Preparing for an Interview

The interview is one of the best opportunities to impress a potential employer during the hiring process. Not only are they putting a face to your name, they’re pairing a personality to your accomplishments.

This past summer I interviewed and was hired to be a sales associate at a stationery store. I had interviewed for colleges before, but never for a job. I didn’t know what to expect but managed to impress my soon-to-be manager during the interview. Here are some key ways to turn the nerve-wracking interview process into the reason you get the job.

1.Ask friends and family:
Your friends and family know you better than anyone else and can give you an idea of how to answer questions like these…

  • What are three of your biggest strengths?
  • What is your biggest weakness?
  • What do you have to offer that other candidates don’t?

2.Search and practice common interview questions Hint: Check CP&R’s Services Guide and online interview resources

  • Tell me about yourself?
  • Why do you want this position?
  • Describe a situation in which you faced a challenge and how you overcame that challenge.
  • Why do you want to work for our organization?

3.Practice presentation:
Eye contact and a firm handshake are key elements of presenting yourself professionally. Also, do not underestimate the importance of presenting yourself as someone who is kind and thoughtful. Over the summer, when I was working with the manager who hired me for my summer job, she said to me proudly: “I hire nice people.” Essentially, consider that your interviewer is hiring you as a colleague. Show them why you are someone they should want to work with.

4.Summon your confidence:
This is your time to brag about yourself. Explain your accomplishments and experience in the depth that you weren’t able to go into on your resume. Most importantly, talk about the things that don’t neatly fit into the boxes on your resume that make you stand out. Consider what your most important commitment is and how it is (and isn’t!) represented on your resume.

5.Ask your own questions:
Being curious about the position that you are interviewing for will show your interviewer that you are invested in this opportunity. Prepare three questions to ask at the end of the interview, and take note of the response your interviewer gives you. Some potential questions could include…

  • What would my day-to-day responsibilities look like?
  • What do you like most about working here?
  • What does success look like?

Prepare questions that surround the position you are applying for specifically as well. Before your interview, research the company’s mission statement or values and ask about how your interviewer feels those values are manifested in the company. Ask about the position you’re applying for and how it contributes to the company as a whole.

6.Practice makes perfect:
You can practice with friends, but you can even prepare by heading to the CP&R office and scheduling a mock interview. By practicing with others you will be sure to be pushed to answer tougher questions. Get feedback on how to get the position of your dreams!

An Interview Nightmare

An update from the depths of the semester: While I am still deep in the summer internship search I am thrilled to announce that I will be interning part-time at Activision/Blizzard Studios! I am incredibly excited about this opportunity and cannot wait to get to work. Even though I have the position secured I am still searching for a second opportunity to fill the rest of the week.  That brings me to what my blog topic for today: Interviewing.

I just had one of the most nerve wracking interviews of my life.  I got an email from a major studio recently requesting an interview and I couldn’t have been more excited!  It sounded like my perfect internship. I did everything you’re supposed to: I researched the company, I prepared points about my past positions, and I viewed my interviewer’s LinkedIn profile. 

I thought I was completely prepared when I sat down for the interview.  I found out a few minutes into the call something that pulled the rug out from under me.  Due to a communication issue, I believed that the position was for scripted TV Development (shows with pre-written scripts).  But the position was actually for an internship in unscripted TV (reality TV and game shows)!  I felt the blood drain from my face I was so shocked.  Everything I had prepared for the interview was useless.

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I thought on my feet as best as I could and still had a pleasant conversation but, needless to say, I didn’t get the position.  While disappointing, I’m trying not to be too hard on myself because I’m not sure the error could have been prevented.  I’m still searching for a second opportunity to fill out my week, but at least now though I have survived the worst and I know things will work out alright in the end.

Job Interview Tips

Its that time of year again! Time for the stress that is job interviews! You’ve finally sent off a decent amount of applications and successfully gotten to the point where a company is interested in you.  Here are a few tips to nail that first impression!

Do Your Research

I can’t emphasize how important this is.  Make sure that you have done your research into the company by looking through their website and recent news articles on them.  Research not only the company itself but also your interviewers if you know who they are.  Knowing what their role at the company too shows you have done your work.  You can only control so much in an interview and knowing background information is something that you can be proactive about. 

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Breathe

Try to schedule some time before the interview to decompress.  Interviews can be very stressful! Remember, it is a conversation not an interrogation.  You are trying to see if this place is a fit for you as well. 

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Be Prepared to Talk about Yourself

Come into the interview with a goal of conveying a few things about yourself.  You know your experiences well.  If you think there is a skill from an old position that makes you perfect for some aspect of this new role, touch on that at some point!

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Prepare Some Questions For Them

Don’t let it get to the end of the interview where they ask “Do you have any questions for us” and stare blankly.  Prepare some final questions about things that they may not touch on during the interview.  And they should not be things that can be easily googled! That is part of doing your research.  A standby of mine is asking about company culture or what they like about working there.  It can give valuable insight about what it is like to spend 5 days a week in one place.

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I know interviews can be extremely intimidating but, armed with these tips, feel confident you can go forth and conquer!

Gender and the Politics of My Outfit

In October of 2016, I attended a networking trip to Los Angeles with Scripps CP&R. I was excited for the trip, but full of anxiety about how to dress. I am a transgender man, I had to decide whether to dress comfortably in men’s clothes or dress safely in women’s clothes. Picking a first impression outfit becomes more difficult when I’m not sure how interviewers and potential employers will read me.

