How To Ace Your Next Interview

    

    I have one more semester before I get my psychology degree, which means I have been looking into internships! I hope to have an internship set by the end of this year. To achieve this goal, I have been applying to many different jobs on LinkedIn as well as Indeed which means that I have also been preparing myself for interviews. I have done a couple interviews before, mostly for minimum wage jobs in the food and retail industry but the following tips will help you ace your next interview, no matter what job you're applying for. 

    One question that I've been asked at every job interview is "why do you want this job?". The best way to answer this is to just be honest and clearly articulate why the job stood out and how it resonates with you. This is a great opportunity to compliment their products/company achievements, include why you believe you'd be a good fit for the company and why the company is a good fit for you. Talk about what you can bring to the table and how the job aligns with your career goals. 

    Even though that question has come up at every interview, I can say from experience that every interview is different, some are more casual and some are less so. No matter the atmosphere of the interview, it is crucial to convey that you are creative, a team player, a self-starter and knowledgeable about the job. You can demonstrate these traits by responding with unique answers (because answers that lack individuality do not showcase your personality or your thought process), bringing up a time where you had to exhibit teamwork, or a time where you got started on a project without anyone telling you to do so and referring to what you have learned from researching their company.

    When I first started looking for jobs, way back in high school, I noticed that I was very awkward and rigid during interviews. I was too nervous! A good tip is to treat interviews like a normal conversation. Nowadays, when I go for interviews, I keep in mind that employers want to get to know me. This helps me relax and stops me from answering questions with what I think they want to hear. Instead, I am able to come up with more authentic answers. If you ever find yourself having awkward pauses during an interview, calm down and regroup. There definitely have been times where a potential employer will ask me a challenging question. Instead of awkwardly pausing, just tell them "that's a really good question, I'm just going to gather my thoughts really quick!" this way, you seem confident and at least you will not be nervously rambling, nor will the silence be considered awkward. 

    Last week, I was fortunate enough to learn some tips from the perspectives of the recruiter during my Digital Portfolio building course; Casey Flintstone is a team member to a startup company called Script and Mike Tholfsen is a product manager at Microsoft. The tips that stuck with me were to definitely pay attention to your social media (because even if you aren't, your potential employers are!), especially LinkedIn, keep up with the trends and show interest in the company (which means that you should do your research prior to the interview). This means watching what you post and posting what will impress employers, as previously mentioned in past blog posts. Furthermore, Casey Flintstone mentioned how important it is to be clear about what you do or what you are aspiring to do in your career field on your LinkedIn profile. Moreover, knowing the trends gives you a leg up against other candidates who are not in touch with them as this is something you can bring to the table, according to Mike Tholfsen. As for doing your research beforehand, not only will this help you with talking points but it will also help you avoid "scammy" companies. Going back to Casey Flintstone's tip on paying attention to your social media, we can utilize a great tip from Josh Och's book, Light, Bright and Polite - walk through your social media platforms and present it to someone, this could be a friend or even better, a family member. Explain who you are and why you post what you post. See what feedback they may have for you! 

   Interviews can be nerve wracking, but I hope that the tips above will help you keep calm and ace your next interview.