Interviewing: From the Candidate Side of the Desk

· by Alicia Leary

Alicia is the Marketing Team Lead at HTI. She started her career with HTI in 2015 as a Sales Coordinator.
Spread the love

All right!  You sent the resume.  You’ve made it through the initial screening.  The date and time has been set for an interview.  If you are anything like me, now is the time that you begin to stress.  The worry and anticipation begins.

What If?

What if I get sick? What if I get lost? What if I am late? What if the interviewer is a jerk? What if I forget my resume? What if I forget the interviewer’s name?  What if I lose my voice mid-interview again?  (Yes, that was again.  It has happened to me before!)  What if it’s raining and I forget my umbrella?  What if I blank on an easy question?  What if I forget to turn my cell phone off?  What if I have a wardrobe malfunction?  What if I hit a turkey on my way there?

I can feel my shoulders tense and my hands begin to sweat as I type and anyone who knows me would likely be surprised to hear this.   For some reason, at just the thought of being interviewed, I revert to a mumbling, bumbling introvert.  Over the years, I have learned how to hide the nervousness–at least for the most part.

Preparation is key!

Of course, there are quite a few things you can do to prepare for an interview and a smooth entrance.

  • Google map the address. Familiarize yourself with the area prior to the day of the interview.  You don’t want to be late because a detour took you an extra 10 minutes.
  • Do some additional research on the particular branch you will be interviewing at to understand their environment. This will help you determine formalness of attire, type of questions to prepare, etc.
  • Leave your phone in the car.
  • Practice responses to typical questions.
  • Put your notebook and resume with your keys the night before.
  • Ask for your interviewer by name. If you didn’t know it beforehand, ask the receptionist and then write it down.
  • BREATHE! Take a few deep breaths while you are waiting.  Breathe in through your nose for a slow count of three, then out of your nose for a slow count of three.  Repeat three times.  This will lower your heart rate and help you slow your speech patterns.
  • Have your resume in front of you with notes on particular behaviors, objectives or accomplishments that you want to convey. Have real life examples prepped to support the statements on your resume.  It’s okay to be proud of your achievements.
  • Listen to the interviewer. You aren’t just there to be interviewed, you are there to gain insight to their company and understand if the culture and role are really a fit for you.
  • Most importantly, be yourself. When you are being yourself it translates to being relaxed, authentic and confident.

Lastly, wait for that turkey to cross in front of you, don’t race him.  He will race you back and take out the front corner panel of your car.  Not that I know anything about that!