How to nail that interview

Eyes on the prize

Whether you’ve applied traditionally or you’ve reached out to some people in your professional network, they may respond to you with possible job offers. If you are qualified for a certain position and they think you’re a solid candidate, they’ll most likely offer you an interview. There are some important ways to make sure your interview goes smoothly and gets you one step closer to the internship or job you’ve been pursuing.

 

Do your research

If you’ve already taken the steps to get a contact for a possible internship or other job offer, then congratulations you’ve already completed the first step. The next step in the process is obtaining an interview. Before you set up an interview, you’ll want to do some more research on the company to make sure you’ll be a good fit for them.

Start by making sure the location of the position works for you and your schedule. You’ll want to figure out exactly where the office you’d be working in is located, how far it is from where you’ll be living at the time, and make sure you’ll have reliable transportation to and from the office. If you find a position that you would like, but the location doesn’t work for some reason, you still might want to ask your contact if you could do work from a different location that their company is based out of or possibly even doing some work online.

 

Luck favors the prepared

Once you’ve coordinated a date and time for your interview, start reviewing your resume and thinking about which experiences have shaped you the most. Interviewers will often ask you questions about your past experiences, and you want to be ready to answer their questions. Make sure you have a list of your strengths and weaknesses because employers almost always ask you this basic question. Prepare a list of answers to common interview questions before your interview so that you are not wasting any time thinking during your interview.

 

Eyes on the prize

If your interview is in person or over Skype, make sure you maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Recruiters claim that eye contact is one of the most important forms of body language because it demonstrates your ability to communicate effectively. Also make sure you perfect your handshake before going to your in-person interview. It may sound unnecessary but a firm handshake can be one of the best ways to make a great first impression with your interviewer.

 

Have your own questions ready

Once you’ve answered all of the questions that they have for you, you’ll probably want to ask some questions to your interviewer. You might think it’s unnecessary to ask your own questions, but asking quality questions shows you’re interested in the position and have already done your research. Try asking your interviewer what their favorite part of working for the company is, or if you are interviewing for an internship, ask what previous interns said they’ve learned from the experience.

Knocking the interview out of the park is one of the biggest steps toward obtaining the position that you want, whether it’s an internship for the summer of a job after graduation. If you have appropriate body language with your interviewer, answer their questions well, and ask quality questions to your interviewer, you’ll be well on your way to nailing your interview and making a great impression with your future boss.

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