Congrats! You’ve just been invited to an in-person interview. Now’s your chance to show your interviewer(s) that you’re the perfect candidate for the job. As you know, first impressions are very important, so in order to ensure you make a great first impression, here are 4 things we recommend that you bring to your next interview.
- Bring any and all Interview Information
- Before your interview, you will likely be provided with a bunch of important information about your interview including, but not limited to, the location and address of where your interview is being held, what time your interview starts, and any interviewer names(s) and contact information. Make sure you take note of all the information you’re provided. After all, you were given this information for a reason – it’s important and it will help ensure that you show up on time and completely prepared for your interview. It may also be a good idea to have all interview information on paper in addition to on your phone, just in case your phone dies or simply isn’t accessible to you in the moments leading up to your interview. Having all interview information on hand is crucial for a solid start to your interview.
- Bring a few copies of your resume
- Typically, you will have submitted your resume to the company that is interviewing you, so your interviewer has seen your resume before. Although likely, it’s best not to assume that your interviewer will have a copy of your resume. This leads us to our next recommendation: be sure to bring extra copies of your most up-to-date resume with you to your interview. This way, if your interviewer doesn’t have a copy of your resume, you can be ready to supply one. Likewise, if other interviewers show up and would like to see your resume, you’ll be prepared with extra copies for them, too. The last thing we want to happen is for your interviewer to ask you for a copy of your resume and for you to be empty handed. Pro tip: Want to appear (and be!) super organized? Store your resume copies in a nice, professional folder.
- Bring a pen and paper
- Bringing a pen and paper to your interview gives you the ability to take notes during your interview which is important and helpful for a few reasons. For one, taking notes during the interview while your interviewer is speaking will help show that you are thoughtful and respectful. Taking notes as your interviewer is speaking to you shows that you value your interviewer’s time and what they have to say about the company and the position you’ve applied for. Second, you’ll likely talk about many important things with your interviewer (e.g. company culture, your potential team, manager, benefits, etc.), and it may be hard to recall everything you talked about after the interview is over. If you take notes during your interview, however, you can always refer back to them to recall any important pieces of information you jotted down.
- Bring a few thoughtful questions
- During your interview, your interviewer may ask you if you have any questions about the job you’re interviewing for. At this point, it’s best to have a few thoughtful questions written down ahead of time that you can ask. If you don’t have any questions for your interviewer, you may come off as uninterested or even unprepared! So instead, before you head to your interview, write down any and all questions you have about the company, job description, benefits and/or whatever else you’re interested in knowing about the job. Having a few thoughtful questions written out and prepared beforehand will show your interviewer that you are interested in and eager to learn more about the job position you are interviewing for.
What else should you bring to an in-person interview? Comment below with your
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