This is Ryan right before he left to go on his first interview for a busboy position at the local sandwich shop.  He was nervous.  Very nervous.  I knew he would be, so a few days before the interview we began role-playing.  I wanted him to feel comfortable and confident that he was qualified for the job.

Although it’s always hard to know exactly what questions are going to be asked during an interview, there tend to be some standard ones.  So we started with those:

• Why are you interested in this job?
• What makes you qualified for the job?
• What is your greatest strength/weakness?
• When can you start?

Then I tried to get creative.  It’s been awhile since I’ve been on an interview.

• How would you handle these scenarios?  A customer is upset because they feel their order was not handled properly.  Or Your shift is over but your replacement hasn’t shown up.  What do you do?
• How do you describe good customer service?
• What are your expectations for this job?

To build his confidence I reminded him of all the work experience he had.  It’s hard to toot our own horn but sometimes we simply need to do it.  Besides, unlike a lot of kids his age, he’s been working since he was eleven years old.  First it was his once-a-week paper route which he kept for five years.  When he was 13, he began reffing soccer in the fall.  And then there was all the in-between stuff like doing yard work for our neighbor or cat-sitting for weeks at a time.  All of that shows initiative, responsibility, and commitment.  Employers like that.  So mention it.

I also told him that if he was asked to describe what sets him apart from the others, he should talk about the times he went above-and-beyond in his responsibilities.  Like when he decided to run the newspapers up to the doorstep of his subscribers.  Or when he stayed to ref the next soccer game when the scheduled ref didn’t show.  This shows you’re willing to put in the work…and then some.

But, I told him, they’re going to learn a lot about you even before you answer that first question.  Did you arrive on time?  How are you dressed?  How did you introduce yourself? Did you offer a nice, firm handshake?  How was your eye contact?  All of these are clues to who you are as a person.  And how you relate to everyone you meet is an indication of your inter-personal skills.  Those are very important to an employer.

We role-played until he felt like he was ready.  And although he was still nervous, he was less so knowing that he had prepared.

As he drove off that afternoon to learn more about how the world works, I was hoping that his biggest lesson that day was learning that 5 minutes before you leave for the interview is not a good time to discover that you’ve misplaced your dress pants and that your shirt needs to be ironed.