10 Tips To Make You Stand Out At Your Next Job Interview
So you're one step closer to landing your dream job. You just got the email confirming your in-person job interview and now, quite frankly, you're freaking out.
It's understandable. Interviews can be intimidating. One wrong answer and all your hard work can be diminished to zero. It's even more stressful when you're interviewing with a company that you know is the perfect fit for you.
Here are a few tips to show the hiring manager that you are the right and only person for the job:
Before The Interview
Do your research.Find out the company culture by exploring the website and checking their social media pages. There are 5 ways to do this successfully.
Figure out your ETA.Map out how long it will take you to get to the interview so that you can avoid being late. Use Google maps or your preferred GPS.
Practice your responses. Here's 31 of the most common interview questions. Study the typical questions and practice how you would answer them.
Speak to the secretary.Once you get there, don't waste time in the lobby battling your nervous jitters, instead use that time to be nice and polite to the secretary. How you behave when your interviewer isn't around is just as important as how you behave when she walks into the room.
During The Interview
Dress professionally, of course.Appearance is the first thing your interviewer will see, make it memorable. If you're still not sure how to dress for your interview, read this.
Bring a bottle of water.If you're extremely nervous and you want to be able to have a few extra seconds to respond to hard questions, bring a bottle of water so that you can open it up and take a sip while you think about your response. It's a good thing to do once or twice during an interview.
Ask your own questions.This is your opportunity to evaluate the company too, take advantage of it. Here is a list of questions to choose from and be sure to never ask these questions.
After The Interview
Go to the restroom. Ask to go to the restroom once the interview is over. This will give you a chance to tour the office and will allow you to determine if it's an environment you will enjoy.
Say thank you.If you really want to leave a lasting impression, send a thank you email and a written thank you note. Have an empty thank you card handy, prior to the interview. Once the interview is over, go to your car, fill out the card, put it in an envelope and leave it with the secretary or drop it at the postal office on your way home.
Follow up. Following-up after an interview can be tricky. Here are 10 templates you can use to follow up after an in-person interview, phone interview and other situations.
The waiting game can be tough. But, doing all that you can to show that you are the best candidate for a position before, during, and after an interview is the best thing you can do to combat your fear and anxiety. Worst case scenario, you'll have no regrets even if you don't get the job. Best case scenario? You'll be able to say good-bye to life as you know it and hello to the next chapter of your life. It's worth the effort!
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What are some techniques you practice to make sure you land the job when you interview? Let us know in the comments below!
*Originally posted on employeeredefined.com
Adunola Adeshola was the girl always searching for jobs in her free time and having weekly mini meltdowns about her career. Now, she is the founder of employeeREDEFINED and she teaches driven, purpose-minded millennials how to get more out of their careers and lives. Visit employeeREDEFINED.com for more tips and advice on how to get unstuck in your career and life.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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The Champion's Path: How Cari Champion Is Redefining Roles For Black Women In Media
Cari Champion has had many dream jobs. All of them have helped inform what she does and does not want for herself moving forward. “I get more and more curious. My dreams evolve. My desires change,” she said. “And I feel sorry for people who can’t experience that because it’s a beautiful feeling, it’s a beautiful challenge, and it makes you everything that you are.”
When we speak in late April, the journalist and media personality is preparing for a visit to Atlanta for The Black Effect Podcast Festival. The trip would allow her to spend time in a city that she said taught her a lot about herself and working in the media industry.
Champion was still early in her career when she worked for Atlanta’s CBS affiliate news station, where she was fired, reinstated, and subsequently quit after being accused of accidentally cursing on air in 2008. (“I didn’t. They knew I didn’t. I said ‘mothersucka,’” she said of the hot mic incident.) Still, the Los Angeles native insists she only has the fondest memories of her time in the southern city.
“I grew up in West LA, then moved to Pasadena, and those kinds of familial, tight-knit Black groups just didn’t exist. LA is spread out in a lot of ways,” she said. “To me, Atlanta ultimately built this woman that I am today and [is] why I speak so comfortably for us and for Black people. I had to have that entire experience.”
"To me, Atlanta ultimately built this woman that I am today and [is] why I speak so comfortably for us and for Black people."
It’s been 16 years since Champion moved from Atlanta and her career, as well as her desire to center Black voices in her work, has soared. After working as an anchor and court-side reporter for The Tennis Channel, she spent nearly a decade working as a host and anchor on ESPN for shows such as First Take and SportsCenter.
By the time she began hosting Cari & Jemele: Stick to Sports, on Vice TV with Jemele Hill in 2020, Champion had increasingly become determined to shun the notion that only sports reporters and athletes could credibly discuss sports. The Vice show featured guests such as LeBron James and Magic Johnson, but also Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Sen. Cory Booker.
At a time when America was reckoning with its racial history, Champion solidified herself as a trailblazer for Black women in sports media, as well as a crucial voice for cultural commentary. Today, she regularly appears on CNN discussing sports, culture, and politics.
Champion is now hosting the fourth season of the podcast Naked with Cari Champion on The Black Effect Podcast Festival, which is a partnership between iHeartMedia and Charlamagne Tha God, a media personality and a friend. “We kind of grew up together in this game. And when we first started figuring out or getting attention on a different type of level than we were used to, we learned a lot together,” she said of Charlamagne. “He put this network together for people who are beginning [and] people who are old-heads in the business. He wanted to make sure that all of us had a voice.”
It’s been an adjustment for a traditional TV reporter to transition into podcasting, but Champion said she’s found the medium to be a “much more freeing world.” When she’s speaking to guests such as talk show host Tamron Hall, singer Muni Long, or retired athlete Sanya Richards-Ross, she can “get lost in a conversation” and embrace a more casual environment than the structure of a cable TV show would allow.
Behind the scenes, Champion’s still doing her part to make sure there continues to be a pipeline of Black and brown women in journalism and beyond, too.
In 2018, she launched the nonprofit Brown Girls Dream and enlisted her celebrity friends to help mentor young women in a way that she felt she was never able to receive in the early years of her own career. “When I was at ESPN, I used to get all these emails from different Black and brown girls in the business. They wanted to talk to me about how they could [have the opportunity to] do the same thing [as me],” Champion said. “It fills my heart to see somebody actually get an opportunity to talk to somebody who can guide them through their career.”
Current Brown Girls Dream mentors include journalists Jemele Hill and Nichelle Turner, marketing executive Bozoma Saint John, and more. “These women are just the dopest ever and they take time out to give back to brown girls,” Champion said. “It’s special.”
When she reflects on representation in sports media roles, the Naked host said she’s inspired by the women of color she sees on television today. “I think women of color are doing great. It’s become more and more common to be on air and be Black girl magic,” she said.
“I think that the next level for us, in terms of Black and brown women in this business succeeding, is having true power over what our words are and what the content is,” she added. “Because, when push comes to shove and we want to really tell a story, we sometimes have to acquiesce, and we can't tell the story the way we want to. The next level is that we actually do have editorial control.”
"I think that the next level for us, in terms of Black and brown women in this business succeeding, is having true power over what our words are and what the content is."
Ultimately, Champion is still dreaming and looking to make an impact. She said she wants to eventually launch her own Black news network. “I would love to have a huge platform that focused on the stories that I think Black and brown women care about,” Champion said. “There are so many stories that are being missed.”
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Featured image Emma McIntyre / Staff/Getty Images