Preparing for a job interview goes beyond researching the company and rehearsing your responses. It’s crucial to bring certain items that can enhance your preparedness and professionalism during the interview. In this article, we’ll discuss the ten essential items you should bring with you on your next job interview, based on a valuable episode of IT Job Coach.
- Copies of Your Resume: Bringing multiple copies of your resume is essential for an interview. Interviewers may prefer a hard copy to refer to during the discussion and take notes. Additionally, providing an updated resume allows you to showcase any recent achievements or experiences not included in your initial application. Bring at least five copies to ensure you have enough for each interviewer and unexpected situations.
- Professional Outfit: Dressing professionally is crucial for making a positive first impression. Research the company’s dress code beforehand and dress accordingly. Wearing appropriate attire demonstrates your respect for the interview process and the company’s culture. Remember, it’s better to be slightly overdressed than underdressed. Aim for a polished and professional appearance that aligns with the company’s expectations.
- Questions for the Interviewers: Prepare a list of insightful questions to ask during the interview. Not only does this showcase your engagement and interest in the role, but it also helps you gather valuable information about the position and the company. Prepare at least five questions, covering aspects such as job responsibilities, projects, company goals, and expectations. By asking thoughtful questions, you demonstrate your proactive approach and leave a lasting impression.
- References: While it’s unnecessary to include references on your initial resume submission, it’s crucial to have them ready when asked. Contact your references in advance, informing them about the position you’ve applied for and providing a heads-up that they may be contacted. Ensure your reference list includes their names, contact information, your relationship with them, and a brief reminder of their willingness to provide a reference.
- Portfolio or Padfolio: A professional portfolio or padfolio is an excellent tool for organizing your interview materials. It can hold copies of your resume, references, and a list of questions. Additionally, you can use it to take notes during the interview. This helps you stay organized, demonstrates your preparedness, and showcases your attention to detail. Choose a sleek and professional portfolio or padfolio that aligns with your personal style.
- Business Cards: While not mandatory, having business cards can leave a lasting impression on interviewers. If you have them, bring a stack with you. These cards can feature your name, contact information, and professional title. Handing out your business card at the end of the interview shows your professionalism and provides interviewers with an easy way to contact you. Remember to collect business cards from the interviewers for future follow-up communication.
- Bottle of Water: Interviews can be lengthy, and it’s essential to stay hydrated and maintain your composure. Bringing a bottle of water ensures you have a refreshment option if it’s not offered during the interview. Stay hydrated to keep your focus sharp and prevent any discomfort caused by a dry mouth.
- Briefcase or Bag: Carry a professional briefcase or bag to keep all your interview essentials in one place. This will help you stay organized and present a polished image. Your briefcase or bag can hold your portfolio, water bottle, extra copies of your resume, and any other necessary items. Opt for a sleek and professional design that complements your overall appearance.
- Positivity and the Right Attitude: One of the most crucial items to bring to an interview is your positive mindset and the right attitude. Show enthusiasm, confidence, and genuine interest in the opportunity. A positive attitude can create a favorable impression, make you more memorable, and convey your ability to thrive in a professional environment. Remember to smile and engage with the interviewers throughout the process.
Preparing for a job interview goes beyond rehearsing answers and researching the company. By bringing these ten essential items—copies of your resume, a professional outfit, questions for the interviewers, references, a portfolio, business cards, a water bottle, a briefcase or bag, and a positive attitude—you’ll enhance your preparedness, professionalism, and overall impression during the interview. Remember, success often lies in the details, and being well-prepared can significantly increase your chances of securing the job you desire
Episode Transcript
Welcome to The Loss to Boss Podcast, your go-to source for it, career advice and guidance. Whether you’re just entering the workforce, seeking to make a career pivot, or you have recently experienced job loss. This podcast is here to support you. Now here is your host, Frank DeMaio.
Hey everyone, and welcome to this episode of Loss to Boss. Our topic for today is what should you bring on an interview? We’re gonna run through a nice list of items to bring with you on your interview. First thing you’re gonna wanna do is always bring copies of your resume. Bring in at least five copies because you never know how many people might be in the interview, and you might say, well, why do I need to bring copies of my resume?
I’ve already provided them when I. Applied for the position. And yes, that is true, but there’s a couple reasons why you wanna bring copies with you. The first reason is interviews sometimes like to have a hard copy of your resume in front of them so they can ask questions, and it also allows them to take notes, right on that piece of paper.
The second reason why you wanna bring. Hard copies of your resume is that it will give you an opportunity to provide them with your most up to date resume, so from the time you applied for the position until the time that you’re actually interviewing, time may have passed, and it’s important to be sure that that’s most up to date with the activities that you’ve been doing since then.
