Prepping for an interview

Welcome back to how to twenty-something where today’s episode is all about helping you prep for an interview

Whether it’s virtual or in person, there are definitely tactics you need to keep in mind and prepare for to help you stand out amongst your competitors

Because I know that even getting this interview was tough so now it’s a matter of what can you do, that’s within your control, to try and get offered the job you’re interviewing for

Some of these things may sounds obvious and that’s okay, i’m simply here to make sure you’re checking off all of your interview prep boxes so you can walk into the room (zoom room or literal room) with your best foot forward and filled with confidence

Plus what to do afterwards

I don’t think any of these before things need to be done in any particular order so you can solely think of this as a checklist and not a step by step process until we get to the end

So before the interview you’re going to want to make sure you have multiple printed copies of your resume to have on hand

Make sure it’s as up to date as possible and presented in a professional looking folder

You never want to assume that whoever is interviewing you has your resume pulled up or has even read it themselves

There’s a really good chance hr or the hiring manager read it and they’re probably not the ones interviewing you

So if this interview is happening via zoom, have one copy printed out in front of you and another copy ready to go on your computer in pdf format

If it’s in person I would say have 3 copies in your folder at minimum

And if you have a career path that includes a portfolio than make sure you have access to a hard copy of your portfolio and a digital copy 

Once your resume is ready to go you need to plan out your outfit

Make sure it’s hung up and wrinkle free and represents you and your professionalism well

Avoid aggressive prints or neon colors, but also don’t forget to show some personality 

They say dress for the job you want, not the job you have

I took that literally when I went in for a personal training interview because I was like business clothes to a gym feels really weird and they say ‘dress for the job you want’ 

My rationality was I want to be a personal trainer so leggings and a tshirt it is

And I have to say I was appropriately dressed

For you, you’re probably not interviewing for a gym and it doesn’t matter if it’s on zoom or in person you should still be dressed in business professional ware

It’s better to be overdressed than underdressed

It helps your mindset, your appearance, and your confidence when you choose an outfit you look and feel good in

Up next is research: Most of the time, you know the name of at least one of the people who will be interviewing you, so whatever names you know ahead of time you need to be researching them

Look them up on linkedin, jot down any notes you can bring up through conversation or to ask them about

See if you can find professional things in common with them, but don’t stress if you can’t

I had a client once find her interviewer’s instagram and tiktok and then loop in going to raves on the interview and I was like okay so that’s great that you found something in common, but you also don’t want to go full stalker on this person

Keep it professional

Look up their linkedin or search them on google, but keep their personal life out of the conversation 

Good things to find in common would be previous places of employment, locations, alma maters, mutual connections, volunteer experience, what they went to school for and other things under that umbrella

But not raves

The next thing you need to research and have notes on deck for is the company you are interviewing for

Know their mission statement, values, ceo, work portfolio and how anything the company represents align with you and what you represent

Remember, you are your own brand and business, meaning you need to have a mission statement as well and know what you’re looking for in a future business partnership as that’s what accepting a new job is 

Similarly, knowing your own statement, values, and criteria is just as important on an interview because you need to remember that you’re interviewing them as much as they’re interviewing you

I’ll get into questions to ask later on so don’t worry about that just yet

But I know It might feel like they have the upper hand and hold all the power in this situation, but they don’t!

So don’t give them the power

You have every right to say no to them as they have to say no to you

You guys are both looking for a good fit for the company, because a bad fit is only going to make all parties miserable 

Companies want to know how you’re going to add value to their mission so you need to be prepared for how you can talk about what you can do for them in a way that benefits them

Essentially, you need to be able to answer why you over all of the other people they are interviewing 

And by answering that you’re not putting any other applicants down, but solely speaking on your behalf as to what you can provide to them

And not in some cookie cutter overly repetitive way by saying something like I’m a team player, fast learner, and ready to be put to work

No 

You need to make it unique to you and you do so by pulling in your own experiences and the companies work and both of your missions 

I can’t really give you an example because every industry, person, and company is so unique 

But what i can tell you is that you need to do your due diligence and practice speaking to your strengths in a way that supports the companies mission and goals

The next way you can prep for your interview is by knowing how to answer some common interview questions

Don’t try to memorize your answer, but rather jot down some key talking points with general questions that have a high likelihood of getting asked

Like tell me about yourself

This is not for you to say well I was born in fort lauderdale florida, my mother is pam, my father is gary

No this is your elevator pitch

A good way to think about it is talk about what you’re currently doing, what drew you to this company or career path, what you’re excited about in regards to the role you’re interviewing for, and how you hope to grow with this role

Or tell me about a time a project failed – you need to know how to speak to the failure and what you learned from it to prevent your mistake from repeating itself

If you’ve never had a job then you can speak to a group project or school assignment when a mishap occurred

Another common question is why do you want to work here

This is why you spend time researching the company beforehand so you can speak to the projects they do, their goals, and their mission

What are your strengths and weaknesses

Be confident not arrogant in your strengths and then similar to how a project failed, speak to how you’re working on your weaknesses

It shows awareness and accountability which is what employers are looking for

There’s also future oriented questions like where do you see yourself in 5 years

All they’re looking for with this one is ambition and alignment – again looping it back to company research, look at the companies hierarchy and use their terms for roles 

Then tie in how you would progress to one of their higher roles and the work you would expect yourself to be doing within that role

