10-step interview prep
Lately, we’ve gotten a flood of emails asking about our interview prep ritual. Well, ask and you shall receive. Read on for our 10-step interview prep, guaranteed to calm your nerves.
1. Get a good night’s sleep.
We like scheduling an interview in the earlier part of the day, between 10am-12pm. The early bird gets the worm (and gets it over with).
2. Visualize the interview.
As you fall asleep the night before, visualize your interview—your firm handshake, great eye contact, smiling face, etc. Visualize yourself signing on the dotted line.
3. Dress for the job you want.
It’s better to be over-dressed than under-dressed. Check for any deodorant stains, wrinkles or loose threads. You want to look polished.
4. Get a manicure.
Or whatever it is you do that makes you feel great—a haircut, a facial or an infrared sweat.
5. Clean out your purse.
…so that all those mini Snickers wrappers, old receipts and tampons don’t fall out when you reach in for your resume.
6. Do your research.
Use LinkedIn and Glassdoor to research the company and your interviewer.
7. Plan your route.
And then give yourself 30 minutes for Murphy’s Law. Sit in your car and memorize your resume if you have time to kill. Don’t show up early.
8. Memorize an elevator pitch.
This is for the famous “Tell me about yourself” icebreaker, and should include your current role, education, professional accomplishments and your ideal career path. Keep it short and succinct.
9. Bring your resume and references.
5 copies of your resume and 2 reference lists should do. We once had a four-hour interview at a tech start-up and met with five different directors, each of whom wanted a copy of our CV. Reference lists should include: name, email, phone number and your relationship to the reference.
10. Breathe.
This article was originally published on The Politesse.
