Ten Smart Interview Tips

10. Dress and groom appropriately, and bring the right equipment

Try to find out about the company’s dress code and follow it for your interview. If you impress your interviewers with how you “look the part”, you have made exactly the right first impression. Over-dressing makes it look as though you’re trying too hard - it makes no sense to wear a suit to an interview for auto mechanic; missing the point makes you look foolish - you don’t wear a party dress to an interview for a waitress job; and, of course, dressing too casually or in something too revealing, just looks unprofessional.

Bring the right materials. If they have asked for a resume, bring it; if they would like references, have them neatly prepared and ready. And, yes, whether or not you use them, you need a pen and little notebook or pad. And just as Miss Ryan reminded you every day of seventh grade, please, do not chew gum.

9. Arrive just a little bit early.

Take time to get oriented in your surroundings. Of course, visit the restroom and check your appearance very carefully. Run through your mental checklist, making sure you remembered everything: Resume? References? Pen and paper? Reading glasses? Parking receipt for validation? Proof of eligibility to work in the United States? Any other important documents?

Good to go? Take a moment to exhale. Whether or not you have noticed, you have been taking shallow breaths and holding them in, because you are nervous. If you very purposely exhale deeply, you will release a lot of stress, and you will resume more regular deep breaths.

8. In the last few minutes before the interview, think about anything but the interview.

“Go to your happy place”: if you sit in the waiting room eyeing the competition or reading the posters on the walls or recounting the pennies in your checking account, you will exacerbate your stress. Although the advice seems just a little too Walt Disney for the real world, follow it anyway: think about your favorite things, and let yourself daydream. You will snap right back to reality when the magic moment arrives.

7. Act polite and cordial.

Greet everyone warmly, and remember that handshakes matter. Grip each person’s hand firmly, and shake it confidently. People still value that old-fashioned stuff, and they still judge you on how well you adhere to the “old school” traditions.

Make sure you can remember everyone’s name and title; don’t hesitate to ask each to repeat name and title to be sure. One repetition is fine. They may ask if you want coffee or a soft drink. Politely decline, because it will just get in your way.

6. Listen!

The law requires interviewers to ask the same questions of all applicants for the same position, and most large corporations have two or three standard sets of interview “protocols”, so that the questions may sound very very familiar; you may have heard almost the same questions in several other interviews. “Almost”: sticks-out as the keyword, because each corporation puts its own “spin” or emphasis on the question. Listen both to the question’s content and its tone. Listen for how the interviewer emphasizes key words, and respond to the keywords, repeating them if you can.

It is okay to ask the interviewer to repeat a question. One repetition is fine. Sometimes, some clarification is fine, too. If everyone starts to feel you’re stalling and looking for hints to the answer, you have pushed your luck beyond its limits.

5. Keep it professional.

Speak clearly, properly, and for the most part, directly to the person who asked the question. Try to pay attention to your grammar and your word choices, using all that stuff Mrs. Brockhouse drilled into you in fifth grade: “People are not ‘done’, dear. They’re finished”. All that stuff matters. Do not feel afraid to say “I” whenever you want to take credit for an idea or accomplishment; when in doubt, however, say either “we” or “the team”, making it collective and inclusive. Please, make sure all your language remains suitable for family audiences, and exercise some restraint about professional jargon, especially “businessisms” - “going forward”, “the take-aways” and “the P&L” sound either pretentious or old and worn in an interview.

4. Remember everything you learned in your basic speech communications class…

And use it. Remember that thing about “eye contact”? Make eye contact with the interviewers. If they take turns asking questions, look the questioner right in the eye for most of your response, but take a few seconds here and there to “check in” with the rest of the crowd. Do not be afraid to reinforce your points with gestures: if you naturally “speak with your hands”, capitalize on your skill. If you are normally pretty low-keyed and monotone, animate; perk-up! Begin each answer with your main idea, and then elaborate the details, trying to avoid “um” and “like, ya know, like”.

3. If you don’t know, don’t fake it.

Even if your intuition tells you the interviewers want very much for you to know the answer to their question, don’t guess and don’t fake. Although you don’t have to come right out and confess that you don’t know, you can say, quietly but confidently, “That’s exactly what I hope this job will teach me”. At least, you have shown your willingness to learn.

2. Tell the truth, (almost) the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

You do have the right to remain silent about circumstances and events that do not show you in your very best light. The interviewers will use - and probably look for proof of--everything you do say. Do not say anything the interviewers cannot corroborate. If you worked on a team that won an award, don’t say, “I won the Big Trophy.” At the other extreme, if your supervisor stole your best idea and made it his own, don’t say, “Mr. Little stole my idea.” Say nothing at all. Assume that the interviewers will investigate every detail.

If you hear yourself saying, “In all honesty,…” take a deep breath and reconsider what you intend to say, because you probably are about to disclose more than you should. Find a way to end that sentence diplomatically.

1. Relax!

Yes, of course, this interview may determine the course of your life and career. If you focus on the consequences, you cannot concentrate on the questions and answers. Keep yourself “focused in the moment” as Dr. Phil or another pop-psych guru might say. Look at your interviewers, listen carefully to their questions, and respond honestly. Make yourself comfortable, cheer up and smile, and do the very best you can. As soon as you get home, send your interviewer an e-mail or a card, thanking him or her for the opportunity to meet and discuss the job.