10 Ways to Nail the Interview- Before You Sit Down!
I had the fantastic opportunity today to interview some local high school students for a mock-interview project. I had such an awesome time. These kids were amazing! One of the students even took the time to go on LinkedIn and research the company and interviewer. That absolutely blew me away! Most real-life applicants don’t even take the time to do that. Needless to say, that student would have been hired on the spot simply a little bit of work that she had done before she even walked into the door.
Below is a list of some simple yet effective ways to score points before you even start talking with the interviewer.
10 ways that you can nail the interview before you even sit down!
- Practice makes perfect! Have mock interviews with friends and family members. You may feel silly but it will help you become more familiar with the process and gather honest feedback.
- Check out Glassdoor and look at their Interview Section. You can search for the role and company that you are interviewing for and it will provide you with a listing of commonly used interview questions. If the specific company or job is not listed, search for something similar.
- Search for common interview questions & Practice your responses. Make sure that you are prepared to answer these questions and have specific scenarios to support your answers. Rehearse your responses out loud as many times as you possibly can. Practice in the car, in the shower, when taking a walk, etc.
- Research the company & interviewer. Research as much as you can about the company and the interviewer. Check out the company website and their social media sites. Search for the interviewer on LinkedIn. Check for any mutual connections that you can reference in the interview to help form a connection. Does the company have any accomplishments or awards? Do they have any causes that they are passionate about? Don’t just look at the company website, dig deeper!
- Become familiar with the location. If you are not familiar with the interview location, make sure that you scout it out a few days before the interview. Try to drive there the same time of day that you would for your interview so you can get a feel for traffic.
- On the day of the interview, arrive to the location 1 hour early. Sit in your car or a nearby coffee shop to gather your thoughts and do some last minute interview prep. The worst thing you can do is cut it too close! Murphy’s Law is sure to take over and throw off your entire game. You want to walk into the interview cool, calm, and collected. Not rushing through the lobby trying to make it on time.
- Arrive at the interview location 10 minutes early. Not a minute earlier or a minute later. The reason for this is if you arrive too early you run the risk of annoying the interviewer. I have had candidates show up 45 minutes before the interview. For one, it is awkward (especially if you have an open office layout and you can see each other). In addition, I just feel rushed when I know someone is waiting for me so it completely throws off my focus. On the flip side, you never want to be there later than 5 minutes before. Any later than that and you might as well be late. I’m difficult to please, I know.
- Dress Professionally. Outfits matter and details matter. Always wear a suit, always. Even if you are interviewing to flip burgers at the local fast-food restaurant, if you wear a suit people will notice and take you seriously. While we are at it, make sure it is pressed and neat. Wear nice polished shoes (with socks. You laugh, but I have actually had candidates come in with dress shoes and no socks), minimal jewelry. make sure your nails are well manicured, all of that. To sum this one up, people pay attention to the details! Check out Darling CEO’s Work Attire Pinterest Board for more fashion & appearance tips!
- Bring a resume with you. Make sure it is printed on a nice resume paper and bonus points if it is in some type of fancy folder. Presentation matters! Also make sure to give it to the interview, don’t wait for them to ask.
- Strong Introduction– Smile, offer a firm handshake, thank them for the opportunity to speak with them, etc. All pretty basic stuff, but sometimes it is the basics that are overlooked when nerves take over.
Your first impression is your most critical impression. A little preparation goes a long way. Nail these 10 tips and you will be well on your way to nailing your dream job!
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I’ve been doing a lot of interviews lately and all these tips are exactly what I’ve been doing. Except arriving 1-2 hours early. I have kids so my husband has to get out of work to be home with them! Great post!
Thanks so much for reading. Best of luck in your interviews!!
Some excellent tips and a very professional post
Thank you so much!
Awesome list. I am an HR professional and I totally agree with it.
I needed so much this post! Next year I will have to do an interview for the school I want to enter and I was never at an interview, so these tips really helped! (p.s. I’m sorry for my english, I am portuguese!)
You will do great! You could do mock interviews to help you prepare and feel more comfortable with interviewing. Best wishes you to with school!
Arrive 1-2 hours will make me build up nerves haha. But I love the other tips- thank you for sharing!
Yea that could be true too. Thanks so much for reading!
Great tips! I was an interviewer at my last job, and it always amazed me when people didn’t have answers to really common questions, like what are your strengths/weaknesses. Definitely agree that it pays to prep ahead of time!
I know , they come in so unprepared! Drives me crazy.
Very Cool – Thank you for the tips
The tips shared here are just awsome. I do recruitments and I can surely say the tips you shared if practiced positively one can get selected the interview easily
A little preparation goes a long way! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
Excellent and helpful tips! Being prepared is key 🙂
Yes!!! I worked in HR for nearly 10 years and have conducted hundreds and hundreds of interviews and I agree with this 100% – especially the part about researching the company. It always drove me nuts when candidates didn’t have questions about the business aside from vacation and benefits. And AMEN to the 10 minutes – I hated it when people were too early! Thanks for this!
You are an expert then! Anything you would add? And I agree, it’s crazy how unprepared some candidates can be. Thank you so much for reading, I really appreciate it!
Just to always ask questions about the company! 😊
Great tips! I am always afraid of interviews . I usually train in front a mirror the questions . lol
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That’s a great strategy, you can see your body language when you are responding!
This is such an informative post and I agree dressing professionally always helps. It gives a confidence boost which we all need at the time of an interview. Thank you for sharing this.