As the end of the school year approaches, I find myself faced with a familiar senior conundrum: what to do after graduation. I don’t want to move back home. My dream of going to law school (since I was four I’ve been preparing closing arguments) fell apart when I realized I don’t actually like law side of lawyering, only the argumentative, put-on-a-show-in-public aspect. Instead, I secured two internships for the spring, hoping they would a) help me decide what I want to do, and b) offer me a job.
Now it’s April, and as much as I love both jobs, neither of them are home to my future workplace. So, instead of celebrating the end of my college life with too much alcohol and not enough sleep, I’m putting on my big-girl panties (and slacks and a blazer in 85 degree weather) and hitting job interviews and networking meetings. I’ve gotten plenty of advice from my office co-workers on the best ways to interview – from the helpful to the not-so-much – and I thought I’d pass them along!
- Be prepared. It may seem cliché, but the more prepared you are for the interview, the more confident you seem. Do plenty of research on the company for whom you are interviewing, including looking up their Facebook page, Twitter handle, and LinkedIn profile. Most companies are fairly new to the social scene and will be duly impressed if you’ve seen their social media efforts as well as their web page
- Dress to impress. With the onslaught of summer weather, it can be tempting to wear your newest sundress or straight-off-the-runway office apparel. But remember that interviews are a first impression, and often not with the youngest, hippest member of the company. While your fellow intern will appreciate that you rocked your mint green cropped pants from JCrew, the sixty year-old founder of the company will not care at all. Dress appropriately for the company – more conservatively if it’s an industry such as finance, banking, consulting; more hip and young if it’s an artsy industry like marketing or web design. Don’t forget to always look professional; get your roommate to double-check that you haven’t left your hair-tie around your wrist and that all the tags are cut off your rockin’ new blazer!
- Mind your p’s and q’s. As an English major, grammar is especially important to me. Apparently, future employers are impressed by the grammatically-gifted as well – several have mentioned to me that they were turned off by potential employees when they noted poor grammar in email exchanges. Make sure you proof-read not only your resume and cover letter, but also your emails and any other forms of communication for proper punctuation. Have a friend or parent double check your computer’s spell check, since homonyms often get misused when they aren’t misspelled.
- Send a thank–you note. Thank-you notes are underrated. Don’t you miss the days of filling out 20 of your “My Little Pony” fill-in-the-blank cards after your birthday party? I know it always made my day when a friend remembered to thank me for the gift I so thoughtfully chose. Similarly, employers notice when you take the time to thank them for their interview. It will make you stand out in a crowd as respectful and mature. While it may seem daunting, there are plenty of online tips to help you out!
- Ask questions. I’m sure you’ve heard it a thousand times, “Do you have any questions for me?” While it may seem like the end of an interview, or a courtesy question to give you a moment of respite, interviewers take note of candidates who ask effective questions. Try to come up with two or three questions before the interview to ask, concerning topics such as benefits, paid vacation, relocation compensation, or anything else pertinent to the job. Try to tailor each question to the specific job interview, so your potential employer knows you have done your research about the company and the position.
Above all, network network network! (Not technically a way to wow them at the interview, but so important) Don’t be ashamed to use your sister’s boyfriend’s mother’s friend – take any and all connections and run with them. Have contacts introduce you to contacts, and unabashedly promote yourself.
Hopefully these tips will help you feel more secure and confident so you can rock all your interviews and score the amazing job you deserve! (And if you know of any PR, marketing or journalism job openings, send them my way!)
Good luck!