After looking at five tips for getting ready before your upcoming interview, we now shift gears into five tips for the interview itself.

1. Be Ready for Anything:

When it comes to the actual interview, your knowledge of who will be on the interviewing panel; who else is being interviewed; the questions that you will be asked–or any number of other items–you will probably have little or no knowledge of beforehand (and that usually the norm, so don’t worry). This is one of those times where it is good to remind yourself to control what you can control and to go into the interview ready for almost anything. I remember–like it happened yesterday–sitting in for my second school counseling interview. The table was filled with, I think, ten other people (school counselors; administrators–and even a parent and a student). Talk about feeling like all eyes were on you (because they were!). But because I put in the pre-preparation work ahead of time (a number of hours getting ready beforehand), I simply just tried to put my best foot forward. For your own interview, you may have one or two people interviewing you or you might have what feels like the whole entire school sitting there, narrowing their entire focus onto you. But being ready for anything will allow you to execute your game-plan before your interview day and also during your interview time.

2. Be Calm; Be Relaxed; Be Poised–Be Yourself!

Similarly, if you are ready for anything, it will be much easier to feel calm; relaxed; poised; and under control during your interview. Things happen: Prior interviews slots might be running late; you might have more (or less) time slotted than you initially thought, before the interview, during your actual interview. It is totally natural to have some nerves. Nerves can be good–if you can learn control them. Arrive early to your interview (you never know what can happen with traffic); stay hydrated (before and during your interview); and, if you have extra time as you’re waiting your turn, review your resume; artifacts you want to share; and/or questions you want to ask at the end–and remember to breath! You want to walk into your interview with a clear mind and with confidence. This is your time to be yourself; do your best; and show what you are made of to the folks interviewing you.

3. Show Enthusiasm:

While you definitely want to be yourself during interviews, you also want to show enthusiasm. What does that look like, you ask? Showing enthusiasm might be to do things like smiling; maintaining eye contact; speaking clearly with conviction; maintaining good body posture; and carrying yourself with presence.

Bonus tip: Wear the school colors of the school that you are interviewing with–it’s a nice touch and will speak to your attention to detail. (I remember having two interviews on one day, each about three hours apart. The first shirt I was wearing was deep purple, and I also had a pressed sky blue shirt in my vehicle ready to go for the second.)

You also want to remember another reason why it’s important to show enthusiasm. The interviewing team may have to conduct a large number of interviews for candidates, and each additional interview can easily run 30-60 minutes, on average. If you have to interview five or six candidates throughout the day, that’s a lot of interviews to conduct, so this is where showing genuine enthusiasm can be something that you can use to your advantage (to leave the best impression possible for those doing the interviewing).

4. Share Examples and Stories:

Sharing examples and stories are important for several different reasons. Firstly, examples and stories show experience, and experience almost always reflects well in interviews. Secondly, they may reflect (to others) your attention to detail and general thoughtfulness in an interview. Thirdly, sharing examples and stories helps build a connection between yourself and the interviewing committee–and may help them to envision you acting in similar (future) scenarios as part of the team. Fourthly–and perhaps most importantly–examples and stories can even help make you more interesting and memorable to the interview committee. While you may not always have time to go into great detail when sharing examples and stories, one or two well-placed, or well-timed, examples and/or stories can go a long way in helping to secure your strong consideration for landing the position that you have worked hard to try to secure for yourself.

5. Thank the Interview Committee:

Finally, as your interview session winds down, a lot of things may be going through your head (such as, wondering how you did; reflecting back upon how you answered a particular question or two; or even if you think the interviewing team liked you). No matter what, though, as you wrap up, you may want to leave extra copies of your resume and key artifacts, and extend a friendly, gracious, and warm thank-you to the entire interviewing team. Then, with dignity and poise, walk out of the interview with your head held high. You did it! You prepared diligently and you gave it your best. Be proud of yourself–no matter what the final result. What is more, if everything goes right, you may have just landed that position that will move your career to the next level–and that is something definitely worth celebrating!