Whether you’re in high school, just out, in college, or a recent graduate, it’s quite likely that you’ll be going through the job interview process in the near future. Whether you’re interviewing to become a research chemist at a pharmaceutical firm or a cashier at the local pharmacy, you’ll have to be well prepared if you want to have a shot at getting the position. Careful mental preparation (and a little bit of fashion sense) will ensure that you make yourself as appealing as possible to your potential employer.

Before doing anything else, it’s important to begin by doing some research on the company that you’re interviewing with. Many employers will ask a question or two to see how much research you’ve done; something like “Tell me how you think you will be of value to our organization.” This gives you the perfect opportunity to talk about how your goals and skills align with the mission of the company.

Once you’ve learned enough about the company to talk about it comfortably, it’s time to start thinking about yourself. An interview is really just a conversation about you, so it’s imperative that you’re prepared to talk about yourself. You are, in effect, telling your interviewer why you are smarter, more skilled, and better prepared to complete the duties of your job than all of the other people that he or she might be interviewing. Sound like a pretty self-involved thing to do? Well, it is. But that’s what needs to be done. To differentiate yourself, you’ll need to emphasize the skills and experience you have that make you a good fit for you job. Because every job is so different, the way you go about this is going to be different every time, so it’ll pay off to spend some time thinking about it.

Lastly, you should prepare a few questions to ask to your potential employer. It’s good to let your interviewer know that you’re very interested in the company. By asking questions about your potential position or the company itself, you show your interviewer that you’re serious about the job. If nothing else, it’ll make it a lot less awkward when you’re asked “Do you have any questions for me?”

Once you feel like you’re ready to take on the interview, it’s time to start planning what you’re going to wear. It’s really important to make a strong, positive first impression, and the best way to get off on the right foot is to be dressed professionally. It’s pretty near impossible to be over-dressed for an interview, so get out your best jacket and pants, suit, or dress, and show up looking like you mean business.

This is just a quick primer on the steps required to prepare yourself for a job interview. You can find many more complete guides online or through your high school or college. This should give you some idea of what you’re looking at, though. Now get out there—there are hundreds of other people getting ready to interview for the job you want. Don’t get outdone!

As always, if you have any questions, comments or funny stories you'd like me to share about college or the blog, email me at stu@stuvu.com