Interview Tips and Tricks
This post was written by Gyda Sumadi ’18, CCD Peer Career Ambassador.
Whether you are a senior looking for a full time position, and have done about twenty interviews over the course of your four years at Babson, or you are a freshman looking to get your first summer internship, and haven’t done a single formal interview, a few tips and tricks can never hurt! No matter how many times you try and ask yourself the most difficult and crazy mock interview questions, to prepare for a curve ball, you just can’t get over your biggest fear of not knowing the answer to the interviewer’s question. Well, stop freaking out and read about the best way to prepare yourself!
Interviews are all about selling yourself. It is totally natural to be nervous. In fact, a bit of nerves shows that you care; just make sure they do not overwhelm you or prevent you from doing well during your interview!
To help calm everyone’s nerves, I have come up with a helpful list of Tips and Tricks that have worked for me! Here are a few things that I do, in preparation, that definitely calm my nerves and make me feel confident walking into the interview!
- Research, Research, Research!
One of the things I have found helpful is researching the company: take a look at their most recent earnings report to see how the company has been performing, take a look at their mission statement, what key skills they are looking to find in their future employees, what their company culture is like, and who is on their leadership board. You do not have to memorize every single fact about the company you are interested in; however, it is helpful to be familiar with the most recent news and updates that have been circulating about the company. You will find that the familiarity you will gain from your research will be a great conversation platform and you will surely impress your interviewer if they see how much you keep up with their company’s performance.
- Questions for the interviewer
One thing that everyone forgets to do while they are stressing out about the questions they will be asked is that they forget to come up with questions for the interviewer! Having a list of prepared questions is very important because this could be one of the few chances you have to ask one-on-one questions about the company such as the work atmosphere, flexibility, etc. Optimize on this time and ask the questions you have been dying to get the answers to.
- Mock Interview
Another thing that I find helpful is conducting a mock interview. I recommend taking the skills you found that the employer is looking for, and come up with 2-3 experiences or activities that demonstrate that you have that skill. This will make you feel very confident in your question answering ability!
The Night Before:
- Have all your clothing and materials laid out.
Have all of your documents printed the night before. This is the best way to avoid any printer problems! Also, make sure you have a sharp looking interview outfit, so definitely pick it out the night before so you don’t open your closet the morning of and say OMG what do I wear!
- Give yourself plenty of time to get there.
The last thing you want is to be late to your interview! What if there is traffic? Make sure you leave early to avoid any unwanted situations!
After the Interview:
- Send a follow up thank you note.
Thank the interviewer for taking the time to evaluate your candidacy! This will definitely get you brownie points!
- Celebrate!
Reward yourself for just rocking your interview! Now it is time to relax and enjoy; the nerves are gone!