4 answers
Leilani
Student
Wood Dale, Illinois
1
Question
Asked
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What should I bring with me to my very first interview and what are some keywords that I should not use during the interview.
This is my very first interview.
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4 answers
Doc Frick
Career Coach and Mentor
1348
Answers
California, CA
Updated
Doc’s Answer
Congratulations Leilani you’ve received a callback and probably passed a phone screen. This means it’s time for the in-person interview. Take a moment to congratulate yourself at this stage—it’s taken a lot of hard work and persistence to get here. Once you’ve mentally prepared and chosen what you’re going to wear, the last step is making sure you’re bringing the right items. Here's a checklist for you below:
RESUME AND COVER LETTER
You’ve probably already sent your resume and cover letter to the company you’re interviewing with, but it never hurts to bring a few extra copies with you. Some hiring managers and interviewers like to have a hard copy in front of them to refer to or take notes on. Bringing these with you is also a great way to show off your preparedness and proactive nature. Everyone likes an employee that thinks ahead
REFERENCES
Make sure to print off a few extra copies of your list of references as well. It’s best to provide these in a neat, organized document that lists your references’ names, contact information, and relationship to you.
PRE-WRITTEN QUESTIONS
When you are putting the resume copies and the blank paper in your folder or folio, also add at least two or three pre-written questions for your interviewers to have on hand. It’s good to write them down ahead of time in case your mind suddenly goes blank when you get the question, “Do you have any questions?”
SOUND SMART
Yes, it's important to know what to bring to the interview, but as you can probably surmise, it's what you say during the interview that will have the biggest impact on whether or not you move on to round two. Need some help crafting memorable answers? Be ready for some of the common questions asked in an interview: from ("Tell us a little about yourself") to standard questions like ("Why do you want this job?") to the more treacherous question ("What's your biggest weakness?").
Hope this is helpful Leilani
RESUME AND COVER LETTER
You’ve probably already sent your resume and cover letter to the company you’re interviewing with, but it never hurts to bring a few extra copies with you. Some hiring managers and interviewers like to have a hard copy in front of them to refer to or take notes on. Bringing these with you is also a great way to show off your preparedness and proactive nature. Everyone likes an employee that thinks ahead
REFERENCES
Make sure to print off a few extra copies of your list of references as well. It’s best to provide these in a neat, organized document that lists your references’ names, contact information, and relationship to you.
PRE-WRITTEN QUESTIONS
When you are putting the resume copies and the blank paper in your folder or folio, also add at least two or three pre-written questions for your interviewers to have on hand. It’s good to write them down ahead of time in case your mind suddenly goes blank when you get the question, “Do you have any questions?”
SOUND SMART
Yes, it's important to know what to bring to the interview, but as you can probably surmise, it's what you say during the interview that will have the biggest impact on whether or not you move on to round two. Need some help crafting memorable answers? Be ready for some of the common questions asked in an interview: from ("Tell us a little about yourself") to standard questions like ("Why do you want this job?") to the more treacherous question ("What's your biggest weakness?").
Hope this is helpful Leilani
Thank You Kim. Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.
Doc Frick
Kim Igleheart
Career Counselor | Police Officer
1664
Answers
San Antonio, Texas
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Words not to say. . . "just." "only."
As in, "I was just a cashier." "I was only there to help out."
You are trying to build yourself up, not tear yourself down. Never minimalize your achievements.
Don't say anything that makes it sound like you are begging for a first job. Sell yourself, based on your past accomplishments - school, sports, attendance, teamwork, initiative, ethics, etc. Just because you have never worked doesn't mean you don't bring anything to the table!
A lot of times they will ask: so, why should we hire you? It's okay to say, "Well, I know this will be my first job, but, given I already have a strong sense of responsibility and teamwork, I believe I would be a good fit with your company and would deliver a high level of customer service to help you grow your business." That is, you can acknowledge the "weakness," but, show why it should not be a concern.
Or they might ask, "we are considering one other candidate, why should we hire you over them?" And then you start with, "I don't know anything about them. I do know that I would be a good selection because. . . . "
It's difficult to be modest and brag on ourselves at the same time, but, that's the challenge in a job interview!
Remember, no matter how it goes, it is experience, and will help you prepare for the next one. After the interview, evaluate how you did, what questions gave you difficulty, and how you could better have answered them. There will always be another interview, although, hopefully, you do well on this one and get the job! Good luck!!
As in, "I was just a cashier." "I was only there to help out."
You are trying to build yourself up, not tear yourself down. Never minimalize your achievements.
Don't say anything that makes it sound like you are begging for a first job. Sell yourself, based on your past accomplishments - school, sports, attendance, teamwork, initiative, ethics, etc. Just because you have never worked doesn't mean you don't bring anything to the table!
A lot of times they will ask: so, why should we hire you? It's okay to say, "Well, I know this will be my first job, but, given I already have a strong sense of responsibility and teamwork, I believe I would be a good fit with your company and would deliver a high level of customer service to help you grow your business." That is, you can acknowledge the "weakness," but, show why it should not be a concern.
Or they might ask, "we are considering one other candidate, why should we hire you over them?" And then you start with, "I don't know anything about them. I do know that I would be a good selection because. . . . "
It's difficult to be modest and brag on ourselves at the same time, but, that's the challenge in a job interview!
Remember, no matter how it goes, it is experience, and will help you prepare for the next one. After the interview, evaluate how you did, what questions gave you difficulty, and how you could better have answered them. There will always be another interview, although, hopefully, you do well on this one and get the job! Good luck!!
Tamim Ali
1
Answer
Updated
Tamim’s Answer
You should always bring a note book and pen to write down any additional information during the interview process.
Ellen Russo
2
Answers
Mesa, Arizona
Updated
Ellen’s Answer
The one question that you should be ready to answer is what they call a S.A.R. question. They will ask a question along the lines of tell me about a time when you went above and beyond to help a customer. S.A.R. stands for Situation, Action, Response so you can write that down and have it ready.