Interview Tips to Land Your Dream Job

with a recap on the Cape Trend!

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Blazer from Foi Boutique

Who said only superhero’s can wear capes?  Or, maybe, I’m a superhero!  I mean I’m not saying I’m wondewoman, but I AM saying that no one has ever seen wonder woman and I in the same room together!  I’m sure you guys have heard or said that before, right?  If not, bubble bursted, I’m not that clever to make up the Wonder Woman cliche lol; but high five to the person that did!

I will get to the interview tips in a few!  First, I want to chat fashion because this is a HUGE part of the interview process, as you only get one chance to make your first impression.  Also, I want to show you all how to work your blazers and business pieces into your everyday outfits so you get more bang for your buck!  And, for the disclaimer, these are not all 9-5 job business outfits that I am wearing, as I am not a 9-5er; but I love incorporating business pieces into my daily wardrobe.

With that said, can we talk about the cape (esp blazers) trend, which eased its way in, has been around for about two years now?  Even better, it doesn’t look like it’s leaving its territory anytime soon, which is totally fine with me!  I LOVE the different looks to create with a cape!  Even if I’m not Wonder Woman, I totally feel like I am anytime I wear this style!  It’s so genius!

I love how in my cape blazer below, from Foi Boutique, you can push the cape back and it has cap sleeves, or pull them forward, in the above pic, and it’s back to a blazer!

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Blazer from Foi Boutique

From dresses to bodysuits to blazers, they’re making their own section in my closet.

The off-white bodysuit (above left and below) was originally a deep-v and was pretty sheer, a little too revealing for me!  So I brought it to my amazing seamstress and she added some material to make it more my style.  You guys, I have gotten SO many compliments on it!  In fact, if you guys saw the votes on insta-story poll, it was legit 50/50 between this and my burgundy velvet dress!  That was the closest poll ever!  This one comes in black, which I’m debating on getting, as well!!

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Is anyone else obsessed with colorblocking burgundy and blush for fall?  This girl is!  And this crushed velvet cami was the perfect match.  As I said above, I love that this blazer can be worn on or off the shoulders AND that it can be dressed up, down, or businessy!  Most blazers keep a business feel but this one can be dressed up and has a super classy vibe to it!

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Blazer from Foi Boutique

I’m also feeling my black pinstripe blazer, esp for everyday wear, because is so lightweight and can be so versatile.  You all know I LOVE an edgy grunge touch to my looks; and I definitely accomplished that with this look, esp the one on the right!  It’s one of my new go-to for a casual, ‘trendy” business look, i.e. like a blogger meeting or something like that!

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Like I said earlier, I wanted to chat fashion first for two reasons:

1. Wardrobe is a HUGE part of your job interview.  Just to be clear, I would not wear ALL of the outfits in this blog to a job interview; but the one below, paired with trousers, would be a great option!  The others would depend on the job that I am interviewing for!
2. I wanted to show you all different ways to wear your business attire, as well as, recap the cape look since you all loved these looks on Instagram!  Disclaimer, the off-white bodysuit and suede skirt look is not on my job interview attire list; BUT, I think it is a great option to a dressy business event, such a holiday party or something along those lines!!

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I know I always say to wear what makes you feel good and stick to your style and what you love; but, for your dream job, you will want to incorporate that essence into your style.  With that said, if you are always a jeans and t-shirt kind of person, but you’re interviewing for a Fortune 500 corporate job, you may want to get a trendy, chic business suit; or if you’re interviewing to work for Style Magazine, you may want to get a super chic & trendy, but still business professional, outfit, i.e. maybe a jumpsuit or trendy dress!  Regardless, always think business professional!  If you don’t know the style of your company, do your research, which I’m hoping you’ve already done, before going!

A few overall DO’S and  DON’TS on interview wardrobe:

DO’S

1. Do dress for your job level and/or position
2. Do dress for your industry
3. Do keep it trendy and add colors that compliment your skin tone
4. Do keep the length of a skirt or a dress 1 inch above the knee
5. Do keep it conservative, esp if in doubt
6. Do pay attention to fit and pay the extra little bit to get it altered
7. Always think “business professional” looking at it from the interviewers point of view

DONT’S

1. No excessive cleavage showing
2. No cutoff denim shorts
3. No mini skirts or high slits
4. No super distracting prints that take away from you or your interview

Once you’ve solidified your wardrobe, here are some tips that will make you feel super confident going into your interview!

Shop my outfit:

Blazer from Foi Boutique

First and foremost, this is just an interview with a person or group of people just like you.  If the word “interview” is scary or a little nerve wracking, look at it as it’s just a “meeting”.  No one is there to “judge” you, but to pick the person that is most capable for the job.  Have fun, have a conversation, and let them get to know the real you!

Fun Facts & Components of a Good Communicator:

• Your interview is approximately 93% non-verbal communication.  Your words are 5 – 7% of what the interviewer will hear and remember. The human brain can only absorb about this much.
• 38% is your voice pattern, pitch, tone, etc. Keep your pitch and tone up and projected towards the interviewer(s) throughout and show interest through your eyes and posture, i.e. lean forward, keep eye contact, and bring them into your zone naturally.
• 55% is in your eyes!  Keep eye contact and an “open and outward” presence.  This shows you are “with” them and listening, as well as good communication skills.  Listening and showing you are listening is very important, as that is half of the interview; so if you can keep good eye contact, you’ve already nailed half of the interview.  To be a great leader, you must be a good listener AND communicator.