Second thing you wanna bring with you is a professional outfit, right? Dress to impress. When you’re in that interview, you also wanna know your audience as well, so make sure you do some research as to what that dress code is and be sure to align that appropriately. The third thing is questions for your interviewers, it’s.
Important to bring questions with you to show your engagement and to show your interest in the position. I always recommend being prepared with five questions and why. Five questions. Well, first of all, you don’t have to ask all five questions during the interview. But it’s important to be prepared because sometimes they may answer the questions during the interview already without you asking those questions.
And there’s nothing worse than getting to the end of the interview and the interviewers say, do you have any questions for us? And you say, no. I think you asked, answered everything I needed to be answered. So you. Always wanna be prepared with extra questions just in case. And so some of those questions that can go right into your toolbox to have on hand at any time are things such as, what will my day-to-day work look like?
Um, what types of projects will I be working on? Will my responsibilities change over time? You can ask questions about the companies such as, what are the company’s goals for next year? You can also ask questions about job performance. You know, what would the company expect to see me accomplish in my first six months on the job?
One of my favorite questions to ask is, what are the characteristics of someone who is successful in this type of role? And that really just kind of helps to solidify in your mind what it is you ha you need to be successful. It also helps the interviewer to kind of verbalize that and so this way they know what success is for the position as well.
So again, be prepared with questions. Bring questions. Make sure you ask questions during the interview and engage with your interviewer. The fourth thing you should bring are your references. Now, I see this all the time where folks try to put their references on their resume. Please don’t do that. Don’t submit your references with your resume for every position.
And here’s a couple reasons why. One is, it’s not necessary when you’re first applying for a position, you haven’t gotten to the point where they’re asking for your references so they can check them to see if you might be a good fit for that position. Two. You also wanna make sure you call your references before giving people their contact information just to be sure that they’re willing to provide you with a reference.
Now, you may have asked them a year ago or six months ago and said, Hey Bob, I really. Enjoyed working with you in the past, would you mind being a reference for me? Now, they could forget about that, right? They have other things going on in their life, so they may forget that you ask them that, and when they get a call out of the blue, they may not realize what it, what it’s for, what that is.
So if you wait and hold your references to provide them to the employer, when they ask for them, meaning you’re onto that next stage and they’re gonna check your references, you can call Bob and say, Bob, I just wanna let you know. I’m applied for this position at XYZ Company and they asked for my references and I gave them your name, contact information as you had said, I could.
I just wanted you to be prepared. So that gives them a heads up. They can kind of prepare in their mind what kind of reference they’re gonna give for you, and it just kind of gives them a head up, heads up as a common courtesy with references. You wanna make sure that you have the person’s name, their contact information.
And also the relationship, your relationship with them and how you know them. So make sure that’s on your reference list as well, and try to match your template of your resume with your reference sheet. You know, have your references all on one sheet, but make sure that sheet mimics similar type of formatted as your resume and also your cover letter.
The fifth thing I always recommend bringing is a portfolio or a portfolio. I like the portfolio, you know, it’s kind of like a portfolio where you can put a pad of paper in there. You can put a pen or a pencil, some type of writing instrument in there. It can also hold copies of your. Resume. It can hold copies of your references and it can also have your list of questions that you’re going to ask.
Also, one, another thing to bring along to an interview are business cards. This is not something that’s necessary. Absolutely not necessary, but if you have business cards and you wanna bring them, don’t forget them. Bring them with you and you can always hand them out afterwards. Also, a great idea. Is for you to collect business cards in the interview as well.
That will help you in sending a thank you note later on after your interview. So also keep that in mind. I always recommend bringing a bottle of water on your interview. You never know how long that interview’s gonna be. You never know if your mouth’s gonna get dry. Typically, interviewers may offer you a water or something along those lines, but it’s always good to be prepared and to bring that with you.
And that kind of leads in to my next item to bring with you on an interview. And that is a briefcase or a bag, right? You could put your water in there, you could put your portfolio in there, and this way you have everything in a nice. Professional bag to bring with you. And the last thing for every interview, bring positivity, bring the right attitude, and always remember to smile.
Just to summarize the things you wanna bring with you on your interview are copies of your resume, a professional outfit, questions for your interviewers, a copy of your references. A PFO or a notebook of some kind. Make sure you bring a writing instrument, business cards if you have them, bottle of water, a briefcase or a bag, some type of professional type of bag to bring with you.
And also that great attitude and smile. So that’s gonna wrap it up for today. Thank you for listening. If you’d like this episode, please be sure to check out the next one.
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