This week, I had my first phone interview for a job this year. I believe it went well and it was great practice – I am glad I went through with it! It made me think of how far I have come when it comes to my ability to communicate, especially during something as high-pressure as an interview. “What if I say something wrong? What if they ask me a question and I blank out?” While questions like these still are in the back of my mind, I have developed many strategies to help me prepare that have made it marginally less of a stressful experience. This inspired me to want to give a few tips to those (like me) who find the prospect of interviews nerve-wracking:
First tip: Write out your answers to commonly asked questions.
One of my top tips for making it through any kind of interview is by preparing your answers in advance. By planning out your answers to some commonly asked interview questions (search engines are your friend here), it is incredibly helpful in the event that you get nervous and cannot come up with any good answers during the actual interview. Anything you can do to reduce the amount of thinking you need to do in the interview itself is key!
Second tip: Research the company in advance (and take notes).
This is similar to the first answer: you are likely going to get questions about why you chose to apply at [company name] and what you know about [company name]. Putting in the effort ahead of time to research the company and write down important points will not only ensure you remember the important details during the interview, but it will also show that you are genuinely interested in the company.
Third tip: Don’t dwell on it before and afterwards.
The worst part of any stressful event for me, especially a social one, is the anticipation beforehand and the analysis of how it went afterwards. The more you concentrate on how nervous you are or how you did, the worse you will feel about it. Once you do all of the above, go and watch an episode of your favorite show and trust that you prepared well. And remember that if you feel like you made any mistakes afterwards, it’s okay – you’re only human (and so is the interviewer).
I hope this is helpful, especially to anyone who is going into an interview soon. Good luck and happy job hunting!