How to Ace Your Next Job Interview in Westchester

Tracy Reeves, work-based learning coordinator at Southern Westchester BOCES, helps students prepare for job interviews and internships. Here is some of her advice on how to present yourself well to a recruiter:

Write an elevator pitch. An elevator pitch is a speech about yourself that’s short enough to share during a short elevator ride (30-60 seconds). Reeves suggests including four parts: 1. Your name, year in school and program (if applicable), or current job. 2. Your goals and plans for the future. 3. Steps you’ve already taken to get ready for that future. 4. How the company fits into your career plan and how you can bring value to the company.
Research the company and job before you go. Make sure you know what the company does and familiarize yourself with the responsibilities of the job you’re applying for. If you know who you’ll be interviewing with, it’s also a good idea to research their position and what they do.
Pay attention to your body language and communication. Make eye contact and smile, shake hands firmly, wait your turn to speak, say thank you as appropriate.
Harness the power of “enclothed cognition.” What you wear has a big impact on how you feel — make sure you’re wearing something that gives you confidence and puts you in a professional mindset.
Be prepared to speak to your strengths. Think of two specific strengths you have (being reliable, taking initiative, collaborating easily, being efficient, being flexible, managing time well). Then come up with examples for how you’ve shown this strength in school, on the job, in daily life, or in clubs/activities.
Be prepared to speak to your weaknesses. This one is tricky because you shouldn’t pick a weakness that will make you look bad, such as “I’m always late.” Name something you’ve already worked to improve and be prepared to talk about what that improvement looked like — for example, if there’s a specific skill you didn’t used to have, and you’ve watched how-to videos that helped you improve.
Have follow-up questions ready to go. Interviewers will usually ask if you have any questions for them. Good ones to ask include “What is the primary goal of this position for the first year? What does a typical day look like? Who will I be working closely with?”
Leave the interviewer with a good impression. Finish up by thanking the interviewer for their time and telling them that you’re very interested in the position. Ask how they prefer you to follow up with them (email vs. phone), then actually follow up.

Want more interview and job search tips?

Recruiters look for a mix of hard skills, soft skills, and cultural fit when evaluating new hires. We talked to three employment counselors with the Westchester-Putnam Career Center Network (WPCCN) to get the latest tips and best practices when searching for a job.