Preparing for a job interview is akin to preparing for exams. This is because the feelings before a job interview and exam are equal. During both the times, you are anxious as well as excited. But there is a little difference between both. In order to prepare for the first job interview, follow some of the following steps:
First Job Interview Tips for Teenagers:
1. First and foremost read the most:
The more you read, the more you will have knowledge. The more knowledge will ultimately help you in giving interviews successfully. Read all, related to your own field and that would certainly help you in the longer run. So read as much as you can. Read whatever comes your way. Everything has something to give you for learning.
2. Talk to your friends about the interview:
You should talk to your friends about their experiences of interviews. Hearing of others experiences will help you in gaining more about the interview process and the criteria. Also, you will come to know about other things like dressing up for interviews and so on. So talk to as many people as you can. Every experience counts and is important.
3. Every experience is different:
To whomsoever you talk about the experiences of the first interview, you should keep in mind the mistakes they have done. After knowing the different experiences, the first interview of your’s is not actually the maiden interview. So, learn something good from every single experience you hear.
4. Keep yourself calm:
Your mind should be calm. Despite being anxious is the law of nature but staying calm can only help you get success into the interview. Getting nervous or when you panic, you ought to lose the focus a day may become blank in front of the panel. So, to prevent it, keep yourself cool throughout the interview.
5. Try and soothe your mind with your favorite music:
Your favourite music can soothe your mind. So, before you go for the interview, just try to sooth your mind by listening to your favourite tunes. It will certainly help in cracking the interview because the work done by the calm mind is always the good one. Also, if you will enter the interview room with calm mind, you will be able to handle the tough questions in a good manner or if your mind will not be relaxed, you might fail to answer the questions.
6. Know about your resume:
Whatever you have written in your resume should be known to you thoroughly. Although it is your first interview and you might not have any experience before this, still you should know what you have written in the resume as you may have to answer the queries regarding the matter into your resume.
7. Know your field of interest as well:
The interviewers are there to confuse you about what you want to do. As it is your first interview, they would certainly ask you about your future plan so you should be sure of what you want to do. Also you should tell them your field of interest. Let them know everything you know about your own field in the interest you carry for the same.
8. Be confident:
Being confident is vital. This is because only confidence would help you get over the interview. Confidence comes only when you are sure about something. If you are not sure about anything, you won’t be confident. So, you should know what you have to say and what not. Only then you would feel confident in yourself. Confidence is the key to everything. No one would teach you the confidence, it’s only you who can get that within yourself.
9. Sleep well one night before the interview:
Having a sound sleep is also very important. This is because lack of sleep can leave you unfocused during your interview. So, sleep well before the interview so that your brain remains fresh and you are able to answer queries in a smart manner.
10. Decide on your attire:
What you wear is the first thing that reflects who you are. So, when you go for an interview, make sure you dress yourself up in a good manner. Good manner here means dressing up formally.
Do not wear danglers or shorts while you go for interview. For boys, they must not dress up funky as it may lead a bad impression on the panellist. So, make sure you are dressed up formally.
11. Make a resume in a professional manner:
The resume is all what you have done or you might want to do. So, your resume should be professional. The format, the content of the resume should be accurate. No grammatical mistakes should be there. Also, it should be well presented in front of the interview panel.
12. Your command over language:
Sometimes out of nervousness, you use the languages in which you are comfortable. But when you go for an interview, just remember to use one language and communicate in that only. The use of one language will show your command over that particular language. So, make sure you go with the mind, make up of using just one language during the interview.
13. Research work is important:
For any sort of work, the research is important. So, even if you are an interviewee, research is required. You need to research about the judges who would be interviewing you.
Often you get informed about the panel and you can know about them from between the contacts you have. If you get informed even a little about the panel, you would come to know about the types of questions that can hit you.
14. Be true to yourself and them too:
Remember one thing, not to lie. What you know you should be frank about that and at the same time what you should tell what you don’t know. This would help you a lot in the interview.
