Spring is here and that means its time for Spring Cleaning; a couple of stressful days of nothing but dusting, vacuuming, and organizing everything you need and throwing out everything you don’t. But why stop there? If you’re already getting down and dirty to clean-up your house, you might as well pay as much attention to your interview essentials. Its the perfect time to dust off that old suit, make sure it still fits, update your resume, and reach out to your references. And don’t worry, we’ve got the perfect tool kit here to help you get started!
Suit/Dress
Making sure you have proper interview attire is crucial to making the best first impression. As such, its important to give your suit or dress some TLC. Take it out of the closet and make sure it still fits well and isn’t collecting dust or wrinkling. If your old go-to interview suit or dress isn’t fitting like it used to, visit a tailor to have it fitted or consider buying a new one. Once you have any necessary corrections made, or once you buy a new one, be sure to have it covered with a garment bag or protective plastic to keep it looking fresh for your next interview.
Bonus Tip: If you do end up buying a new suit or dress, be sure to explore your color options to make your new interview attire uniquely yours. While dresses have a more widely accepted color pallet to choose from, business suits are typically found in shades of black or grey. If you’re in the market for a new suit consider picking up a nice Navy Blue one to add a splash of color and customize the look with more personal accessories like tie bars, cuff-links, or lapel pins. Remember though: less is more.
References
Everyone should have professional references before going into an interview, its a must. But just as important as having your references is making sure that their information is correct. People get married, move, change phone numbers, update their email addresses; life happens. Before you head in to your interview, get in contact with your references and make any necessary changes to their information. This may mean updating your resume as well if you have them listed there.
Resume
Speaking of resumes, another thing to consider in your interview Spring Cleaning is polishing your resume. Make sure all your recent and relevant experience is present along with a list of your skills. Even if your resume is picture perfect, update-to-date, and fresher than a bouquet of spring lilies, it would benefit you to try a new resume format or layout. Experiment with some different templates online and pick one that fits with your style and sets you apart from the crowd while also cleanly organizing your information.
Social Media
Many people may not even consider their social media before going into an interview, but in today’s digital era, interviewers are turning to sites like LinkedIn and Facebook to learn a bit more about their candidates. As such, you want to make sure your social media presence is a good reflection of yourself. Update your privacy settings and make sure any pictures of you having a bit too much fun on a night out aren’t the first thing an interviewer will see if they visit your page.
Bonus Tip: If you haven’t yet set one up yet, get yourself a LinkedIn account ASAP! Get on it yesterday! LinkedIn, for those unfamiliar with it, is like Facebook for professionals. Its a way for people to network and connect with others in their industry and to explore new employment opportunities. Its a reflection of your professional life and anyone looking for a new job NEEDS to be on it; its the new norm. And the best part about it? Its completely free to use!
Work Samples/Portfolio
For some interviews, usually of the professional or Clerical variety, it is beneficial to provide samples or a portfolio of projects which you have completed in previous positions that exemplify your experience. These can also be helpful in more industrial interviews as providing a tangible example of your experience and successes can show your interviewer that you are a good fit for the position. When Spring Cleaning your interview approach, be sure to update any work samples you have so that they are the most recent examples of your professional expertise. You don’t want to show work you did ten years ago to try to convince your interviewer to hire you for a position that starts in one week. Make sure anything you decide to bring with you to your interview in your professional portfolio is up-to-date.
Industry Knowledge
Going into your interview with some knowledge of your industry is a good way to wow your interviewer and set you apart, but its important to also make sure that knowledge is up-to-date. You don’t want to be walking into your interview with industry info you picked up for your last interview. Do your homework and study up on current goings-on and trends for the future. This will set you apart from the crowd and make small talk with your interviewer a bit easier as well.