over prepare.”
2. Become close, personal friends with your résumé:
“Know your résumé. Be prepared that everything on your résumé is fair game to talk about and discuss in the interview.”
3. You will be judged on what you wear:
“Wherever you’re interviewing, dress two levels above where they are. So if they’re in jeans, you might want to go business casual, and if they’re in business casual, you might want to go a step above that. Coming into an interview, if everyone in the office is wearing jeans, and you’re wearing jeans, how seriously are you taking the interview?”
4. Know thyself:
“Knowing yourself, knowing all the experiences you’ve had, knowing yourself and reflecting on those experiences. When you’re in an interview, they’re going to be asking you questions that you might have to give examples for, and within those examples, you want to be able to pull out something for that. And if you haven’t done any reflecting, if you haven’t really sat down and thought about what you’ve done, you might be stuck and may or may not come up with something on the spot.”
5. Set your watch 15 minutes early:
“Be on time, that’s very important. I would say, be early just in case. Coming late, the interviewer is definitely going to question that. You haven’t even gotten the job yet … you’ll probably be late to the first day of the job.”
6. Don’t forget about body language:
“Outward appearance and how you project yourself is important. Be aware of your body language. You want to be square, have eye contact … make sure you shake their hand firmly.”
7. Prepare, part II: “Bring copies of [your] résumé. Bring references, if possible, because if they really enjoy you and think you’re a good candidate, they might ask for them on the spot. That shows how much interest you have, that you’ve prepared yourself. You might also want to bring some paper … a pen, because you might want to take notes.”
8. Now that you know thyself, be thyself:
“Be yourself. Think about what they’re looking for. Make connections. Use all the tools you have to explain yourself.”
9. Be curious:
“Towards the end of the interview, typically they’ll ask you for questions. Please ask them questions. To say ‘I don’t have any questions’ makes them think there’s nothing on your mind… Talk to the interviewer, ask him questions. These are going to be your colleagues, your supervisor, the people you’re working with. Build some rapport. Keep it engaged.”
10. Always follow up:
“Thank you notes are important and they’re necessary. To follow up, to show appreciation, it’s thoughtful and courteous and employers appreciate it. When you don’t, they’re surprised. Following up with a thank you note would be a way of showing you’re interested in the position and showing your appreciation that they took time out to give you this opportunity.”