Tips & Tricks!
Here is a great source of guidance on how to successfully interview and gain internship opportunities, while also providing knowledge that can be applicable anywhere.
How to Successfully Interview
Interviewing can be stressful and nerve wracking, but these 7 tips will help you improve your interviewing skills.
1. Gain Background Information
Before you interview, make sure to conduct research on your interviewer and the organization you’re interviewing for. This can help you tailor your questions and answers to match with the goals, missions, and values of the organization.
Practicing standard questions before your interview can greatly improve your answers, and help you feel less nervous going in. Here are some common interview questions for high schoolers.
2. Practice interview questions
3. Dress appropriately
Dressing in Business Casual, or the appropriate dress stated by your interview can create a great impression to build off on. It presents you as professional and approachable. Remember, first impressions matter!
4. Be Positive and Enthusiastic
Interviewers not only want to see your achievements, but also want to see your character. Being positive, enthusiastic, and yourself can really show interviewers who you are, along with what you bring.
Aim to arrive to your interview around 15 - 30 minutes early, so if anything out of the ordinary happens, you can still make it to your interview with time to spare.
5. Be Early or On Time
6. Create a Strong Introduction
Make sure to create an introduction before the interview, highlighting who you are, your personality, and some major achievements.
Remember, you’ve got this! You got this interview for a reason, so make sure to present your most authentic self.
7. Be Confident!
Cold Emailing
Cold Emailing is a process that can feel endless and unsuccessful, but can be rewarding if done correctly. These 7 tips will help you improve your emails.
Before you cold email, make sure to conduct research on the person you’re emailing. Research their current job, achievements and other accolades, and other information about them. This research, and mentioning your interests in their achievements, can greatly improve your email.
1. Research the Person
Starting the email off, introduce yourself, your grade level and school, and other relevant information to aid in your email, such as past projects. This will help the recipient learn about you, making this email more personal.
2. Introduce Yourself
3. State Your Purpose Clearly
State what your purpose is for sending the email clearly. For example, do you want to have a short meeting, or advice, or an internship?
Make sure to show how passionate you are about the opportunity you want to gain from this email. Showing passion about the email recipient and what they do will increase your email’s appeal.
4. Show Passion
Keep your email short and sweet, with around 4-6 sentences or about 1-2 paragraphs. Remember, quality over quantity!
5. Be Concise
‘Sign’ your email with your email address, phone number, and your full name. This provides an easy way the recipient can reach you and contact you in the future.
6. End With Contact Info
Sometimes, your cold email may not get a response. If you haven’t gotten a response for about a week, politely follow up on the email. Restate your purpose and interest briefly, while understanding they might be busy. Following up shows your interest and passion, but make sure to be respectful as to not come off as pushy.
7. Follow up Politely