It was a beautiful summer day. I could see my reflection on the pool water as I was extremely relaxed and looking forward to the holiday weekend. It all changed when I decided to check my emails. I had an email from a company that I really wanted to intern at. They wanted to know If I could come in for an interview. Normally, I would have been ecstatic. The only issue was that they wanted me to come in the following day for the interview. My mood almost instantaneously went from being relaxed to extremely nervous and worried. My emotions were running wild. I did not feel as if I was prepared for this interview that I so desperately wanted.
Some people can go on interviews without any preparation and do an excellent job. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people. I enjoy preparing for things. It increases my confidence with whatever it is that I am preparing for. I decided to go on the interview the following day. Although I think I did relatively well, I would recommend preparing. This was a wake- up call for me. It forced me to really buckle down and start preparing myself for future interviews that I will have.
Make Sure to Research the company.
I also recommend that one brings multiple resumes. Fortunately, I was aware of this. Honestly, I was only expecting to meet with one person for my interview. However, that was not the case. There are often multiple interview rounds. Each round was with a different person. Everyone that I met with asked for my resume. Since I brought multiple copies it was not a problem. I could only imagine how embarrassing it would be if I did not have enough copies. They probably would have looked at me as someone who did not care and was unprepared.
Another way that I prepare for my interviews is finding ways to be more social. For me talking to people that I have not met before does not come organically. Career fairs are a great way to practice talking to others. I went to the career fair at West Chester University last week. This was a great way for me to come outside of my comfort zone.
For starters, there were approximately seventy employers packed into a small ballroom at Sykes. When I was talking to potential employers, there were a lot of distractions going on in the background. People were walking in front and behind me when I was conversing. It was also extremely noisy. I talked to approximately ten employers. When I go to career fairs I think of it as being a mini interview. It is great practice. I was nervous when I first walked into the career fair. However, as I went from employer to employer, my nerves continued to decrease. The more people I talked to the more comfortable I felt
Decide on clothing Prior to Interview
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Another way that I prepare myself is by doing things that will limit my stress the day of the interview. It is important to have an outfit picked out the night before. This is crucial and saves a lot of time. The night prior to my big day, I noticed my wrinkled suit had stains all over it. My stress levels always increase the night before. It is important to always have your clothes picked the night before and arrive early. I went there the prior day so I knew exactly where it was.Interviewers will respect that. He told me how it showed initiative and that I was prepared.
Learn from the Experience
I learned many valuable things during my interview process. I now know the things that I need to improve on and the things I did well when preparing for my interview. For, Starters I learned that it is crucial to prepare for interviews even if I do not have one scheduled at the time. As I am now aware companies sometimes want potential employees to interview on short notice. My interview also caused me to know the strategies that worked well for me. For example, When I go on my next interview I will make sure that I drive to the location the night before and bring multiple copies of my resume. I will experience both ups and downs during the interview process. However, I feel confident that my next interview will be a success.
Career Guide: Social Media Strategist
