Interview Tips: First Impressions Count!

Whether you’re preparing for a college admissions or job interview, your interviewer or the entire committee will judge you from your initial contact.  What does this mean? Your introductory cover letter that accompanies your CV or resume – YES, ALWAYS INCLUDE A WELL-WRITTEN COVER LETTER – can entice the readers and highlight your skills and accomplishments in ways that might be missed without one.  So don’t shoot quick texts or emails while setting up the interview.  Keep it professional with a positive spin. 

As I review hundreds of applications and resumes each year, I toss out applications that are sent without cover letters or letters that are incoherent.  If the applicant shows little regard for professionalism in applying for a job, it worries me to think how they will represent my programs in the future.  Likewise, when applicants show up wearing torn up jeans or revealing blouses, they start the interview with a mark against them.

But I find the most revealing information about the applicant as we chit chat BEFORE the interview.  Talking about the weather, the traffic, or the latest news gives me insight to their demeanor.  Is their glass half full or half empty?  I like to surround myself with Problem SOLVERS, not Negative Nancys! It’s easier to determine this during an informal conversation before the interview starts than when the interviewee is on their best behavior during the formal interview itself. 

My college-bound students even go so far as to clean their cars and actually practice getting in and out of their cars gracefully before their college interviews.  Yup!  As I coach them on winning over the interviewer, I tell my clients that their interview starts when they pull up to the interview parking location.  If they drive in late and panicked – possibly cutting off other drivers or parking in a handicapped space, the interviewer will probably take note of that.  The way they get out of their car and enter the building may also be viewed by the interviewer.  Applicants should take a deep breath, think of 3 positive things to say to break the ice and open their “pre-interview” conversation, and then open their car doors.  When the interviewer sees a happy face and a positive gait, it sets the stage for a good interview.

A Harvard Business School study just revealed that chatting before an interview offers rapport building that can help the applicant in the initial stages of the interview.  Check out the Harvard Business Review article here.  So whether you’re getting prepared to be interviewed or you’re setting up the structure for an interview, remember that your initial impressions will start way before the formal interview begins!