Let me be completely clear about my perspective on this. Coming from the theatre world, I was struck by how similar a job interview could be to an audition: you bear your soul, hope for the best, and ultimately face more rejection than you thought you ever would.
Interviewing well was something no one every taught me. I wish someone had given me some coaching, but I honestly thought I could get by on whatever natural charisma I had. When it came down to it, I had some learning to do. Performing well in an interview takes practice, and does it ever really feel natural? I’m guessing not, but it gets easier with practice.
It can be hard for creative people to get a hand on these things, right? Trying to be vulnerable and create, but also being forced into a world not strictly related to our craft can be hard. After an excruciating job hunt by someone with hardly any trained experience, here are my biggest tips. Good luck, creatives.
Related: Why Creative People Are Best Suited For Business
Do your research
This should be a no brainer. It definitely should be, but I will admit I slacked off in this department sometimes. I know some people say you should be doing your research before you apply to a company, but when you need a job right away it can be hard to be thorough on every application.
I’d say, do have a general idea on the company when you apply, and then really dig into it after you are invited to an interview. No point in breaking a sweat for something you may not even get a return on, right?
If you go in for an interview, make sure you’ve read the company mission statement. Memorize it if you can. Ultimately, your task during the course of your interview is to connect as many dots as you can between the heart of the company and yourself. For my English majors, make the mission statement your thesis, and everything else you talk about should support it.
What if the company doesn’t have a missions statement? Play detective. Why does this company exist? What makes it stand out? If you can’t find it yourself that’s the perfect thing to ask about in your interview. It will show you take an interest in the company.
Interview Pro Tip: Remember you are interviewing them too! Think through what is important to you in a company and try to determine if this is one of them during the course of your interview.
Know what you bring to the table!
This is HUGE. By far my number one tip. Knowing what kind of employee you’re going to be and being able to articulate that will get you farther in an interview than anything else.
I’m giving you an excuse to be completely narcissistic for a while to really get a grasp on who you are in the workplace. In fact, why don’t you take a moment to write down your top 3-4 traits that make you a good employee. For me, I came up with a list that looked like this.
- Detail oriented
- Efficient
- Effective verbal and written communicator
- Resourceful problem solver.
Now think of a scenario in your past work experiences that can describe each of these traits. Doing this leg work before you get in the interview room will save you tons of on-the-spot anxiety! Employers likely won’t just take you at face value when you say you’re detail oriented, so providing an example helps them connect the dots to who you are and how you behave.
Honestly, if there is one thing you should take away from this post, it’s examples, examples, examples.
A little less fun, but you should have some traits of yours readily available that aren’t always positive. Employers want to see that you are teachable and are willing to learn. So now, make a list of a couple traits that aren’t as strong for you. Here are mine:
- At times too cautious
- Clashes with anxious personalities
- Lets perfectionism get in the way
I was asked several times in interviews to describe a time when I dropped the ball or was put in a difficult position that I wasn’t necessarily successful in. They want to know what to be aware of if they choose to hire you. Not having an example to draw on will make it look like you aren’t very self aware.
Speaking of!
I found it very helpful to know my personality type on some different platforms such as the Enneagram or Myers-Briggs. (And no your Zodiac sign does not count, do not tell an employer you are always punctual because you are a Taurus…)
There are tons of resources where you can read about personality. I found the Enneagram particularly helpful, here’s my favorite ways to learn how not to self-implode because of my perfectionistic tendancies.
Also therapy helps.
Preparing for the interview
So aside from what we talked about above (doing research, preparing your answers and examples, being able to communicate what kind of employee you are, etc.) there are some practical things you need to do so you aren’t stressing too much at the time of your interview.
Know your route- practice your drive to the interview location, or if you can’t, make double sure you check the route online. Adjust the time on Google Maps to your actual departure time so you have an idea of what the drive will be like with traffic. Check the weather, make sure any freezing rain or snow won’t make you late. (Definitely a challenge I faced living in Minnesota.)
Bring the proper materials. Be prepared for everything!
Interview Pro Tip: Bring an extra physical copy of your resume, a pen and paper, and your planner or at least your availability.
Also, if you’re like me you’ll want to make sure you don’t over-caffeinate beforehand! You don’t want to be jittery when you shake someone’s hand. A banana is my snack of choice for before an interview. 🙂
Interview Etiquitte
I feel like I’m back in my theatre training days, because we would always say your audition starts the second you show up. The same is absolutely true for interviewing. Essentially, you need to make a good first impression and only improve from there.
This should go without saying, but you should be super friendly and engaged right from the get-go. Maybe crank your smiling quota up at least 20% or so. From my flight attendant interview experience, I learned I definitely had to smile more than what felt natural.
But like, don’t freak anyone out by smiling too much.
Interview Pro Tip: Try to memorize people’s names as fast as you can! I wish I had been proactive about this. You could never see these people again, or they could be your coworkers for the next several years. It makes an impression when you remember people’s names- and when you don’t.
Interview Pro Tip: Be yourself (like they always say) but I would go a step further and say be the version of you that you know they would love to work with. I’m not a particularly warm person by nature, but I care deeply about people’s feelings and experiences, so I tried to show that in interviews. Sometimes when I’m nervous I know I have a tendency to go a little tooo far the other way and be hyper-social.
What I’m saying is, be yourself- but not too much. Especially if you’re a theatre-person. 😛
Interview Pro Tip: Dress appropriately! As a rule, it’s best to err on the side of overdressing if you are unsure. It’s ok to show your personality through your dress, but not too much.
Here are some buzzwords I want you to emulate during your interview: charismatic, professional, thorough, friendly, engaged, and genuine.
Need the heads-up on interview questions you should be prepared for? I gotchu!
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After the interview
I hope you already know this, but you should be sending a thank you card after every interview. Not an email, not a text, please just send a hand written thank you. (This is also a good reason to memorize people’s names.). Even if you know you won’t get the job, even if they’ve already told you they aren’ interested- just send one. You never know what can happen.
Interview Pro Tip: Send a hand-written thank you note, no matter how the interview went.
A Tale of Two Interviews
To leave us off here, I wanted to tell you a little story, two stories rather. Two different interviews: both reputable and relatively small companies. Both were new industries for me, but they seemed willing to take a chance on me.
The first one went very well. Honestly, I think they were just seeing how I would get along with everyone else in the office. I sat in a room and got to ask them any question I liked; work related or not. I got to use every ounce of charm and professionalism I could muster. By the end, I felt like I had it in the bag. Walking out of that interview, I felt like I could really see myself fitting in there.
I didn’t get that job.
I couldn’t really wrap my head around it, I thought I had done so well. In the end they decided to go with someone else, and that was simply out of my controle.
The second interview was conducted differently. I didn’t get to meet everyone in the office, I was just ushered into a room with two interviewers. They were very friendly, but I was off my game for some reason. There were some awkward points and definitely put my foot in my mouth. (I actually said at one point that I didn’t have a good experience in college because my professors didn’t give me enough attention. How mortifying!)
I tried to spin every awkward turn into a positive light on myself, but I left the interview scratching my head a little bit. It was definitely a mixed bag of my best material that I had been practicing and some random-awkward-mush…
To make matters more complicated, they told me that out of 150 applicants, I was 1 of 8 to get an in-person interview.
I got the job.
So you see, you never really know what can happen! This position has been a great fit for me, and I’m grateful for all I have learned along the way. It definitely didn’t out the way I thought it would, but I’m grateful all the same.
Need More Resources?
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Other blog posts you might find helpful:
How To Get An Administrative Assistant Job
8 Resume Tips To Know Before You Start Applying
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