Welcome to the next stage of internship / job application – the interview round. While looking for internship openings is the most confusing part, getting ready for the interview meeting/ call can easily be the most intimidating part of all. It’s the culmination of so much efforts and labour into job application preparation and on-going anxieties ‘what if I screw up this so important opportunity’. Shortly, it’s terrifying.
My first job interview, I was so anxious that my hands were shaking right before the meeting as I was waiting for the recruiter to show up at the premise. Not the best feeling in the world. But we’ll get to that at the end of this post. Now let’s start with the practicalities.
Time and Place
As you confirm the date and place of the interview or the time, mark it down in your personal calendar or your phone reminder. Open Google maps to learn the journey you’ll have to take from home and estimate how much time you need.
If it’s a telephone/ Skype interview, choose a space suitable for this call – enough lighting and quietness where you won’t be interrupted. If you have an OCD about being late or acutely lack a sense of navigation, make a tour to visit the office before the interview day to avoid panicking and major stress-out.
Put down the name and phone number of the interviewer somewhere convenient, like your phone note or notebook so that if something goes wrong along the way or you can’t find the place, you can easily give them a call.
Preparing for Interview Questions
After the practical matters are sorted out, you should sit down and go over your CV again because it will be foolish not to remember what you wrote in it.
Have a look at the most asked interview questions and draft your answers to them. You should know what to answer such basic questions as Tell us something about yourself or Why do you apply for our company.
Try to include the STAR technique in your answers to better showcase your skills.
Example: Tell me about a time you had to complete a task within a tight deadline.
While I typically like to plan out my work in stages and complete it piece by piece, I can also achieve high-quality work results under tight deadlines. Once, at a former company, an employee left days before the imminent deadline of one of his projects (Situation). I was asked to assume responsibility for it, with only a few days to learn about and complete the project (Task). I created a task force and delegated work (Action), and we all completed the assignment with a day to spare (Result). In fact, I believe I thrive when working under tight deadlines.
Do a mock interview. Have a friend ask you questions and practice answering to make sure that it makes sense to the interviewer what you are trying to say. You can also record yourself and listen to it afterwards in case you don't have a social life (like me).
Read the job description and company background again, visualise what the perfect candidate for this role would be - the way they talk, the way they respond to an unexpected question or solve a problem in their daily job and manifest those qualities. Sounds a bit absurd and vague, but basically you imagine the person you would be in that role and project that person in the interview.
If you’re faced with a question you don't know the answer yet, just honestly say that and don’t feel bad about it. Don't be afraid of not being prepared for everything. No one is.
Take it as a real conversation where you are getting to know more about each other. By looking at the interview from this perspective, you’ll feel less pressurized to impress someone or to be someone else that you’re not. When you actually feel more excited and enjoy the interview process more, you’ll project your best self naturally to the employer.
Self-confidence
This is so obvious as people always tell you to be more confident in yourself but it’s easier said than done. I feel like a big part of what makes face-to-face interview so scary is the fact that you know you are being assessed and this adds up to the pressure of being the excellent and perfect candidate that seemingly you’ll never become.
Self-confidence is not that. Self-confidence is not walking in thinking that you’re the best and you’ll never fail at anything.
It’s the solid awareness that you are here because you own unique strengths and readily work on any challenges to your better self. Self-confidence is walking in, doing the best you can and know that it will be alright if you don’t get it this time, because you’ll learn something new.
I hope with this new way of thinking, you’ll find it easier to anchor your mind in a positive light among the anxious thoughts and nail your job interview. Good luck!
Coming up next: Part 4 (last) - A mega list of useful resources for job application (e v e r y t h i n g I h a v e u s e d)