Everyone worries about what to wear to an interview, a company visit, or the first day of work. We worry what interviewers and employers will think of us, and whether our appearances will help or hurt us in our attempt to get a job. But some people have to worry more: women have to worry about the high and ever-changing standards placed on their appearances; People of color have to worry about the ways in which their natural skin or hair might be perceived as “unprofessional”; transgender people, too, have to worry about how they present themselves to potential employers, often with the stakes of their safety and their careers.

The decision of “should I dress masculinely or femininely?” also relies on my status as a pre-hormone therapy and pre-surgery transgender person. For any transgender person who isn’t always read as their true gender, deciding whether or not to attempt to “pass” is a constant question. When I get dressed for an interview, I have to decide whether I am going to try to be read as a man, and perhaps fail, or give up and dress in women’s clothes. Wearing men’s clothes means I feel more comfortable in my clothes, but my clothes might influence whether or not I get a job–I might be perceived as a transgender person or as a lesbian, and an employer could, knowingly or subconsciously, decide that someone else is “better-qualified” for the position because they perceive me as a member of the LGBT community.

Dressing in women’s clothes means I will feel uncomfortable in my clothes and definitely uncomfortable in the way I am perceived, but might have a better chance of getting the job or internship I’m trying to get. During the trip in October, after much anxiety, I chose to wear a blouse, a women’s blazer, and trousers, as well as a full face of makeup for the first day of company visits. Wearing these clothes felt outside my range of comfort: I would have much preferred to wear a men’s shirt and maybe a tie.

I was once talking to a transgender friend about how to dress for an interview, and he told me that it was the most important thing to be true to myself: however, I think that sometimes I have to just make the choice that will keep me safe and ensure that minimal drama arises in my life. Sometimes that means being uncomfortable, but, to me, that’s a necessary sacrifice.

If I learned one thing from the networking trip, it was that in the future I would do research on whether the companies I want to employ me are LGBT-friendly. I recommend, for other transgender job searchers, doing your research. Try calling or emailing human resources at your target companies if you can’t find the information online, or reaching out to any connections you might have at those companies. Once you know whether a company will support your identity, you can decide for yourself whether or not it’s worth it to pursue a job at that company.

Sometimes going undercover as your assigned gender might be worth it for a while; sometimes it might be a better option to not pursue positions at companies that don’t support transgender employees. It’s up to you, but having all the information is key and can definitely cut down on anxiety. Ultimately, it’s most important to remain safe, and only take the risks you’re comfortable taking–and make sure you have all the information first.

Further reading: “How to Manage a Job Search as a Transgender Candidate”

The Interview

Like the college application process, interviews are the only way an applicant can really show off their personality. If you have an interview for a job, congrats! You are really in a great position – you know that the employer thinks you have the credentials, work experience, and skill set needed for the position. Interviews are for confirming that you would fit in, that you’d be a positive addition to the workforce, and that you’re able to communicate clearly. Below is a list of websites that talk about what interviewers look for, as well as my responses to them. I draw on my experiences interviewing both in person and on the phone.

Positivity is a must – though interviewers want to see that you take the job seriously, speaking with anything but a smile is not going to win over your interviewer. Smiling also reinstates how confident you are and how excited you are about the job opportunity. Maturity is also needed, especially when you are up against other college-aged candidates because it will set you apart. I tend to speak really fast and use abbreviations/slang/”like” so I always watch myself and make sure I speak slowly during interviews. I have been interviewed by people who are young and seem buddy-buddy, and I’ve been tempted to disclose fun stories and start using slang. One interviewer started talking about concerts, and while I could have talked all about my concert-going experiences, I caught myself because it was not work-related. Also, appearance is the first thing interviewers register when they see you. There’s no “magic” outfit that will get you the job so anything goes as long as you look neat, clean, and professional.  I always wear a dress, blazer, black shoes, and no jewelry with my hair pulled back.

There are important qualities on this list that interviewers look for, though it is hard to get these qualities across sometimes. A common question in an interview is “tell me about your previous job”. I always have a 2-minute response prepared that shows I am a hard worker [I worked 40 hours a week in my last job], a team player [I explain a school project I worked on and what my role was in it], and a problem solver/prepared/detail-oriented [I explain a problem that arose during this group project and the steps I took to fix it]. When prepping for this interview question, I always think “ok, what qualities of mine do I want them to know I have,” then I memorize a few work/school experiences that show these qualities.

Do. your. research. Citing a recent article/news event that is relevant to the company, or even a study conducted by the organization, will show you are already invested in the job and that you have respect for the organization. I  do this when the hiring manager asks “how did you find out about us?” Speaking enthusiastically about what you learned so far about the company gives the hiring manager confidence that you will be a positive contributor. Also be prepared with a copy of your resume, references, transcript, and cover letter. One time I did not bring these materials in because I assumed they would already have them from my application – turns out they were somewhat disorganized and lost my materials, so when it was time for them to choose an intern, they did not have my cover letter, resume, or references.

If you stumble over words, forget the name of your old boss, or mispronounce something, don’t freak out! In my experience, it’s the overall impression from the interview that is important i.e. how you carry yourself. Interviews are inherently nerve-wracking, but have the confidence that you’ve made it this far, read up on the organization, and look sharp!