Don't Think Too Much About It!!

Trying to maintain eye-contact, keep a calm voice, avoid saying ‘uhm’, and finally breath. These were the thoughts that circulated my mind as I waited for my interviews to begin. The idea of professionalism always connected with the word ‘interview’ and the idea of dressing professionally. When people think of interviews, sometimes a scary thought crosses our minds as we think about what questions that will be thrown at us and then our train of thought becomes a jumble. Although this doesn’t apply to everyone, but for those who are concerned these are my tips to y’all.

Let me share my interview experiences, specifically group interviews. With group interviews, I always got scared. There were many factors as to why I disliked group interviews. There were people that I didn’t know or the fact that I began comparing myself to others. Hearing what others had to offer and comparing it to what I could was scary. I recall during one of my interviews for a position in a program was that one of the other interviewees had already begun running their own small company or how they were running non-profit organizations. Like wow! Hearing their stories and comparing it to my own sincerely frightened me. Listening to the other interviewees during

group interviews would only bring me down. With group interviews, there were many individual’s stories that are shared and sometimes there is the thought of comparing another’s accomplish to yours. However, this should not bring us down!

How did I change that? First of all, please breathe! Second, think of positive ideas. During my previous interviews, I honestly began to think that everyone in this interview is probably scared. Even if they don’t show it, they are scared in their own ways. After clearing my mind and adjusting to the situation I began to think of what I can offer to the specific position that I was interviewing for. I shared my own experiences in leadership roles and how this shaped me as an individual. Furthermore, I spoke about how I wanted to grow from the position that I was applying for.

Although coming into an interview is always scary, there are always ways to prepare yourself in times when professionalism is always key or is helpful. As a personal advice, before I always attend an interview, I prepare ahead of time whether it be picking out what I will wear or rereading potential questions that companies could ask or rereading the application that I sent out. There are numerous ways in preparing for an interview, but these are some main practices that always help me.

First, let me mention how dressing spiffy and comfortable can make you feel bold and prepared. I know this doesn’t sound as important, but in reality, it does help. Before your interviews, preparing the outfit that you believe you look confident in and also comfortable is key as it gives you a confidence boost. I know it sounds cheesy, but this helped me. However, you are probably asking what is considered “proper” attire for an interview. Below, I have listed what is advised as proper professional attire, but remember it does depend on where you work and what your interview is about. Also, you do not have to adhere to what is recommended rather you should also express yourself through your professional attire.

Along with proper clothing attire, there are other factors that contribute to a successful interview. Properly preparing before you interview is always best. You are probably asking, “How can I prepare aside from dressing up?” Well, these are some ways to prepare for an interview:

1. Look up the position and company that you applied for. Conducting Research is KEY! For example, if you applied for an internship position with ASUCI or any other program, it is always best to look up what that program’s mission statement is and what their purpose is. Knowing what that program does is always best and will give you some advantage as you can discuss what you can offer for that position.

1. Review your application and resume! Looking through your application and rereading it will allow you to remember what you can discuss.

2. Resume: What is a proper resume? A resume is diverse. A resume personally depends on what position you are applying for. For example, if it were a job position, writing out the jobs that you previously had will always help or if it were a leadership position, listing prior involvements will help. A resume is different depending on the situation. Also, having a master resume will help as you can extract specifics and make a new resume depending on the position.

3. Review Common Interview Questions Looking up common interview questions is always helpful. Most of the time, interviewers ask similar questions. Practicing how to answer these questions will help as you can avoid stuttering or speaking too fast.

4. Arrive on time! Be relaxed and prepared. Arriving 10-15 minutes before an interview is always best. If you possibly arrive late, there can be a sense a panic, therefore, it is always best to arrive early.

5. Making good impressions and interacting. When arriving at an interview, it is always best to be polite and offer warm greetings to those around you. Interacting with staff or even your other peers who will be interviewing with you will help.

1. Be yourself, be focused, be confident, and be upbeat. Expressing your personality to the interviewers is always the best. The interviewers want to meet you and get to know you better during the interview. (Be confident and quirky like BTS :)!)

1. Body Language How you express yourself is not just through words, but also your body language. Body language can express how you are feeling or in some cases how you are passionate and excited for the position you are interviewing for. Remember too much body movement can be distracting.

2. Sell yourself The way you talk about yourself and what you can offer is a way of selling yourself. By confidently speaking about yourself, it can come a long way and eventually lead to you landing that position.

1. Use your resources offered on campus. Coming into UCI, most students may forget the career center. The career center is a resource offered to us students and it is a tool that allows students to prepare for interviews or look up resume material. The career center offers mock interviews and have guidelines for resumes and cover letters.

What I have discussed in this highlight are not only ways that you can prepare for an interview, but a way to also share my own personal experience. Remember, interviews and applying for positions are always a hit or miss. Through my experiences, what I have learned is that interviews and applying is a continuous cycle. It can have a good outcome or a bad outcome, sadly. However, whenever you do an interview, in a way it is a way of teaching yourself. Instead of thinking negatively after hearing the results of an interview, think that this interview that you have attended as a lesson. It had taught you what you can do better next time and what you shouldn’t do. The first time may not always work out, but there are always the next time. It does not mean that you should give up, or that you are incapable, rather this event will help you grow. Making mistakes and experiencing failures will allow you to grow as an individual, but also as a professional. Remember failure is also a way of succeeding because making mistakes is also tool in making yourself a better person and as a professional.

Hi Y’all! I’m Fatima Nunez a previous AMP mentee (Naruto Year 1617) and a current mentor for the Avatar year. I am currently a 2nd year, undeclared switching into informatics. I am from the city of Long Beach and have pretty much lived there most of my life. I am actually originally from the Philippines, but immigrated to California so I consider Long Beach my home. Some of my interests are Korean Dramas, K-pop, anime, eating food from around the world. My life goals are to travel to different countries, of course Japan and South Korea, and experience their culture first hand. I love adventures and am down to try new things. Hopefully these facts give you an idea of who I am, but feel free to hit me up to hang out or study because I would love to meet y’all.