Say It Thrice

Today I’m going to share with you a quick tip to improve your interview skills. This is a simple tip that will boost your ability to sell yourself in an interview, prove you’re a good candidate for the role, and also show you’re capable of being convincing.

I’ll give you a hint, just did it.

As I shared before in a previous blog post, I’m currently in the application process for a six-month apprenticeship coming up soon with Praxis. Those of us in this process are currently getting mentoring, feedback, and practice in preparation for our future interviews. Tonight we had another call to go over these ideas, and this is what I learned.

First off, during the Praxis call, I was nervous. (Shocker.) But for some reason, this is the part of the program that has got me the most nervous. I think that’s because I’m also very excited, and judgement is also difficult to take - as always. However, even if I’m not 100% confident in my interviewing skills yet, I’m not going to let that get in the way of me learning and making an effort to improve that. Learning new things and putting myself in uncomfortable situations has never been a huge problem for me, it’s just a matter of getting the hang of it, and then I run with it.

“Start with what you’re going to tell me, then tell me, then tell me what you told me.” - John Roccia, Praxis

This was interesting to me, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it makes total sense. Had I not heard this I would’ve assumed that repeating myself would make me come off as sloppy, rude, or insecure about my knowledge. However, I think it just shows passion. My main concern with my interviewing skills is that my introvertedness will take over, and I’ll appear to not care when in reality I’m very excited. The reason this principle of saying something thrice is so helpful, is because it’s a practical way for me to fight through my weaknesses.

I still have to continue putting this into practice, but pretty soon I think it’ll be second nature.