Answer with Head-On Words

• Start your answers with HEAD-ON words, such as “Definitely”, “Definitely not”, “Absolutely”, “Absolutely not”, “I am 100% for/against?”, “Without a doubt I agree”, or even, “I am 50/50 on this because…”.
• This allows you to organize your thoughts and the answer. The “Head On” entrance into your answer shows confidence and how you truly feel about an issue!

Research the Company AND Interviewer:

• If given the opportunity to read about the company or interviewer (i.e. google, website, brochures, etc) before the interview, TAKE the opportunity!
• If you have something in common with the interviewer and/or company, this gives you the opportunity to bring that up and create a conversation piece in your interview.
• “The more you know about the other person, the more that person thinks you know about what you are doing.”
• “They may forget what you said; but they will never forget how you made them feel.” – Carl W. Buechner.  Remember, the interviewer wants to feel just as comfortable as you do, and they want to feel like they can have coffee with you daily because, essentially, their going to spending five days a week with you.

Shop my outfit:

Blazer from Foi Boutique

5 Golden Interview Quetions

These are five questions/answers that you should always have in your back pocket both as an interviewer and as an interviewee!

1. Tell me about yourself?

• This question is one of my favs because, if you’re prepared for it, you can control your entire interview; however, if not, it can be the death of your interview and you will automatically feel like the most boring person alive.  Know you are awesome and own it for this question!
• My favorite way to approach this question – If you were to leave your interview, what are three things that you want to make sure the interviewer knows about you, especially things that would make a difference in you securing that dream job!
• Create a summary with bullet points explaining a bit about yourself and some of your unique characteristics (nicknames, unique hobbies, milestones, awards, major accomplishments, etc – things that sets you apart in a good, positive way).
• Keep it natural and conversational.  Do not memorize your answer word for word.  BE YOURSELF!
• Describe some of your set goals as well as some that you have accomplished.

 

2. Why do you want this job?

• Make sure you know your company.  If you get the opportunity to learn about the interviewer, as well, take it!
• Be sure to mention how the job will allow you to utilize your natural strengths.
• Most importantly, find your “WHY” and explain your goals for this job!

 

3. What are your strengths?

• People like result-oriented actions! Be sure to include some of your strengths as your ability to set and accomplish goals, and get tasks done!
• A lot of people think they don’t sound humble if they point our their strengths; but, I promise, this is possible. If you are truly humble, that will come across in your communication.  Arrogance shows without trying so they will see your true colors if you just be you :).
• Leaders point out their strengths so make a list of as many as you can think of; then, narrow this down to your top three that are most beneficial for this job.

 

4. What are some of your weaknesses?

• We ALL have weaknesses, so don’t be afraid to be honest about yours!  No one is perfect so the interviewer will appreciate your honesty more than anything; and, even more, they will appreciate you explaining how you’re working on it!
• Just like the strengths, make a list of all of your weaknesses.  This can be anything from “I’m a terrible cook” to “I am NOT morning person and terrible at waking up”.  I use these two because they are my personal examples and I wanted to elaborate a little.  My safe option is “terrible cook” because, unless I’m interviewing for a chef, I probably won’t have to cook as one of my job duties.  However, if I use “I’m not a morning person”, I will explain to the interviewer that I use three alarm clocks, one being across the room, to make sure I get out of bed on time and won’t be late.
• Side note: In one of my first pageants, around 14 years old, I got asked this question and I froze.  My first thought was that the judge won’t “pick me” if I have flaws; so I started overthinking and it was terrible word vomit and I can’t even remember what I said.  When I got my feedback, her note was “everyone has weaknesses, know yours” or something like that; but, point is, I totally could have made a list of them but I was just worried she wouldn’t “pick me”.   Lesson learned, just BE YOU, because people will always appreciate the true you over some fake carbon copy of someone else!
• In approaching this question, when you describe a problem, be sure to provide the actions you are currently taking to overcome or compensate for your weakness.

 

5. Do you have any questions?

• Definitely have a question or multiple questions prepared, whether it’s about your job duties or the company as a whole, they will appreciate your interest and research that you’ve already done.
• They may have allotted time for questions throughout the interview; so once you all have covered everything, definitely thank them for their time and meeting with you!

 As most of you know, I have been training girls in pageantry interviews for about nine years now.  Furthermore, I was trained in Dale Carnegie Public Speaking, as well; so this is all information that I obtained over the years in all of my training and coaching.  I hope this helps you all; and, if you need further help, feel free to contact me for a Skype appointment!

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I know this was a novel today; but it is all beneficial, vital info for any interview, esp for your DREAM JOB!  With that said, I wish you all loads of accomplishments heading into the work week; and may you all nail your upcoming interviews and land your dream jobs!

Until next time, as always, peace and love!

XOXO,

Michelle West