Getting the Job

Okay, followers, this post here is a biggie.

Recently in convocation, we had a presenter come speak to us about ways to excel in interviews. It helped. Kind of. Most of the things he mentioned a lot of us knew already and it didn’t quite “fit our fancy” on what we thought we would like to hear about. So with my marvelous interview experience (an experience of less than 10 interviews), here are my 10 tips for you.

1. Make sure you pee beforehand! This is clearly number one, because you do not want to go through your entire interview needing to take a whizz and not being able to concentrate on the task at hand. (If you do need to pee, don’t be embarrassed, just use the bathroom so there are no accidents.)

2. Brush your teeth REALLY well. No one likes stinky breath.

3. LAYER on the deodorant. You will be sweating like a pig.

4. Wear comfortable shoes. Nothing is worse than aching feet all day (but of course make them comfortable “professional” shoes).

5. Brag about yourself. What you are there for is for them to better understand who you are and how successful you are. This is not a time to be modest.

6. Lunch time: Eat everything on your plate. You did not pay for it, so why not? (Also, it shows the money spent on you was well worth it.) Note: Do not eat so much you need to puke.

7. Tell jokes. Be humorous. No one likes a Debbie Downer. Showing you have a personality is key.

8. Be personable. Tell them interesting things about your life that show you HAVE a life outside of the workplace. Allow them to see the real you (as long as the real you isn’t awful).

9. Do not only ask questions about the company. Ask questions about them, too. Where they are from, how many kids do they have, etc. This shows you’re interested in them as a person, not just an interviewer.

10. Send a thank-you note in the mail. This shows that you actually care. An e-mail is impersonal, and shows zero effort.

I hope this helped. Good luck to all of you seniors (and others) trying to make it in the real world.

Brooke