Author: Lavie Margolin, Career Coach
The day of the interview can be stressful enough for most of us. Help to relieve some of the stress by making sure you know where you are going and how long it should take. Do a practice run to the interview location a day or two before an interview. If it is an area you are unfamiliar with, research where to find the city bus or commuter rail and when to transfer. Time how long it takes to commute from your home to the interview location. On occasion, online maps can give the wrong location or it can be hard to find that exact building, even though you have a sense of the general area. This is not something you want to be figuring out the day of an interview.
When the interview is scheduled, make sure to confirm that you have the exact address and location. Using a reliable source, such as Google Maps or Map Quest, plan out your travel itinerary. Commuting twice to the location (once for the interview and once in a practice run) will also help to determine if this is a reasonable commute for you to take every day.
On the day of the interview, if possible, leave double the amount of time it is expected to take to get to the location. For example, if it would normally take an hour to commute, leave two hours in advance. Woody Allen said, “Half of life is just showing up”. To ensure you qualify for that half, make sure to do your practice run!
Once an interview is scheduled, a person should begin the preparation stages of the interview: reviewing the company website, reading recent articles that were written regarding the industry and practicing actual interview situations. Review all types of questions that may come up in an interview. If you are stumped when practicing, you will have time to think about it and write down examples that you can bring up in your actual interview. You have worked so hard to get your foot in the door for the interview, take advantage of the opportunity.
I prepare my clients in New York in a real time situation. I take on the role of the interviewer and ask several pointed, relevant questions. We do not break until the practice session is over and then, together, we review the answers and come to a conclusion of what may work best. If you cannot meet with a job search advisor to practice, ask a friend or family member to assist you.
About the Author: Lavie Margolin is a New York-based Career Coach and the author of Lion Cub Job Search: Practical Job Search Assistance for Practical Job Seekers. To learn more, go to Lavie’s website, Lion Cub Job Search:www.Lioncubjobsearch.com