What to bring to an interview

Congratulations!

You’ve scored a face-to-face interview after months of nailbiting and countless telephone interview screenings.

So what should you do to prepare for it?

1. Make a list of things that have to get done before that face-to-face
2. Make a list of interview questions and your answers — memorize lightly, not word-for-word
3. Practice with someone pretending to interview you (have them videotape it so you can improve)
4. Book time/excuses off work (if you have a current job)
5. Know where you’re going, who you’re meeting and how long each interview will be
6. If it’s relevant, ask if it will be an interview to test skills (e.g. technical interview)
7. Try on your interview outfit and ask for outside opinions — first impressions matter
8. Iron your interview outfit, polish your shoes and make sure you wear proper underwear
9. If applicable, practice wearing makeup if you don’t normally put it on, so you don’t flub it & freak out
10. Day of: Shower, brush your teeth, apply no-smell deodorant (some people are sensitive) & have minimal jewellery
11. Pack a small bottle of water just in case you need to sip it during the interview because of a dry throat
12. Bring your resume in hard copy format (2 of them!)
13. Bring 2 pens (1 may not work or leak) and a pad of paper, including your list of questions to ask the company
14. Leave half an hour earlier than you normally would; better too early than not early enough, you can always chill in the lot
15. Jump up and down 20 times to get the nervous energy out
16. Pretend you already have the job, they’ve already screened you through the phone, you’re almost IN!

That’s seriously what I do each time I go through an interview, and while most of mine are over the phone, there may be the rare occasion you have to meet them face-to-face and it’s better to be safe than sorry.