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Gen Z—you’re the up and coming new wave in our workforce, and it’s projected that by 2025 27% of the world’s workforce will be made up of Gen Z’ers.
Everyone who enters the workforce has to experience being interviewed, but there are many Gen Z’ers who have never worked, much less sat for an interview.
Fear not! Whether you’re a student looking for an internship or a fresh graduate looking for a job, below are some tips for you that will be helpful for your interviews.
Be Punctual
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Punctuality is everything.
You and the interviewer are both making the time to meet each other, so respect that.
For chronically late people like me, well, interviews are vital to your ability to enter the workforce and they affect whether you get the job or not, so set some alarms and show up on time. You can do it!
It’s best to be at least ten minutes early for your interviews. This gives a good impression and shows your potential employer that you have good time management.
Ever since the pandemic, online interviews have become commonplace. You need to check your wifi connection and your video call settings.
Regardless of whether it’s an online or offline interview, don’t cancel your appointment at the last minute. If you have to make any changes, let your potential employer know in advance.
Open communication early on is better than waiting it out and having to change things last minute. This shows professionalism.
Clean Up Your Social Media
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In the past, your employer had no way of seeing your personal life. But nowadays, your interviewer is able to check you out on social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
That’s why it’s best to keep your social media pages clean of anything unprofessional, but if you have posted anything like that, it’s not too late!
If you’re unable to clean up your social media completely, another option is to make your account private.
Keep your social media pages up to date as well. Update your LinkedIn and Facebook pages about your achievements, if you have them.
Print Your Resume
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It’s important to have your digital resume neat and tidy with its hyperlinks all in place, but it’s equally important to have physical copies of your resume especially if you’re going for physical interviews.
Print multiple copies, not only in case you lose one, but so that you’ll have enough to give out if you’re interviewed by more than one person.
Consider also bringing a physical portfolio containing your school certificates and major achievements.
This will show your interviewer(s) how much you prepared for the interview and your proactiveness.
Although you have all these on hand, you should be carrying them in an organised manner.
A box file is a good way to keep your papers and other possessions without taking up too much space, while maintaining the straightness of the papers.
Look Into the Company
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Gen Z people are known for their online prowess, so make the most of your abilities and find out as much about the company and your potential job as you can.
The most important things to find out are naturally:
1) Your job scope
2) What the company does
But there are other things you should find out before your interview. For example, the company’s mission or vision.
This is something you can link back to your own work attitude and how it matches the company.
Find out how the company operates so you’ll be able to sell your ability to adapt to their working style!
To do this, check out the different parts of the company website, especially the part related to the job you’re applying for.
If you’re applying for an internship, ask your teachers (especially if you’re in a polytechnic) whether they know the company’s culture and what normally happens in that job.
You should also look for the company on social media. Social media advertising tells you what the company offers.
Closing Off
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At the end of the interview, be polite and thank the interviewer for their time. You want the interviewer to remember you, so follow up with an email.
Thank them once again for their time and give details about the job you applied for so they remember you.
Remember to include that call-to-action—ask for updates and that you look forward to hearing back from them.
There’s no need for a fancy sign off, just a simple “Regards” will do.
Conclusion
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With these tips under your belt, you can head into your interviews more confident than before.
Whether it’s a workforce or internship interview, failing an interview is demoralising.
However, there are many other opportunities out there for you and this means you had a chance to practise your interview skills.
Who knows, maybe another company is actually more suitable for you!
Good luck for your future job and congratulations in advance!
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