Going to a job interview is stressful! Stating the obvious, I know.
There is a lot you can do to prepare for a job interview, but once you are there, anything can happen! The main goal of a job interview is to show the employer that you are competent and qualified for the position! You will be expected to answer questions, talk more about your past experiences, and ask questions.
There are a few things that you can do to ensure that your job interview goes smoothly and that you make a good impression! Here are 6 things that will help you stand out during your job interview!
Dress Professionally
First impressions are really important, especially in job interviews. And as much as it sucks to say, the way you dress is the first impression that people get of you during an interview. You should try to dress professionally. There are plenty of resources online that show you the best ways to dress for an interview.
The way you dress can also give you a lot of confidence, at least for me. When I was a sophomore in college, I had an interview for an internship, and I wore my mom’s old work clothes that didn’t really fit me right. I also chose that day to wear heels for literally the first time in my life. My clothing was making me incredibly uncomfortable, and I feel like it definitely showed during my interview. I felt off my game, and it didn’t end well (they ghosted me, lol).
How you dress isn’t the most important part of an interview. The way you conduct yourself and your personality are the most important parts of an interview. If you feel more confident when dressed well, try to dress well for your interview. If you aren’t able to dress professionally, it isn’t the end of the world.
Arrive to the Job Interview Early
Arriving on time is essential when you have a job interview. You obviously don’t want to be late. But being EARLY looks even better! Being early shows that you show initiative and are a reliable person.
You don’t have to show up ridiculously early, but I have found that 15 minutes early for in-person interviews and 5-10 minutes early for online interviews is the best way to go!
Bring Your Resume
The main reason for an interview is so that the employer can get to know you and learn a little bit more about your past experiences and what you can bring to the team. A big part of that has to do with your resume!
If you are going in for an interview, chances are that you have already sent your resume to the employer, and they have already reviewed it. It’s a good idea to still bring a copy or two of your resume with you to the interview. The interviewer may need another copy, or you may need to refer back to it if you are asked a specific question.
Be Prepared to Answer Common Interview Questions
This may be the most obvious piece of advice for job interviews, but being prepared to answer questions is super important.
Potentially the most embarrassing thing I can imagine is being asked a question in a job interview and having no idea how to answer, lol.
Good preparation is the best way to be prepared to answer any and all questions that may be thrown at you. I have an entire blog post outlining the best ways to prepare for a job interview! You can find the post HERE!
Here is the TLDR, though. Spend some time reviewing the most popular interview questions and write out how you would answer them. Research the employer on LinkedIn and their website. Become familiar with their mission, the work they do, and what your job would be. Finally, come up with some questions to ask them!
Take Notes
I can’t emphasize enough how crucial it is to take notes during a job interview! You will be given so much information that you will be happy you have notes to look back on.
If your interview is online through Zoom or Skype, or if you are having a phone interview, it is very easy to just have a notebook handy to write down as much as you can about what the interviewer is saying. I like to have a notebook next to me and take notes on anything they say about the job. I also write down anything about next steps. This way I can look back on it and remember what happened!
If your interview is in person, you can still bring a notebook with you to jot down notes. But in an in-person interview, you want to make sure that you aren’t looking at your notebook the entire time. You need to ensure that you are looking at the interviewer and making eye contact, while also jotting down anything you think is important!
Have a List of Questions Ready
One of the worst things you can do in an interview is NOT asking questions. Interviewers will always ask you if you have any questions, and if you say that you don’t have any questions, it will seem like you weren’t prepared for the interview.
It can be challenging to come up with questions to ask an employer. It’s also bad if you come prepared with a few questions, but the interviewer answers all your questions before you have a chance to ask them! This has happened to me before, and it’s kind of embarrassing, to be honest.
To avoid that situation, it is best to come prepared with a bunch of questions, like around ten is ideal! These questions should also be specific, and you should try to make them unique so that the interviewer doesn’t answer them when they are telling you about the job!
Some examples of questions you can ask include:
- Specifics about the location of the job, since a lot of jobs are remote now or partially remote, this is something that you can ask the interviewer to clarify for you.
- What kind of training would I go through for this position?
- What are the biggest challenges of this position?
- Are there any skills that aren’t listed on my resume/CV that would be helpful for this position?
- What would a typical day look like for me in this position?
- Is the work of someone in this position more independent or more collaborative with the team?
- What can be expected of me during the first month, two months, six months?
Send a Thank You After the Job Interview!
Even if you do none of these other things, sending a thank you email after a job interview is a must!
The interviewer you met with took time out of their day to meet with you, and they are considering you for a position that many other people probably applied to. Thanking them is just the polite thing to do!
Your thank you email doesn’t have to be elaborate or complicated, though.
Typically a thank you email after a job interview will look something like this:
“Hi Interviewer’s Name,
I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me yesterday. Thank you so much! I am very excited about the possibility of working as a __________ with the ________, and I think this position would be an amazing opportunity.
I enjoyed learning more about ____________.
Please let me know if I can provide you with any additional information!
Thank you again,
Your Name”
In your thank you email, try to mention something that you and the interviewer discussed during the interview. This could be an aspect of the job or company/organization.
You should send the thank you email within 48 hours of the interview because you want it to still be fresh in the interviewer’s mind!
You Got This, Good Luck 🙂
Those were just a few things that you should keep in mind when going into a job interview! Job interviews really aren’t as scary as they may seem. They are just conversations between people. If you treat it as such you will definitely feel less nervous!