The Interview

By Nick Staubach

So there you are, sitting nervously before that alumnus or alumna of your dream school, the one who has been assigned to evaluate your scholastic potential through a personal interview. Thoughts and ideas are racing through your head like channels on TV when your little brother controls the remote. And even worse, when the conversation starts, your mind automatically shuts down. You suddenly feel incapable of expressing a single thought—every student’s worst nightmare.

O.K., so maybe not every student will find himself in this scenario. Yes, there are those rare people fortunate enough to possess the ability to maintain the function of their brains even under such pressure. Supposing you are not one of these people, it is preparation alone that can save you from such a fate. And supposing that you are one of these people, you just might find yourself better off having read the following suggestions anyway.

5 Tips you’ll likely find everywhere:

Dress up -- It’s a matter of professionalism and respect. When in doubt, it is better to over-dress than to under-dress.

Be punctual -- Leave yourself extra time to travel to your interview, arriving early if necessary. You want to be there waiting for your interviewer. If he’s there waiting on you, then you have wasted some of his time. You can guess how much more of his time he’s going to spend on your recommendation.

Speak clearly -- There’s no point in talking if the interviewer can’t understand what you’re saying.

Be animated -- Vary your volume and pitch according to the material about which you’re speaking. A monotonous voice will simply bore the interviewer, which is one of the last things you want to do.

Be courteous -- Enough said.

5 Tips you’ll likely not find everywhere:

Know your application – If the interviewer has read your application, so should you! Yes. I know you’re saying that you’re the one who wrote the thing! But if it’s been awhile (and interviews often take place months after the application deadline) be sure to review what you’ve written within a day before your interview. This reminds you of what the interviewer will know; you definitely don’t want to repeat or contradict yourself.

Smile! Smile when you shake your interviewer’s hand and throughout the interview. Smiling is contagious, and you will likely get the interviewer smiling back at you. And smiling feels good. It will alleviate your nervousness and put the interviewer in a good mood at the same time.

Keep eye contact – Be an active listener while the interviewer is speaking, looking him in his eyes. When you speak, keep eye contact. Only while you’re formulating an answer in silence should you relax from eye contact. Even then, do not look down, up, or away from the interviewer; simply look past him or slightly to the side.

Tell a story -- If you’re all tensed up at the beginning of the interview, answer the next question with a story—preferably a story about which you are excited. Humorous stories work very well. You will be amazed at how quickly you forget your troubles as you launch into a re-creation of that time when . . .

Think out loud – When you’re faced with superlative questions ("What’s your most life-altering experience?", "Who’s the person who has influenced you the most?", "Who is the one person you’d like to be ?", etc.) which you cannot answer quickly—you just can’t think of one, talk your way through it. The process of getting to the answer is just as important as the answer itself

Follow up with a thank-you letter -- This should become automatic whenever someone gives you some of his time. Not a fruit-basket or bouquet of flowers, just a quick note to let the interviewer know how you appreciated his time and attention.