Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Teen's First Job Interview

It's your first job interview and you're a little nervous. That's understandable. Almost everyone gets the chitters when they feel under the spotlight. So try to think of your interview as a two-way conversation between you and the employer. You're both trying to figure out if it's a good idea for you to take this new job you're applying for.

Here are a few tips to make the conversation go smoothly:

- Before your interview, practice how you'll answer questions the employer is likely to ask, and make a list of questions you want to ask about the job.
- For your job interview, dress one step up from what you would expect to wear normally on the job.
- Make a good impression by smiling, having good posture, making eye contact, and being friendly to everyone you meet at the job site (not just the person interviewing you).
- Avoid talking about pay until after you understand all that's involved with the job.
- After the interview, say "thank you" to the interviewer, as well as to those who ushered you in (such as the receptionist or security guard).

Once you have this first job interview under your belt, you'll have a sense of how to do even better the next time. Good luck with it!

2 comments:

Tammy Hershberger said...

My 16 year old has her first interview this afternoon, so I was searching for a few things to help her out. Thank you for posting this! I'm sure she'll find it helpful!

Raymond Borrego said...

Relax and be confident. Keep in mind that your interviewer is just human and nothing else. There’s nothing to worry about. Anyway, with enough preparation, a little practice with answering Q&As, will help you ace the interview.