These are my best job interview tips to land the job of your dreams. I used to be the most anxious interviewee in the entire world. If I had to be interviewed, I would want to throw up and/or die up until the interview was over with. It didn’t even matter what I was interviewing for – I dreaded it. But I have finally mastered the job interview and now interviews are easy-peasy to me.
After all of my professional development and interviewing master classes and my personal experience of being interviewed many times, I am here to tell you the best job interview tips to land your dream job.
I hope these job interview tips help you!
1. Do Your Research
Whether you are interviewing for an internship, full time job, grad school, etc. you have to do your research on the company or program.
What core values does this company have and how do these values mesh with yours? Do they have any charities or events they’re involved with? Where are all of the branches located?
Find out as much as you can about this position – write it down, memorize it, just make sure you could teach someone else about this company if you were asked.
2. Prepare Questions
Write down some questions you have about this position ahead of time so that you will have questions at the end of the interview. The interviewer will ask you if you have any questions at the end, so come up with good questions to find the right fit for you.
Here are some examples of questions I would ask an interviewer:
- Why is this position open?
- How do you measure success in this position?
- Is there room for growth in this position?
- Do you have any concerns about my resume?
- What are the next steps in the interviewing process?
Also research some of the most frequently asked interview questions and practice those! Get familiar with those basic questions (tell me a little bit about yourself, strengths/weaknesses).
3. Dress the Part
Prepare your outfit and portfolio the night before.
Dress Business Professional unless they have specifically told you otherwise. It’s better to be the best dressed in the room than underdressed. Bring your portfolio or notepad and a pen, as well as several copies of your resume to hand out to the hiring committee.
4. Arrive Early
Arrive at least 10 minutes early for your interview. If you are right on time for an interview, you are late. Engage with the lobby/front desk when you arrive and be friendly. DO NOT be on your phone when the interviewer arrives to greet you.
5. Be Professional and Have a Positive Attitude
Stand up when the interviewer greets you, look them in the eye, and give them a firm handshake while you introduce yourself.
Smile and be positive because there is no bigger turn-off to an employer than a negative attitude. Be honest, but don’t disclose your entire life to them.
If you are asked about your weaknesses, tell them the truth and end it on a positive note. Here is an example:
6. Pay Attention To The Interviewers
Even though you’re probably nervous, you need to actually listen to what they say.
Don’t be wondering what you’re going to say next.
Listen to them and respond accordingly. If they ask you about a time where you had to do something specific (like “name a time when you had to act as a leader”) don’t just jump right into it.
It’s way more effective to take a moment to collect your thoughts before answering. They won’t think you’re stumped; they’ll just think you’re thinking hard about it. Make the interview a conversation not an interrogation.
7. Take a Breath and Stay Calm
It is very rare an interviewer will ask you something crazy that you wouldn’t know without Googling it. But it’s better safe than sorry. Here is what I have been taught if that happens:
If they ask you something insane (one of my professors told me she was asked “how many pennies does it take to reach the Empire State building”), they don’t expect you to actually know the answer.
They’re just testing you to see how well you do under pressure and how well you solve problems.
What I would suggest in that rare kind of situation is to not react.
Try to stay calm and keep your expression neutral. For example, you could say, “Well, if the Empire State Building is 5000 ft. tall and a penny is ½ an inch, so 12 inches is a foot so it would take 24 pennies to reach a foot so 24 x 5000 would give you the answer to that.”
The interviewer will be impressed if you just stay calm and show how you think through difficult situations.
8. Remember That You Are Also Interviewing Them
An “interview” is really just a more formal conversation between two people, trying to see where the other fits in their work life. Remember that you are also interviewing THEM.
You need to see if this company fits in with your personal beliefs and lifestyle. Make sure your values line up. If family is important to you, tell me.
Ask if they have leadership with an open-door policy. An interview is less intimidating if you keep in mind that you are also deciding whether or not you want to work there.
9. End the Interview on a Good Note (Literally)
After the interview, shake their hand again and thank them for their time.
Tell them that you look forward to hearing from them soon. Within the next 24-48 hours, send them a “thank you” card or email to thank them again for their time. In the “thank you” letter, mention something that you talked about specifically with them.
They could be interviewing many different people, so mentioning something distinctive about your conversation helps form a connection between you and helps them remember who you are.
Here are some various tips for writing “Thank You” cards:
- If you don’t know whether to email or write a “thank you” note:
Handwritten note for older interviewers
Email for younger interviewers and if they are filling the position quickly
- If you were interviewed by multiple people:
Send a “thank you” email to every interviewer separately. If you can’t find their emails, just ask the original interviewer for their emails so that you can properly thank them for their time.
[RELATED POST: THANK YOU LETTERS 101: HOW TO WRITE THE PERFECT “THANK YOU” LETTER]
These were my 9 best job interview tips, and I hope you find them useful! Let me know which tip lands you your next job.
Good luck! You’re going to do great!
XO,
Layton
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