No Fear Interview Preparedness

If you are anything like me, or anyone else actually, then the idea of a job interview gets you nervous. Thankfully, I've had a lot of practice with interviews. I've had several interviews, design related and part time job related, and the more interviews I've done the easier they get— but that's not to say I don't have a few tricks to do well on the interview prepared as well. So here are a few of the tips that my dad taught me, from the perspective of an employer, that helps me go into the interview a little more confident even if my nerves are shot. By the end of this blog post, you'll be able to interview for supreme ruler of the world and take over the universe.

Step One: Research Ok, so the first step would be actually be getting an interview in the first place. But let's just assume for this blog post that you already sent in your resume and landed an interview.

Ok so you have the interview, but the first thing you gotta do is a ton of research. Obviously, if you applied to the company you must have done a ton of that already, but now it's time to come up with your interview questions. You never want to walk into an interview without a set of questions ready to ask the interviewer. When the guy interviewing you asks "Do you have any questions?" the kiss of death would be to say "nah, I'm good." So fire up your internet and get on their website to come up with a list of questions. First, look for what their mission statement is. The mission statement is what that company is all about, and is usually hidden somewhere on the about page. Note: This might not jump out at you.

Next, look at their work, and see how their mission statement applies to their work. If they are a place that prides itself on tailoring their style to meet the clients needs, then see how their body of work reflects that. These are the kind of things you are going to sneakily use for conversation, like "I see you guys don't have a set style, that's cool how you make each project for each specific client." Or something along those lines. You're basically regurgitating what is on their website and using it to show you are interested and did your research on them. Flatter them.

Not like this Besides their work, one of the big things to remember is asking about their office culture. The biggest concern I found from most places I interned or interviewed at was making sure I got along with their vibe. Employers could potentially be spending 8 or more hours a day with you, and if you're a jerk or annoying or too stiff they are gonna look elsewhere. To combat the performance anxiety, just think of it like you're having a conversation with someone you just met at a party or on a first date, whatever. You wanna give a great, professional first impression of yourself as well as show that you can hang. Coming in too professional makes you a robot, and creative jobs thankfully have dislodged the corporate stick from their asses. So relax, let them start the convo, and try to make it a balance of interview and your personal interests. I usually can tell an interview is going well when the conversation steers to internet references or my favorite Game of Thrones characters.

Those are just some things to prepare you for hopefully many successful interviews. Here are some more useful things that might help you out and another great place to turn to is Reddit's subreddit InterviewFauxYou. They help you practice for your interview, go over your resume, and even help you stay calm and collected!