I KNOW THE FOLLOWING MAY SOUND RATHER OBVIOUS TO SOME OF YOU, BUT TO OTHERS THESE TIPS MAY NOT SEEM SO OBVIOUS. HERE ARE 10 GOOD GENERAL TIPS TO USE IN AN INTERVIEW SITUATION THAT I HAVE TOLD STUDENTS OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES:
TEN TIPS FOR A GOOD INTERVIEW:
1. BE ON TIME TO YOUR INTERVIEW! THIS SHOULD BE OBVIOUS. BEING LATE IS A VERY BAD SIGN TO A POTENTIAL INTERVIEWER. BE EARLY WOULD BE THE BEST BET.
2. DRESS NICELY. DRESS AS IF YOU WERE GOING TO CHURCH. I WOULD NOT OVER DO (NO 3 PIECE SUITES) BUT I WOULD DEFINITELY NOT UNDER DO IT.
3. USE SOME COLOGNE OR PERFUME. DOES NOT HURT. MAKE SURE YOU BRUSH YOUR TEETH, COMB YOUR HAIR, ETC. ETC. EVEN THOUGH MOST COLLEGES ARE CONSIDERED VAST BASTIONS OF LIBERAL REFUGE, MOST INTERVIEWERS CONSIDER BAD HYGIENE A VERY POOR REFLECTION ON THE STUDENT.
4. THERE WILL BE QUESTIONS. ANSWER THEM HONESTLY. THERE MIGHT BE SOME SHOCK QUESTIONS OR SURPRISE TYPE QUESTIONS SUCH AS "WHAT DID YOU HAVE FOR DINNER LAST NIGHT". JUST ANSWER THE QUESTIONS. I WOULD AVOID ANY STRONG HEATED DISCUSSIONS WITH THE INTERVIEWER ON POLITICS OR RELIGION. JUST STICK TO FACTS.
5. ANY QUESTIONS YOU ANSWER ARE SUBJECT TO FURTHER SCRUTINY SO IT BECOMES IMPERATIVE THAT YOU BE HONEST AND ACCURATE. I HAVE TUTORED STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN ON THE INTERVIEW TEAM FOR COLLEGES AND PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOLS. THIS IS THEIR NUMBER ONE COMPLAINT TO PLEASE BE HONEST. THEY HAVE TOLD ME HORROR STORIES WHERE A POTENTIAL STUDENT HAS ANSWERED A QUESTION THEN LATER THEY PUSHED THE ISSUE AND FOUND OUT THE STUDENT WAS LYING. FOR EXAMPLE, ONE STUDENT TOLD ME THEY ASKED A POTENTIAL ADMISSIONS CANDIDATE IF HE WAS GOOD AT COMPUTERS. THIS STUDENT REPLIED THAT HE WAS AN EXPERT AT COMPUTERS, AND COULD BUILD MOST ANY COMPUTER. THE STUDENT DID NOT KNOW THAT THE INTERVIEWER WAS A PH.D. COMPUTER ENGINEER! THE INTERVIEWER ASKED SOME HIGHLY TECHNICAL QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT COMPUTERS THE STUDENT HAD RECENTLY BUILT, ETC. ETC. OF COURSE THE STUDENT COULD NOT ANSWER THE QUESTIONS ACCURATELY SO HE LOOKED LIKE HE WAS LYING. IN ACTUALITY THE STUDENT KNEW A LOT ABOUT COMPUTERS, BUT HE WAS FAR FROM AN EXPERT.
6. ASK THE INTERVIEWER YOUR OWN QUESTIONS! THIS MAKES YOU SEEM INTERESTED. YOU SHOULD PREPARE A LIST OF 5 TO 10 QUESTIONS BEFORE GOING TO THE INTERVIEW. QUESTIONS SUCH AS "WHAT PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS GRADUATING THIS COLLEGE GET JOBS IN THE MEDICAL FIELD?" WOULD BE AN EXAMPLE OF A GOOD QUESTION. ASKING HOW GOOD THE CAFETERIA FOOD IS HERE MIGHT NOT BE SUCH A GOOD QUESTION. THAT IS NOT A BAD QUESTION PER SE BUT I WOULD KEEP THE QUESTIONS FOCUSED ON IMPORTANT TOPICS. ANOTHER GOOD QUESTION WOULD BE, "HOW MANY STUDENTS PURSUE GRADUATE DEGREES AT THIS INSTITUTION?"OR "WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TOP JOBS RECENT GRADUATES ARE GETTING?". YOU GET THE IDEA.
7. TAKE WITH YOU A WRITING INSTRUMENT AND SOME TYPE OF PAD OR NICE LOOKING BINDER. THIS MAKES YOU LOOK SERIOUS. TAKE NOTES DURING THE INTERVIEW.
8. LOOK THE INTERVIEWER IN THE EYE AND ADDRESS THEM AS MRS. OR MR. SO AND SO. IF THEY SPECIFICALLY TELL YOU THEY WANT TO BE ADDRESSED BY THEIR FIRST NAME THEN DO IT.
9. DO NOT ASK AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF QUESTIONS JUST TO BE ASKING QUESTIONS. THIS CAN ANNOY THE INTERVIEWER.
10. THANK THE INTERVIEWER WHEN YOU LEAVE. IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO MAIL THEM A HAND WRITTEN THANK YOU NOTE EXPRESSING YOUR GRATITUDE AND CONFIRMING YOUR INTEREST IN THAT INSTITUTION.
MAKE NO MISTAKE, FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE VERY POWERFUL. THE INTERVIEWER HAS A FORM THAT HE OR SHE FILLS OUT ON YOU AND THIS INFORMATION IS GOING TO DEFINITELY BE USED IN YOUR ADMISSIONS EVALUATION PROCESS. SINCE A LOT OF SCHOOLS ARE NOT DOING THE INTERVIEW ANYMORE, YOUR APPLICATION ESSAYS ARE TAKING THE PLACE OF THIS AND THEY BECOME EVEN MORE IMPORTANT.
.jpg)