How to Crush Any Interview

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My Saturday morning began with me sitting in a marketing agency’s waiting room. I was waiting to have a personal meeting with a president of a company to ask questions and get acquainted. Being nineteen years old and always dreaming of being an entrepreneur this was everything I have always wanted. My palms were sweaty and my mind was racing with ideas, and I loved this feeling. This is the feeling anyone would have right before an importing meeting or interview. The entrepreneur side of me helped pull my mind together and wanted to just execute this meeting.When the hands on my watch struck 9:00 and it was show time I threw on my game face and was ready for this moment. I want to share what I did during that meeting that made me stand out from the rest, I’d like to believe. Before diving in though I want to state I do not want to take full credit for these steps. The same president I was meeting with this morning, I had met before in a small group Q & A. A question was asked on how to stand out in today’s world, she gave us a list of things to do to execute any interview. I burned those steps into my mind and implemented them that morning with her. These are the four steps to success and how I used them in my personal experience.

Step 1: Do Your Homework:

What I did with this step was I went onto the companies website and read their story. This is effective because it helps you learn more about the company and their values that they are looking for. You will also learn about their presidents or CEOs, which just might be interviewing you. I found each of the presidents of the company and did my research on them. This helped me prepare what type of questions I’ll ask and what type of people I’d be dealing with. This also helps you know what the company is looking for and help prepare you for questions that may get asked. Also, come with questions of your own, you are just as much interviewing the company as they are interview you. This helps you learn about your company and potentially prevent you from jumping into a company that does not fit well with you. Overall, this will already will make you stand out in an employers eyes. This shows you care about the company, and that is the type of people companies want.

Step 2: Do Something To Stand Out During The Interview

This step will really show the company why they should pick you. This will show you are unique and a critical thinker, which is what EVERY company wants. What I did to stand out was I took my online education Facebook page, Haider Pansophy, and compared my insight and numbers to theirs. I piggy- backed off my first step and did my homework. I found all of their total likes on there page, their YouTube subscribers, and year they created the company. This helps show I did my homework, but also lets me shine with how well my Facebook page is.This showed the company I can manage a project and make it excel, which is what they want in managers. Doing this will truly show the company that you are not just some typical “golden” resume business degree student.

Step 3: Dress For The Position You Want

(Excuse my wrinkled shirt, don’t be like me)

This one should be a obvious but often is miss-executed. Dress for the type of position you want, this leaves a positive impression to the company. Do not borrow one of your friends suits that does not fit you right and makes you look unprofessional. Do your research and buy a new suit or formal wear, a nice suit goes a long way in business. Showing up with a nice suit, nice dress shoes, and a beautiful time piece will really set an example on who you are to the company. You are a person who wants a professional image and will carry that out with keeping their company image professional. Science says it takes seven seconds for someone to judge you. First impressions are everything in the job world, you want that first seven seconds to go well. I can say in my personal experience one thing I messed up is my under shirt. It was very wrinkled, do not be like me and make sure everything is ironed and ready to go the night before. This is one area I could of improved on and will remember for next time.

Step 4: Go In Prepared

This is one of the most important steps and often the one people focus on heavily. Do not just go into a interview and think that your “golden” resume will seal the deal and they will instantly fall in love with you. Prepare the night before so you can go into the interview will less nervousness and more confidence. Picture yourself achieving success in the interview, this method is very commonly taught in speech to help you be confident. You do not want to get caught off guard by the company and not know how to answer a question. You want to show them you took the initiative to practice and show you can preform when it is time to.

Step 5: Follow Up — Stand Out

(Courtesy of Ash Q’S Thinky Inks)

The fun and unique step that allows you to get creative and show why they should pick you. If you are following the steps laid out then you have already done one thing to stand out, it is time to wrap it all up and truly stand out. Do not be afraid to stand out and do something out of the ordinary to stand out and show the company how serious you are. People will always remember unique people, normal will just be remembered as normal. You want to show them that you are not just another normal person, but the person they need in their company. You want to do something unique to keep you in the mind of the company instead of the other options. This also shows the company you respected the time they gave you. What I did is went to a colleague who creates custom cards out of her dorm room. I paid more than your average thank you card, but the final product was way more than your average thank you card. As you can see above it was a custom card just for the business I met with to show them how thankful I was for their time. Do something unique to thank a company and tell them you are the right choice and I promise it will leave a powerful impact on their selection.

In conclusion, getting this experience was something I have always dreamed of. I was not getting an interview for a job, but simply getting time to ask questions and meet the president of a company. I was so thankful for this opportunity that I wanted to show that through my actions. If you follow these steps this will help you crush any interview whether it is for a job or just a one-on-one with someone important. I hope you enjoyed this post, many more on business, entrepreneurship, and life will be coming soon!

Link to the amazing company I met with:

http://blakelycompany.com/

7/28/2017