Even if you don’t give two shits about climbing their corporate ladder

Because i know a lot of you are just trying to get a job with a good paycheck to fund your life, which is totally okay

The company you’re interviewing for doesn’t need to know that

But when it comes to answering these questions, really try to answer them through story telling

Humans connect through stories, so the more you can loop in to your answers, the better

Instead of just saying I’m organized, talk about a story that shows your organization skills like how I once led workshops teaching other coaches how to organize all of the information we got in our certification to be able to easily apply it and customize it in a client session

And the last question that is always a trick question is do you have any questions for us

The answer should never ever ever ever ever be no

This is where the interview switches to your control

Good questions include 

• What does success in this role look like 6 months from now
• What are the biggest challenges this team is facing right now?
• How do feel this role supports the companies mission and long term goals
• How many people are you interviewing for this role
• When can I expect to hear back from you

And then thank them for their time and that you look forward to hearing from them

Now, prior to walking into the interview you’re going to get hit with some nerves

Nerves are good! They mean you care about something

But we don’t want them to overtake you

So some good nerve management would be taking deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth, it could be playing your favorite song to distract yourself, if you’re like me then maybe it’s sporadically screaming until it’s interview time, you could jump around, throw a dance party, meditate, put a weighted blanket on you

Everyone is different in how they handle nerves

My go to strategies are usually sporadically scream, throw a dance party, and then right before take a whole bunch of deep breaths

I had an interview for a speaking thing back in October and I did all my tactics, was taking all of the deep breaths for five minutes straight and could not, for the life of me, get my heart rate to calm down

We’re talking 113 beats per minute when I was sitting, breathing deeply, and not moving

This was something so important to me and I was nervous!

So nerves are okay, they’re normal, but preparation helps you stay in control of your nervous system when the actual interview begins

Besides, nervousness and excitement are like twin sisters

They are the same sensation in your body, it’s your head that determines which one will take over

You get to decide if you’re feeling nervous or excited

I find it’s usually a combination of nervous excitement 

But what you really want to make sure of is how you’re feeling on the inside isn’t showing up on the outside.. Essentially fake it til you make it

Because how you show up is super important

Outside of calming nervous jitters, have a smile on your face, a firm handshake ready to go, and open body language

Make sure you’re not crossing your arms in front of your chest, which is most people’s go to comfort position

But it’s a closed off body language 

If you’re someone who is prone to resting bitch face, then you need to be super conscious of what your facial expressions are doing from the moment you step foot on the premises 

If this is on zoom, make sure your background is professional and clean or a blank wall

You can also break the ice with commenting on something in the background of their screen

I personally err on the side of caution when it comes to blurring your background

I think it comes off like you’re trying to hide something and it makes me trust you less

And I know this has also been studied when it comes to establishing trust in virtual connections

So you’re better off having an organized background than a blurred one

For in person and online, show your hands.. Don’t be afraid to talk with your hands and use gestures 

It’s a predatory human response of when we see someones hands we immediately let our guard down and feel welcomed

So you want to come off as welcoming and friendly and you do so by talking with your hands, making them visible

Also when it comes to what your body is doing, watch your posture

You can lean in when listening because it shows you’re 1 not a robot and 2 active listening 

Just make sure you’re not hunched over.. No candy cane backs 

The best thing to keep in mind when it comes to body language and posture is having an open chest

Or as I like to tell my personal training clients, tits up

And finally, make eye contact

Don’t look down, don’t fidget with your hands, watch, rings, or bracelet, keep your focus and attention on the person speaking

Because if you’re focusing on a something you’re fidgeting with chances are so is the interviewer

The whole point of the interview is to see if you are a good fit for the company, you’ve made it this far because you’ve already proven you’re qualified and capable

So think of this as more of a vibe check.. For both of you

You’re not trying to prove if you’re good enough or worthy, you’re trying to show how you can contribute to the greater good of the company

Again even if all you really care about is getting a job that pays the bills

Okay so we’ve covered how to prep for the interview, before you enter it, what to do during it, which means it’s time to talk about what happens after

As soon as you leave the interview, don’t spiral

You’re probably going to kick yourself for not saying something or thinking of a way you could’ve answered a question better

It happens to everyone and there is nothing you can do about it for this particular interview, so there is no point is being hard on yourself for saying or not saying something

What you can do is write down the questions and answers you gave as best as you can remember them

This will help with future prep and then you won’t kick yourself for answering a repeat question weirdly in the future 

Write down what you did well and what you need to work on for next time

Then within 24 hours, you need to follow up

Send an email or even a written letter thanking them for their time, mention something you discussed or something you learned and that you look forward to hearing from them

Don’t expect a reply to that email, just do it for yourself as an act of professionalism and that you care about this role

You’ll get a response when it comes to next steps or a rejection

I want you to think of interviews as a learning experience trying to find the right fit and being able to market yourself accordingly

Because it is lowkey a sales call

You’re selling yourself and what you can provide for the company

It’s my goal for you to feel good about how you showed up before, during, and afterward

Not as a robot, but as a professional version of you

Which is hopefully what this episode of how to twenty-something helped you be able to do 

So if you liked what you heard, if you learned something new, or have a different tactic you can implement when it comes to your next interview then please share this episode

Send it to someone actively job searching, post it to social media and then don’t forget to tag me when you 

Just help me spread word of this fabulous podcast so it can help all of the twenty-somethings out there navigating the most confusing decade of their lives

And as always, i can’t wait to be in your headphones again next week with another brand new episode