Interviewing soon? Be prepared!

It’s completely normal (and expected!) that anyone who hasn’t done a lot of interviewing would be at least a little anxious. The good news is, there’s a fix for that – two, actually. The first is practice. Rehearsing beforehand and then just getting experience with interviewing over time will make you much more comfortable with the process. That, of course will take time.

The second and best way to quell nerves is to be prepared. Not shocking, we know, but going into an interview knowing that you have thoroughly thought through potential questions and practiced putting into words how you are a unique and qualified candidate goes a really long way.

An interview means the company already sees you as someone who could likely do the job. Feel validated by the fact that you’ve already cleared the biggest hurdle: getting noticed! However, that doesn’t eliminate the need for doing your preparatory homework for the meeting.

In advance of your interview, dedicate a few hours to studying the company you are interviewing with and the industry it is a part of.
– Who are its clients?
– What is its main beat?
– Has it just won new business?
– Did last month’s cover story get an award nomination?
– What is one industry trend/hot topic that might affect this company?

Get to know the company as if you were prepping for a final exam on it (and “study” the same way you would for a test – whichever method you use to commit material to memory will be your best path here, as well). Be prepared to offer critiques and suggestions if asked for them.

At the very most, the information will be essential if your interviewer starts firing away with detailed, quiz-like questions. At the very least, you can throw the information into the conversation to dazzle them with your knowledge of who they are and what they do (something that time and time again recruiters say sets the “good” candidates apart from the others).

This brings us to the other essential part of your prep work: taking some time to study up on yourself. If there’s an expert on you out there, you’re it… But most people don’t take the time to critically examine themselves in a way that prepares them to successfully convince others that they are the right person for the job.

Think of what skills/attributes the position you’re interviewing for requires. Actually list them out and jot down examples from your resume that demonstrate how you measure up to them, then “study” this information, too.

A good way to know if you have done enough self study is to see if you can answer the question, “So why should I pick you over all the other people that have applied?” If you can fire back with a detailed but to-the-point answer (and not a, “Huh, let me see…”), you’re good to go.

As with any aspect of the job/internship search process, you get out what you put in. If you wing an interview, not only will your interviewer be left feeling flat but you may portray an image of yourself (uncertain, unprepared) that you don’t want to – one that can potentially dilute your chances of snagging the position.

To really cover all your bases and hit your next interview out of the park, check out the Newhouse CDC’s interviewing resources. Our podcast goes into great detail about preparation and also references some of our guides (which can be found on our interviewing resources page).

As for your upcoming interview, we wish you the best of luck (which you won’t need in the least because you’ll be prepared and ready to knock your interviewer’s socks off!).