As summer is here you may want to buy a new pair of shoes, a skateboard, or just have some money to go out with your friends. A solution for your money woes is to apply for a summer job. Before getting hired for a job you must have an interview. An interview can be stressful to prepare for but not as stressful as you think. 

Some simple interview etiquette to have beforehand is exhibiting self-confidence, communication skills, patience, listen skills, when you come into the interview, and when you leave. Some ways to ease some anxiousness about your upcoming interview are simple, so grab a friend and practice some common interview questions. A well-known question would be “Tell me about yourself” ways to approach this question is to state your name, age, grade, what school you go to, what activities you’re involved in, and any other hobbies or clubs you’re in such as 4-H. 

Another common interview question would be “Why should we hire you for this job?” which is a very important question because this could make or break the interview. You are explaining your strengths as a person, what you can bring to the company, and showing that you are the best candidate for the job position. Some things to bring up is to say that you are a hard worker and are responsible. Mentioning that you have time management skills also is a superb response because being on time for your future potential job is expected and very important. Show your employer that you are very serious about this and if the business you’re applying for has a mission statement, look that up ahead of time to impress your employer to show you are committed and very ecstatic to potentially work for this business. 

Getting ready for an interview is a very important time to make a good first impression of yourself. Dressing the part helps to do this. Most women going in for a job interview wear a women’s suit or a plain colored blouse and dress pants in nice shoes. Men going to an interview wear either suits or a plain colored dress shirt with dress pants and dress shoes. It also is ideal to have proper hygiene habits because you don’t want to smell bad, so brush your teeth and wear deodorant and make yourself look all spiffy. Sometimes what you wear could depend on whether you get the job because if you come into a future employer with wet hair, bad body odor, ripped jeans, or anything of that nature, employers see that as you not caring if you get the job, so what you wear and how you take care of yourself truly matters and is a key component. 

Applying for a job in high school is a huge step and interviews can be stressful, but they don’t have to be. Remember to have confidence, smile, prove yourself worthy for this job position, show you are a hard worker by bringing up instances when you exemplified that behavior, and remember to thank them for the interview before you leave to show you are respectful.