5 Tips for a Successful Interview

Interviews, whether a job interview, college admission interview, or a fellowship interview, can be daunting and intimidating so we put together this list of 5 Tips for a Successful Interview.

I’ve been implementing these amazing 5 tips for the past two years in interviews for fellowships. Follow my tips to absolutely crush your interview and walk away on cloud 9! 🙂

1. Visualization.

Lay down so your back is on the floor, on your mat, or on your bed (just don’t fall asleep!) Close your eyes, picture yourself walking into the room you are going to be interviewed in. If you know the panel, visualize them as vividly as possible sitting in front of you. Visualize the interviewer asking you questions and see yourself answering these questions swiftly and enthusiastically. Your bright energy lights the room and the interviewer is SO convinced you are fit for this. You then leave the room still smiling (since you’ve been smiling LOTS this entire time) and you know you have crushed it. Open your eyes and know this will happen. See it, believe it.

2. Arrive at Your Interview Early

Show up to your interview AT LEAST 15 minutes early. This gives you time to settle into your new environment. You are ready to start manifesting your awesome, confident energy in this new space. You are prepared to crush this interview.

3. Positive Affirmation

5 minutes before your interview, go into the bathroom and look yourself in the mirror. Set your feet hip distance apart. Raise your arms above you in a Power Pose. This power stance has been proven to show positive results in those who do this for 2 minutes before an interview. As you hold this pose, look directly into the mirror and say, “I AM GOING TO CRUSH THIS INTERVIEW.” Repeat this 5 times with complete presence. Confidence, power, and energy will all radiate from you!

4. Practice.

No, not practice your lines. That’s actually the next on this list of tips for a successful interview. 😉 I’m talking ASANA. A few Sun Salutations, Warrior II, Camel, and a Shoulderstand before the interview. These three postures are great for opening your throat and building your self esteem.

Breath is SO important, especially at times like these when your body naturally tenses up and restricts normal rhythm of breath. Some prefer to practice at home beforehand. If the location of your interview has enough space, you can even practice there!  Find quiet space in the bathroom or that small room down the hall that’s calling your name. 🙂

5. Know what you are going to say!

Of course we can’t know EVERY question that will be thrown at us, but we CAN formulate questions that we are pretty sure will be asked of us. The most obvious question is, “Tell me about yourself.” Be prepared for this!

Define what you want the interviewer to take away from you. Define four key points that you will show that you are the right candidate. Tell yourself that you will not leave that interview without making these four points. If you prepare and rehearse, these four qualities/qualifications will be easy for you to remember and express gracefully during your interview. Don’t think too hard, or stress yourself out; remember, this is fun and spontaneity in answers is still so effective! 🙂

One of the cures to nervousness is preparedness!

Conclusion on Tips for a Successful Interview

On top of all these tips for a successful interview — it’s most important to BE YOURSELF AND LOVE YOURSELF! You deserve this and your interviewer deserves to see & hear how fantastic you are! 🙂

I’ve found these tips for a successful interview to be extremely helpful in my preparation. How about you guys? What practices have you found helpful for your interview?