After interviewing all 150+ of our 6th graders over the last 2 weeks, the interview volunteers were amazed at how well our 6th graders did and the skills they had. When asked how they prepared, I said they just spent a day brainstorming what a person should do and not do in an interview. They also watched a video of me doing a good interview and a "not-so-good" interview. They thought the poor interview was pretty funny and told me to quit my day job and get into acting. I'm not going to do that, but I will share with you some of the main items on their "Do" and "Don't" lists when it comes to interview skills.
"Do" in an interview:
1. Dress for Success: Guys...wear a suit and tie. No questions asked. Anything less and you are risking losing the interview before you speak. I got a job at Hy-Vee just because I wore a suit. The interviewer said he would still ask me questions, but the way I dressed told him I was going to work well for Hy-Vee. Girls...dress as nice as possible but stay conservative on the colors, what you cover, and your perfumes. Nothing too wild, too revealing, or too overpowering (perfume). There is no penalty for overdressing, but the penalty for going casual is likely losing out on the job.
2. Firm handshake, good eye contact, sit tall: Start and finish an interview with a good firm handshake. Practice this lots! You do not want to break their hand by being too firm, but you definitely do not want a "dead fish" handshake that is too light. That is an interview-killer. After the handshake, the eye contact becomes very important. You do not have to stare at the interviewer(s), but make solid eye contact all the way through, especially when you are answering their questions. And have good posture by sitting tall (did you know taller people get better jobs and higher pay??!). You may even lean forward slightly as this shows interest.
3. Sweat: Wait, you should sweat? Well, technically, yes. We are humans and we sweat. And we sweat more when we are nervous. But, the reason I am listing it the and the reasons students put it on the list, is that we can minimize it. Shower just before you go to the interview and wear good deodorant/antiperspirant. Don't wear one that has a strong odor though as that could distract the interviewer and be worse than the sweat. Also, a favorite tip of mine, put a Kleenex in your pocket and have your hand "drying off" in your pocket just before you shake hands. No one likes a sweaty handshake, so this is a way to avoid that awkward greeting.
4. Speak clearly, loudly, use good grammar: When you make good eye contact, the first two should take care of themselves. When you look at the interviewer, your voice will be louder and clearer than when you look down or to the side. The interviewer will be able to put words to your lip movements and your voice will be projected directly towards them. And use grammar that shows your intelligence. We are what we speak, so do not use slang or mean terms like dumb, stupid, or idiot. Try to use a high vocabulary, but do not stretch your vocabulary and use words you do not fully understand. Also, pause just before you speak and think of your answer. This will help your avoid pauses during your answer, avoid extra "ums", and will make you seem more confident.
Good tips huh? Thanks to the 6th graders for these. Now, what should you NOT do?
1. Dress Casual: As mentioned above, this is a interview stopper. If you come in dressed too casual, the interviewer will note that and the rest of the interview will go downhill from there.
2. Lots of movement: You can talk with your hands and be expressive, but do not have wild hand motions while you speak. Also, do not tap your hands or do repetitive hand motions. My tip is to keep your hands clasped together to avoid this. Do not shift in your chair throughout the interview. The interview will not be long, so find a comfortable spot and stay still.
3. Do not be rude: Even if you disagree with the interviewer or you realize you are not interested in the job early in the interview, stay positive and be polite. The person interviewing you is likely a boss or in charge of hiring people. They talk to other bosses or people in charge of hiring for other companies. A good interview may not get you this job, but by being polite and interviewing well could get you the next job if the interviewer recommends you to other businesses hiring.
4. Do not do disgusting stuff: Middle school kids loved this idea. They said no nose-picking, passing gas, or burping. Yes, of course, you should not do these things. But also do not say disgusting stuff, do not sniffle, bite your fingernails, OR CHEW GUM! These can also be distracting and put the interviewer off.
5. Chew gum. Did you see that above? Do not chew gum!! If you want fresh breath, have a mint just before you interview. If you forget to spit out your gum and the interview has just started, swallow it. Do not take it out and put it in the trash....swallow it!
6. Do not leave right after the last question. What I mean, is you need to do 2 things: Ask a few questions and give another firm handshake. An interview is a lot like a date and if you are interested in the other person at the end of a date, you ask if you can see him/her again. This shows you enjoyed the date and have interest in more meetings. With a job interview, if you have interest, you need to show it and you show it at the end of an interview by asking questions. Even if they are simple and you know the answers already, ask them. I asked questions like "how many students are in the high school", "what science classes do you offer", and "what is the growth outlook of the community" when I interviewed for my first Carlisle school job. I knew most of these because I looked them up online before the interview, but I still wanted to know if the person interviewing me knew the answers and I wanted to show that I was interested in the job. When that is done, a firm handshake and a thank you and you are out the door. For bonus points, drop a thank you note in the mailbox before the mail goes out that day. A thank you note delivered the next day clinched that first Carlisle job for me I was told.
7. Cell phones on: Turn these off or turn them on silent. At worst, turn them on vibrate. The interview will be 20 minutes or less most times, so you can "go dark" for 20 minutes I would hope. If the interview is going to be long or you really might need to have the phone on for some reason, ask permission from the interviewer to have your phone on vibrate during the interview because you are expecting an "important family call" possibly. They should be okay with this, but again, I would just turn the phone off. It is simple and sometimes we just need to get away from all of this technology for a little while.
There you have it, the things you should do and not do during an interview. Thank you to my 6th graders for these ideas. Trust me, there were many more, but I can only type so much. Hopefully, these tips will benefit both teens and adults who might be interviewing soon. In a tough job market, we all need every tip and edge we can get!
