Etiquette Today: The Job Interview Part I - Self-Assessment
See how a good self-assessment can set you up well for an upcoming job interview.
The Job Interview Part I: Self-Assessment
Presenting your best professional self is key to making a good impression in a job interview, whether it’s at the cafe around the corner, a major firm, your first job, or one of many, or maybe even your dream job. It’s a big moment often associated with a lot of pressure or anxiety, but with a few good self-checks, you can make sure you’re ready to show your best. Let’s look at how you can do an honest self-assessment well before your interview so you can feel confident about making a good first impression.
SELF ASSESSMENT
Before any job interview, doing an objective self-assessment is key. This isn’t to heavily criticize yourself but to be sure that you like what you are presenting to those who are going to be evaluating you. We can all get very comfortable with ourselves as we are, and that comfort and familiarity can cause us to not always notice things we might like to take care of. Maybe the facial scruff is something you intend to keep, but is it managed and clean? How does your voice sound when you talk with others? What’s your natural posture looking like these days? When we think about presenting ourselves well, the goal is to feel confident in our presentation, not to fit one particular aesthetic. Let’s look at three things to consider.
Appearance - It can be easy to be overly critical when judging our own personal appearance, so now would be a time to be thoughtful and kind in your approach to answering the following questions. You might want the help of a trusted friend to ask about things like body odor, and errant hairs.
How is my personal hygiene?
Is there anything distracting about my hair, the way I wear makeup (if worn), or how I manage my nails? How about my body art? Will my choices fit with the company culture?
What do my expressions look like when I talk?
How confident am I about my clothing options? Do I have an outfit that allows me and my business skills to shine for this interview, or will it take attention away from what I’m trying to highlight?
Actions - The way we move, our gestures, and how we hold ourselves, all contribute to someone’s overall impression of us. Slouched over, arms crossed and gaze down, does not look like a confident engaging applicant. Head level, standing or sitting upright, shoulders relaxed, making eye contact (or looking at the bridge of the person’s nose if eye contact is hard,) delivers a confident, approachable impression. Ask yourself:
Are my habits something I can control? If so, are there other ways to exercise that energy without it being a distraction?
How do I hold my body? And how do I hold my body after sitting for 20 minutes?
Do I make gestures as I talk? Could I be a little more or less animated?
Can I sustain eye contact comfortably? If not, can I make sure my attention is directed at the person with whom I am speaking?
Words - Our words matter, and it’s not just which words we choose to say but how we say them that makes a difference. When we are trying to make a good impression, we want our words to be clear, confident, and well-chosen. 99% of making that happen, is slowing down to think before you speak. It’s okay to take a moment to gather your thoughts. Just as impressive as someone who fires off a great response in an interview is someone who is clearly being thoughtful with their answers. Ask yourself:
Do I speak clearly?
Do I know the words I’m using and do I feel confident in them?
Does my volume go up or down in different situations?
How’s the speed I speak at?
How’s my tone and inflection when I talk?
A good self-assessment, with an eye toward the professional environment you’re hoping to enter, should act as a starting point for putting together your outfit, your materials, and your plan for getting to your interview. We’ll cover those tips for our next Etiquette Today article. For now, take a moment and absorb the answers you’ve given yourself. Think about how you can make small adjustments in each of these three areas to improve the first impression that you give.
EXPLORE MORE
If you’re looking for more ways to amp up your professional self-improvement check out our eLearning courses. (Corporate packages available.)
Or our book: The Etiquette Advantage in Business, 3rd Edition.
That’s it for today, keep an eye out for the Saturday Sip for your weekend dose of Emily Post!
Until then!