So much of our lives are lived online now that social skills are bound to suffer.  We date online, we shop online, we order food online.  Sometimes I’m so used to only dealing with a screen that having to talk to someone can seem awkward and laborious. So for millennials fresh out of college and headed into the workforce, the reality of having to sell yourself in a face to face job interview rather than on a home page can be overwhelming.  Often you walk out of an interview either thinking “Nailed it” and never hear back. Or walk out realizing you weren’t prepared for that at all.  

Having been in the workplace for over 25 years now and having interviewed countless people, here are a few thoughts.

DO your homework. Know the company ahead of time. Their mission statement, their values, and how they define success.  When you can weave some of their terminologies into your conversation, you will begin to sound like you are already on the team.

DONT forget the little people. Remember that more people are interviewing you than just the person hiring.  They will be asking everyone in the office who might have met you what THEY thought as well. So be kind to everyone on the way in, the way down the hall, and the way out the door. 

DO share what you’ve accomplished. Even if you are young and feel like you haven’t done much yet, any sign of initiative will be valued.  Your youth won’t be a detriment to you. Everyone is looking to “get younger”. The problem will be if you are apathetic.  Have you lead a mission trip? Have you started a Kickstarter campaign? Have you hosted a team meeting in your home? Have you organized a “clean up the park” weekend?  I want to know what you’ve done. 

DONT be arrogant.  There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Confidence is being sure of what you know and sure of what you don’t know. Arrogance is thinking you know everything.  Even when sharing your accomplishments talk about how you learned how to accomplish it.  Who you had to talk to. What you didn’t know and had to research.  This tells me you’re coachable. 

DO be early.  Not too early, because you’ll interrupt the person you are meeting with. But 5 minutes early tells them you are excited about the opportunity.

DONT talk too much.  You don’t want the person interviewing you to stop listening because you already made that point 15 minutes ago.

DO ask questions.  If I ask someone “what questions do you have for me?” And they say “No.” Then we are done.  I need to know that you are inquisitive, that you will make us better, that you are always learning. And when you ask someone questions you are showing you are interested in their insight.  Everyone likes to talk about themselves and their opinions. 

DONT assume they’ve already read your resume (or remember it).  You made it into the interview, but they may have read so many resume’s that they won’t remember any details from yours. So be able to hit the high points of it in about 60 seconds. 

DO tell me how you think your skills can accomplish more than just the job, but the mission of the organization.  When you leave you want that person to think, they will not only do well here, they will help ALL of us do our job better. 

Our jobs are our second home. Some weeks you’ll spend more time with these people than your own family. So you want to enjoy the people you work with.  They are wanting to know will you be enjoyable to be around.  And you want to know that as well. 

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