Also, get it into your brain that the one’s who take your interview are not fools, they are quite experienced people and even if you try to make them fool, you might get caught. So, if you do not want to get caught red handed, then be true to yourself as well as them.
15. Do not stay mum:
The interview should be interactive. So, when you go for an interview, make sure you do not stay mum during the whole process. Try and put the queries and also give positive or negative expressions as per the answers and the questions asked during the interview.
16. An eye to eye connection should be there:
Try and answer by looking into the interviewee’s eyes. This shows how much confident you are. When you talk to them by looking into their eyes, you present yourself as confident. So, try to communicate by looking into their eyes. Do not look here there or down as it would show lack of confidence in you.
17. Your body language speaks a lot about you:
How you sit, how you greet, how you respond, your gestures, your body language also marks an important part in the interview. So,make sure you adopt a good and appealing body language. This is important because no company would want a person with wrong body language to represent their organization. Afterall the representative only put forward the company ahead. So, try and learn about the things which should not be done when it comes to the body language.
18. Do not make use of the unsure words:
When in doubt, leave it out, is the formula you should apply when you go for an interview. Especially when it is a panel interview. You should not speak something which is contradicting your own statement.
Sometimes, people make a mistake of using the words they do not know the meaning. So, do not make such a mistake. Something of which you are not sure, should not be touched even.
19. Clarify all doubts before going for an interview:
Whatever doubts you have in your mind, just clear it out before moving to the interview. Do not keep any doubts in your mind. You may clear your doubts by questioning the people who already have experience in this field. Like contact your friends and family who ever has an experience of cracking the very first interview.
20. The body language you carry:
You should adopt a smart body language. Do not walk into the room in a lame manner. Do not look lazy or exhausted. Go fresh and move in a smart manner. You never know you might be getting noticed from the entrance to notice while you are walking, what you look like and so on. So, prepare yourself in a manner that you do not give them a chance to give you a red signal.
21. Do not feel shy:
Being your first interview, you might feel shy in communicating with the interview panelist. But this is something you should not feel. Just be free to ask anything or even if you want to answer, provided the answer is not negative to their company. Ask whatever doubts you have, without giving any extra thought.
22. The credentials you need to take along with you:
When you go for giving an interview, take some important documents with you like your pass certificates, the resume, well maintained cover letter, your id cards and other things required by the company.
If you do not take the important things with you, the panelist may question you back for not paying due attention. So, it is better not to give them the chance of complaining or bringing forth the problem they have with you.
23. Your presentation is a must:
Who you are, why did you choose this field is probably the very first question the interviewee asks. So, be prepared for such queries. In order to crack the interview, just prepare for these simple questions and be confident while answering the queries.
Do not give lame answers like you did not have any other option that’s why you chose the particular profession and so on. you should be ready with some solid and professional reason to start the work with. Only this could help you in preparing and also been successful in the first interview.
24. Who you are, tell them perfectly:
This is the very first question. What are your hobbies, what you like the most, why you went for such a challenging profession and so on. Such queries might come in front of you during the interview. So, be prepared for the confusing questions.
The panelist would try hard to confuse you but it is you who have to stay focussed and undeterred . Only strong determination can help you win over the experiences which are equal to nightmares.
25. Be real in front of them:
Be who you are. Do not change yourself except adopting the good things in life, especially when it comes to interviews or any other professional reason. Present the real you to the interview as it would help you in the long run too.
Do not say what you do not know or what you are not in as a person. The ones who take an interview are experienced and you should act smart instead of over smart. So, be realistic and be you.
So, these are some of the points that you should keep in mind before going for an interview. Whether you are going for your very first interview or it is your second, third, the experience and the jitters pre interview remains the same. One thing that you should remember is to be confident, be clear with your own subject, do not lie, just say what you know as little knowledge is a dangerous thing. So, keep the above points in your mind and attend for the interview.
