Lifestyle

The 6 Steps To Nail Your Interview For Your Dream Job

by Jacqueline Solivan

Interviewing can be a stressful process, but if you keep the following tips in mind, you may be in luck.

Punctuality:

While it may seem obvious, make sure to be on time. Actually, not only “on time,” but be 15 minutes early. If by some freak chance you are running late, even though you’re sure you left enough time, call, text, email, send smoke signals… do something to communicate that you do in fact give a damn.

Though it won’t actually save you from being late, you’ll show your interviewer that you respect his or her time. Still, being late for an interview will likely seal your fate of not getting the job — so be early!

Waiting:

Waiting before your interview starts is always a bit awkward. What to do? Where to look? How to sit? Here’s what to do: arrive 15 minutes early, let the receptionist know that you have arrived so he or she can let the interviewer know, go to the restroom, remove your coat, adjust your tie or reapply your lip gloss.

Now that you look presentable, settled and relaxed, when the interviewer comes out to greet you, you won’t be flustered by trying to find a place for your jacket. Oh, and put your cell phone away while you wait; review your resume, read a book or look into space — but no cell phone!

Appearance:

People like to express themselves and showcase their personalities through their outfits, which is lovely; however, interviews are a time to stay professional. Even if you’re applying for a creative job, you must still uphold professionalism. Let your style pop in subtle ways, but don’t make it the main attraction. Don’t let your appearance diminish your personality or intelligence.

Hair: Neat. No dramatic colors. If your roots need serious touch ups, perhaps put your hair in a ponytail.

Nails: Keep them neat. Long, blue acrylic tips are never a good idea, and they're especially not okay for an interview. Keep things classic with a neutral color.

Clothes: Stick to the classics colors, then find ways to incorporate your  personality.

Resume:

Bring copies of it! It doesn’t matter if you already emailed it to the company. Make sure to bring at least two clean copies in a folder. Do not pull a crumpled or folded copy from your bag  — it’s so messy! Also, make sure it's an up-to-date version and don’t use your iPad unless it has multimedia components. Many interviewers actually write notes on resumes, so make sure you bring one.

Company Knowledge:

Thanks to the Internet, you can more or less learn everything about anything. So, take those stalker skills with which our generation has been blessed (or maybe cursed) and put them to good use. Discover everything you can — are there new mergers or has the company been in the news? Do your homework, but during the interview have questions relevant to your position, like  about the office culture, not when the company was founded.

People Skills:

It’s great to be knowledgeable about new technology and tools like social media, but don’t forget the basics: people. Even if you have more than 5,000 Instagram followers, it’s so important to know how to hold a conversation with spoken words.

Photo credit: Shutterstock