This article is an update to a previous blog post that can be found here: Previous Post!
Exactly two years and four days (at the time of writing) have passed since my first article on interviews was published. And what can I say? A LOT has changed. Not only have I been interviewed many times since then, but I’ve also gotten the opportunity to go behind the scenes and interview people myself. In this blog post, you’ll learn everything you need to be great at interviewing–whether it’s for an officer position, a college, or a job.
Before the Interview
Resume: A must have if you’re interviewing for a job or a college! Make sure it caters to your field of work/study. For example, if you have an upcoming interview for a college and you’re planning to study business, the interviewer definitely wants to see what business-related activities you’ve done in the past. Grades, awards, projects, and necessary skills are also a plus. Make sure it’s only one page!
Outfit: If the type of interview (casual or formal) isn’t specified, dress based on what position you’re interviewing for. In-person club interviews typically don’t have any requirements, so wear what you feel is most comfortable. (When I conducted interviews for a club I was a part of, all of our applicants came in wearing regular school outfits). College interviews are in the middle–wear something nice, but a suit isn’t always necessary. Consider my college interviews–I either wore a sweater or a button up shirt with corduroy pants. Of course, job interviews are typically serious matters. Unlike the previous two, a suit/pantsuit is expected to prove how professional you are and that you care about the position.
Priorities: Who are you? What do you like? How do you spend your free time? Apart from being thought-provoking questions, it’s important to understand your priorities before an interview. Why? Because there’s a really high chance your interviewer will ask you to “describe yourself” or to “give a pitch” or another question amongst those lines. Here’s a good formula to keep in mind:
Your pitch = your current personal state + your academics + your extracurriculars + any notable awards + your outside hobbies/interests.
Here’s an example that uses your favorite blog writer (me!):
My name is Sana and I’m a high school senior from Santa Clarita, California. I’m a top student at my school and my favorite subject is science. My extracurriculars include volunteering and public speaking. I’ve won many awards in both, such as the Key Club Member of the Year award. When I’m not helping out others, you can usually find me playing badminton or listening to music.
Bonus: Tailor your pitch to the position you’re applying for. Here’s a hypothetical example I’d use if I was applying to a position on an environmental science club:
My name is Sana and I’m a high school senior from Santa Clarita, California. I’m a top student who loves to understand how all of the things I learn relate to the environment—from economics to biology. When I’m not studying the environment, I’m working to make change—such as by implementing “thrift stores” with the help of my local library’s Teen Advisory Board. And to no one’s surprise, I love spending time outdoors, such as by going on walks while listening to my favorite tunes or playing badminton.
Author’s Note: I don’t have any environmental related awards here, whoops! And yes, I did run a clothing swap/thrift store with TAB. Shameless self plug 🙂
Preparing for Questions: Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: answering interview questions. It’s hard! Not only do you have to be prepared to answer a given question (there are so many options!), but you also have to explain it in a way that the interviewer can understand it and avoid rambling for too long. What should you do?
Simple: practice answering questions. Find a friend, adult, sibling, or someone you trust to sit down with you and ask sample interview questions. There’s a ton of them online for you to use as reference. Answer them fully–don’t miss any parts of the question–and speak s l o w l y. Try to also stay concise. As much as you love explaining your favorite game, chances are the interviewer might not want to listen to your 3-hour explanation on why it’s the most unique game in history.
A big chunk of your interview’s success depends on what you do before it. So last but not least, don’t procrastinate!
During the Interview
The most important thing to do now is to stay calm and collected. Practice deep breathing, avoid fidgeting if the interviewer can see you do so, and sit up straight. Repeat exactly what you prepared for before.
Another important thing to understand is that you might make a mistake or two during your interview. Whether it’s a small stutter or a longer tangent on something you don’t need to talk about, remember that it’s okay to make mistakes. Just try to go back to what you were explaining previously. And don’t think about it until after the interview is done.
After the Interview
Within 24 hours following your interview: Send a thank you note to your interviewer! This is usually done through email. If you have multiple interviewers, send each of them their own note. In your note, you should express gratitude that the other person was able to interview you, what you learned about the position, something unique brought up in your interview, and then finally close it off with a formal letter/email closing. Not only will it make your interviewer happy, but expressing gratitude is also good for your mental health.
Results: The part you’ve been waiting for—finding out the interview results! There are (usually) two possible results:
Accepted: Congrats! Whether it was a club position, a college, or a job, you’ve just made a big step in your professional, educational, and personal career.
Rejected: Unfortunately, we don’t always get what we want. Getting rejected from positions or schools is VERY common—you’re not the only one. There’s multiple things to keep in mind when this happens:
1) It was probably not about you: I’ve done officer interviews and I know this since my task as an interviewer was to look for groups of candidates who seemed to “synergize” with others. Everyone was qualified for the position, but not everyone could meet this requirement.
2) Don’t give up: There’s countless jobs, colleges, club positions, etc that you can interview for. Even if you get rejected from one, just know that once you’re ready, you can interview for another.
3) Take care of your mental health: No one likes to receive emails that say “After careful consideration…we have decided not to go further with you as an applicant” or any other combination of words referencing a rejection. If you get an opportunity, celebrate it! But if you don’t, take some time off for yourself. Go watch your favorite movie, read a few books, play with your pets, just do something to keep your mind happy instead of sad.
And that’s a wrap! I hope that gave you a lot of insight into interviews, especially if you’ve never done one before. Good luck interviewing 🙂
Author’s Note: I asked some other teens who have done interviews for their tips, so here they are!
Tips from other Teens:
“Each job is looking for particular characteristics. Try to match yourself to those characteristics”
“Appeal to a company’s beliefs so they hire you.”
“Be better”- Alice, former Teen Advisory Board member (this is a joke).
Thanks to the students in my computer science class for these tips!
Post by ~ Sana
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