Yes! I got an interview! But, now what?
You’ve heard it all before, what to do and what not to do during an interview. Don’t arrive late, but don’t arrive too early. Dress professional and lay off the accessories. Bring copies of your resume. Research all of the most common interview questions and think about potential answers. The interview process may seem like common sense, but there are simple things you can do to either prepare, do during your interview, or do after your interview that some tend to forget about.
Before your interview:
- Research the company and its history. I’m not saying you need to memorize their growth trends year over year or be an expert on their profit and losses, but you need to at least know the basics. What does the company do? How long have they been around? What products and services do they offer? So when the question, “Tell me what you know about us” comes up, you won’t be staring at them like a deer in headlights. Also, let me clarify, it is OK to ask questions about what the company does and ask them to elaborate on what you do know. It shows you are engaged, and engagement is good.
During your interview:
- Yes, smile. It’s the simplest thing anyone can do, but sometimes our nerves get the best of us and we forget all about our facial expressions. Take a deep breath and smile. When you smile, it conveys confidence. You will also appear friendly, approachable and composed.
After your interview:
- Send a thank you. Send a thank you. Send a thank you. I cannot stress this enough! Send a thank you email that Include all individuals you interviewed with or send a personalized thank you email to each of them. To stand out even more, send a hand written thank you note. I don’t care that they won’t receive it in the mail for a couple of days. Every time I interview someone, I wait to see if they send a thank you note. It takes less than five minutes and it’s very impactful. Set yourself apart.
Most importantly, my best advice for you is to just be yourself. So cliché, I know. But, sometimes we can get wrapped up in what we think people want to hear that we don’t show a true representation of who we are. But, let me also clarify, when the interviewer asks you what you do for fun, you don’t need to tell them all about your partying habits. Keg stands. Bar crawls. Strip clubs. You can leave those out.