Yesterday I had an interview for a part time summer job to supplement my income as I try to launch resumakers! ( remember, I’m also a full time grad student, so I’ll take what I can get!). I was kind of nervous about it since I do tend to call myself… that’s right… a Career Consultant, and therefore should know how to interview. I am trying to build a career, after all, out of telling other people how to do it!
Here were my tactics:
1) Treat the interviewer like a friend. Anyone who’s ever hired anyone knows this: we hire people we like. So do yourself a favor, and be likable. (And this is key: SMILE!)
2) Tell stories, not pitches. Sell yourself, not your personality traits. Forget about listing off all the wonderful qualities you have–instead of talking about how motivated you are, tell a story about what happened on your last job as a result of your self-motivation. It’s more interesting, and it’s more persuasive.
3) Answer the question. Yeah. Answer it. Don’t be a politician, be a person. You understood the question, so treat the interviewer like a human being and acknowledge the question the asked by actually answering it–even the tough ones.
4) Take notes. Do it both before and during the interview. Know what you want to say, and have it written in front of you in case you have a mind freeze. Take notes during the interview, too–it helps later when you write your thank you note. (Just make sure you’re maintaining eye contact!)
5) Research. If you don’t know about the organization before the interview, you don’t deserve the job. Period.
