Before An Interview, Think About How You Want Somebody To Feel

If you’re a student (or prospective work candidate) getting ready for a college interview, I want you to think about how the emotions you want to convey during the interview. How do you want somebody to feel after they finish your interview?

Most students know that they want their audience to know who they are as a person, but I would argue that it’s just as important to consider the emotions they associate with you. You want people to feel a connection with you and remember who you are. What better way than to control the type of emotion they associate with your name?

Think back to your favorite or least favorite teacher. I’m sure one of the first things that pops up is an emotion. Whether it be sadness, happiness, excitement, or anger, there’s almost certainly an emotion tied to your recollection of that teacher. Those emotions make these individuals hard to forget and that’s the experience you want an interviewer to have with you. You want that interviewer to feel a deep connection with you and who you are. This connection can help make them your biggest advocate.

Here’s what you can do to prepare for your next interview:

1. Talk about yourself with somebody. I have found that people have a hard time accurately defining what makes them special or which moments in their lives were most integral to who they are today. This makes sense though. Our lives are normal to us because that’s all we know.
2. Narrow down your stories. The person you’re talking can tell you what stories stood out to them. These stories should be ones that are representative of you as a person or have helped develop you into the person you are today.
3. Identify your emotions from the final list of stories you have. It could be anger for the hardships you’ve had to overcome. Joy for the successes you’ve had. Sadness for the traumatic events that came your way. Whatever it is, make sure you’re aware of the emotional wake you’re creating.
4. Practice your stories. The best speakers in the world have told and retold their stories countless times. Talk to yourself in front of a mirror. Ask a friend to listen to you speak. Record yourself and listen to it afterward. This practice will make sure you have these stories on deck whenever the situation calls for it.

You should now have a bank of stories and associated emotions ready to share with others. These specific examples will set you apart from other interviewees and help stamp that connection with the person across the table from you.