Moving On To Bigger and Better.....Or So We Hope!

It’s graduation time for many as we approach the holidays. Professors have passed down all of their knowledge, extensive studying has been done, lengthy papers and impossibly difficult exams have been completed, and hours upon hours of sleep have been lost.   All of the time and hard work that’s necessary to finish comes at a tremendous opportunity cost, and all you have to show for it is a pretty piece of paper with your name on it stating that you’re qualified in your chosen career field.  What’s next?  Do you follow the path you originally intended or have your passions shifted in the time you’ve been enrolled?  Do you take some time off to celebrate your accomplishments or immediately start to stress on how you are going to pay back the massive amount of debt that you had to accrue in order to obtain a college education?  Regardless of what the near future may hold, there is one action that everyone not starting his or her own business has to do in order to take the first step into true adulthood.  That step is a job interview.

This can be a complete breeze or the most stressful thing someone can do, and it’s usually at one extreme or the other.  You may thrive in situations where you are grilled face-to-face on how you work and strategize, what your past experiences are, and what you consider to be your individual strengths and weaknesses.  On the other hand, you may absolutely hate being put on the spot, visibly show how nervous you are by fidgeting and sweating, and make it clear that you don’t know how to handle what’s being asked of you.  Lets talk about some best practices that can help both sides of the fence…whether you are the confident one or a nervous wreck.

The first thing worth mentioning seems relatively obvious, but it’s worth mentioning because it’s unreal how many people do not follow this rule.  It is the way you dress.  Unless the person you’re interviewing with says otherwise, dress professionally.  I personally have experience in interviewing candidates for positions, and you can place strike one on yourself by showing up in blue jeans and a t-shirt.  Even if money is tight, most people can still afford to buy one pair of dress pants and a dress shirt.  Whether it’s Armani or it’s Wal-Mart brand, the effort of attempting to look your best shows that you are taking the opportunity seriously.

A second important piece of the puzzle to remember is to know your strengths and weaknesses.  Again, this is pretty simple to understand but some people just don’t get it.  If you’re applying for a job at a financial institution, it’s likely that they are going to want to talk a little about how you handle numbers.  If you’re applying at Best Buy, they most likely want to know what your interests in electronics are.  Be prepared for questions like this.  Nothing frustrates an interviewer more than someone who can’t describe what his or her own abilities are and how they can improve on weaknesses.  One can only assume that you don’t think you’re very good at anything, which can’t be true, right?  Right!

Next, try to prepare if you know you notoriously crash and burn during interviews.  The Internet is a tremendous resource to find typical questions that will be asked during an interview, and there are even websites out there that will give you information on questions that are asked by specific companies.  Glassdoor.com is a great resource to find questions like this.  Then, ask your friends and/or family to interview you with these questions.  Be careful to make sure you ask the right people though.  Grandma usually isn’t the best choice because she most likely will sugar coat your feedback and tell you how amazing you did instead of giving you a real, honest response.  Find a friend or family member that will shoot it to you straight.  It will be worth it in the end.

Ok, so you’re dressed sharp, you know your abilities and areas for improvement, and you’ve practiced like crazy to be pitch perfect.  It’s interview time. What’s the last piece of advice to keep reminding yourself of?  Relax!!!  We all know this part is difficult even if you are good at interviews because a lot can be on the line.  On top of that, the economy isn’t fantastic right now, so getting a job interview may be a victory in itself.  However, you’ve gotten to the interview point, which means you have the potential for employment.  You’ve already gotten past a step that many can’t get past in the first place.  Know that, remind yourself of it, and use it to boost your confidence as you go in to blow your interviewer away.  All of the above steps that we’ve discussed will also build upon your confidence because you’ve made yourself very well prepared.  Combine them all, and you’ll become an interview machine.  Good luck!