Hey there, it is Rose, back again with your next #SmellTheRoses! This week, I decided to give you some information that landed me an internship and then a full-time job upon graduation.
- Be on Time, Means be Early
Being on time to an interview, means that you are in actuality early. Early does not mean thirty minutes early, just ten to fifteen minutes. I found it helpful to map out of the navigation on my GPS during rush hour to see the longest amount of time it could possibly take to get to the interview location. From there, having those extra minutes will allow you to go to the restroom, collects your thoughts, and calm your nerves in best hopes for a successful interview.
- Try to Stay Calm
I know it is hard to stay calm, but being yourself will in reality do you a favor and be extremely beneficial in the end. This will, in return, let the interviewer see the personality of you behind the business end of things, which is important as they want to have positive and nice people in their work place as you would guess. It is okay to let your guard down to an extent to show that there is a really cool person behind the strictly business vibes.
- Prepare Before the Day of the Interview
Make sure you prepare for the interview ahead of time to relieve any stress on the actual interview day. By this, I mean have your outfit picked out the night before, and have your timeline for the day planned out so you are not thrown off or running late the day of. Also, have your resume printed out, and a notebook and pen packed. Lastly, have all you need in case of emergencies packed and ready to go in your bag. This will help set the tone of the day, and have a huge effect on how you feel heading into the interview.
- Research the Company
Make sure you are knowledgeable about the company in which you are interviewing with. Make sure you know some qualities, and some history on the company. Look into what their morals are, and what is importance to their company, so you are prepared for any and all questions thrown your way. The more research you conduct, the more you will understand the interviewer, and the better you’ll be able to answer and respond.
- Importance of Body Language
Keeping your posture intact can speak measures to the interviewer. Stay poised, and be confident in yourself, and in selling yourself for that matter. This most definitely includes shaking hands before and after the interview to make formal greetings. In addition, it is important to smile, make eye contact, and be dialed in and engaged at all times throughout the duration of the interview.
- Ask Insightful Questions (Prepare in Advance)
By doing research and being prepared, it will be more than easy to come up with insightful questions to ask at the end of the interview. The value of this may not seem of much importance to you, however, having questions of depth will show engagement that you are invested and care about the matter at hand. You can always come prepared with questions, and then ask a combination of those and some that organically come to mind throughout the duration of the interview.
There you have it…some easy, yet, extremely beneficial and successful tips to keep in mind during your interview process. I know this process can be scary, stressful, and throw lots of unknown and mixed emotions your way. However, know that this is a process almost every single person goes through throughout their career. Just keep these tips in the forefront of your mind, and you are destined to land that perfect job. See you next time on #smelltheroses…oh and good luck!