Jobs & Internships: How to Properly Prepare for an Interview

After you have finally locked down an interview, it can be intimidating when trying to prepare. Nerves, anxiety, excitement, and all other types of emotions will be hitting you all at once. After all, you are interviewing for a position that you really want and it could be your future!
 
After completing three successful internships and just recently locking in an offer to intern at Kohl’s this summer, I have obviously had my fair share of interview experiences. Even the interviews for internships I did not get have been wonderful learning experiences.
 
I have compiled a list of things to do in order to prepare properly for job and internship interviews. All of these things can really come together and help set you apart from the competition. You want your interviewer to remember you after all of the interviews that they complete.
 
With these tips and tricks, collegiettes™, you can have the best interview yet!
 
After successfully securing an interview with a company it is extremely important to research the company. Go to the company’s website. Learn all of the important information such as where and when they started. What are the company’s core vales? What endeavors are they working on now? Are they expanding? Opening new stores or branches?
 
Most interviewers will ask if you have any questions about the company. This is your time to showcase the knowledge you have about the company. It will really impress a company if you know that they are planning on starting a new line or if you know the company’s core values or their mission statement.
 
If you are interviewing with a retail company, go to the store. Notice how the store is set up; take note on how they do visual merchandising; how is their customer service? Depending on what position you are applying for, you should pay attention to different things within the store.
 
For example, if you are interviewing for a buying position take a good look at the brands they have and how much of an assortment they offer within the stores. If you are applying for a management position, talk to a manager and see how they like working in the store and ask them about their experiences with the retailer.
 
Practice your elevator pitch. Practice makes perfect, but whatever you do, do not memorize your elevator pitch. You do not want to sound like a robot. It is important, however, to know what you want to say. Take some time and write out a few bullet points to mention in your elevator pitch and practice it.
 
Another thing to do is to prepare answers for the most common interview questions. Most interviewers will always ask, “What are your strengths? What is your biggest weakness?” You have to be prepared to answer these questions. If you have to stutter and stammer over your words to get your strengths across to the interviewer, the interviewer will assume that your communication skills are not the sharpest.
 
Being prepared to answer such questions and having an idea of strengths or experiences you can mention in an interview will leave you feeling more prepared and relaxed, and thus more confident when you go into your interview.
 
Going into your interview, make sure you have a proper outfit. You do not want to be underdressed for an interview. Nor do you want to be inappropriately dressed. Make sure you have a nice business suit (that, of course, fits properly). It can be a pantsuit or a skirt suit; either is fine. Do not over accessorize and if you are wearing patent pumps, make sure they are shiny and not scuffed. Do not overdo it with the hair or make up. Just look natural and professional.
 
It will also be helpful to go in with questions to ask your interviewer. If you are interested in more details about the prospective position, you can ask the interviewer to go into more detail on the roles & responsibilities of the job. If you are interested in how happy people are working with the company, ask the interviewer about their experience. If you saw any interesting expansion or new endeavors the company is embarking on, inquire about them. The interviewer will see how engaged you are with the company and it will show your sincere interest in the job or internship.
 
After your interview is over, make sure to shake hands with your interviewer and thank them personally. By personally, I mean say their name when thanking them. The fact that you remember their name after twenty or thirty minutes of intense interviewing will impress them. Then, ask them for their business card. After receiving the business card and exiting the interview room, take the time to jot a few notes on the back of the business card that stuck out to you during the interview.
 

The notes that you take on the back of the interview card will help you remember what was said at each interview and it will help you when you write a thank you note to your interviewer. Some people prefer to write an email to thank their interviewer, but that is extremely impersonal. It will be much more meaningful if you hand write a thank you note (on professional stationary).
 
It will mean much more to an interviewer if they see you took the time to buy a thank you note, handwrite it, and mail it to them. There is a lot more effort put into that than a simple email. I have even had recruiters come speak in my classes that have specifically said they keep hand written thank you notes and simply delete thank you emails. It will really make you stand out, because with the advancements of technology, many interviewees simply revert to the easy way out and just shoot the interviewer an email.
 
Remember, the most important things to do in an interview are to share your experiences and strengths, and confidently show your interviewer that you will most definitely benefit the company if they offer you the job or internship.
 
If you use these tips and prepare properly for your next interview, you will be able to confidently walk into that interview and blow them away.
 
Happy interviewing, collegiettes™!

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