Appearing confident in an interview is not easy to us Midwesterners because of a term coined by some as…”the Midwest humble.”
As someone from the Midwest, you may not think you are humble, which is the mistake I made. At one of my interviews I felt I was very confident, but after the interview the employer told me, “I wish you would have more confidence in your accomplishments.” “Wait, I haven’t been confident?!,” I was shouting at the interviewer in my head.
Appearing confident to an employer is very important and can be one of the deciding factors in a hiring decision. Here are three tips to help you appear confident in an interview.
1. Talk about your “top five”
Before your interview, you should identify the five most important things on your resume that relate to the position for which you are interviewing. During your interview, you need to make sure you get each of these “top five” into the interview conversation. Once you talk about each once during the interview, mention them all again.
2. Do your research and come prepared
“What do you know about us?” is one of the most important questions organizations ask during an interview. This surprises many potential employees (including myself) and can derail your interview. This is why it is really important to do your homework before the interview. The organization website is a great place to get some background knowledge, but that is not where your research should end. You should also look at their social media pages to see the latest news an organization is promoting. Read their blog posts from the last month, especially if that blog post relates to the position to which you are applying. In multiple occasions during an interview, I have used this information to make myself look “in the know” about a company.
3. What questions will they ask?
An important drill to go through before the interview is to think about questions interviewers could ask you and then answer them. This exercise will help you answer questions faster and with more confidence during the interview.
After you do all of this, you may still need to quell your actual nerves. Just make sure to watch the “ums” and breathe before every answer. You don’t need to rush your answers - slow and steady wins the race.
By Jordan Simonson
CALS Career Services Peer Advisor
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