Starting out your career is tough. Early in your professional development, your resume will seem rather thin. At the same time, you lack interview experience, making it difficult to project confidence and maturity.
You can’t do much about your work experience. Companies will want to see something in your employment history — one study showed that 91% of employers prefer some work experience.
Once you get past the resume stage, however, there are steps you can take. With the proper preparation and the right approach, you can present yourself as more of a veteran professional. Your interviewers will perceive you as older and more mature. Here’s how you can make this happen:
What Ways Can You Look Older and More Mature During For an Interview?
Prepare for the Interview
A large chunk of the work that goes into presenting a mature demeanor actually happens before the interview. Here are a few steps you can take leading up to the conversation that will make you seem more seasoned and experienced:
Dress the Part
Consider your wardrobe. You don’t want to look like someone who had to borrow their mother’s or father’s clothes to go to an interview. However, your definition of “dressed up” might not completely fit the corporate mentality. To get a hint, check out the company’s website or simply ask about dress codes ahead of the interview.
Scrub Your Social Media Content
Your interviewers will have already done some research ahead of the meeting. As such, make sure they don’t find anything embarrassing. Before you start your job search, make sure your social media is either impossible to find or completely appropriate.
Do Your Research
As your interviewers look into you, make sure you learn as much as possible about the company and the job. This way, you’ll have intelligent questions to ask and can take the conversation to another level.
Practice
Look up the most common interview questions. Come up with answers and practice them out loud. Get help from friends or family. Like learning your lines in a play, having a few well-rehearsed answers will let you come off as a seasoned job-search veteran.
Posture and Politeness
A calm, professional demeanor goes a long way in communicating your maturity. You want to project poise and confidence, while still signaling your grasp of professional etiquette.
A lot of this gets communicated through posture and other non-verbal clues. Here are a handful of key tips to keep in mind:
- Sit up straight
- Make eye contact
- Shake hands
- Don’t fidget
Speak Calmly and Confidently
Beyond your physical presentation, maturity is often contained in your speech. Not just in what you say, but how you carry a discussion.
Along with posture and the other physical tricks we talked about before, keep in mind your verbal presentation. Here are a few crucial steps you can take to eliminate signs of immaturity:
- Don’t rush
- Eliminate “uhs” and “ums”
- Avoid slang
- Wait for your turn to speak
- Use active listening
Focus on Relevant Experience
When a 40-year-old talks about something they did 10 years ago, they might detail founding a startup or landing a multi-million-dollar client. If you reach back a decade, your stories might only relate to Little League or French Club.
In this way, you come in at a disadvantage. You don’t have a deep well of experience to draw from. It’s hard to avoid veering into “kid’s stuff.” Still, as much as possible, stick to professional or high-level academic achievements.
Are You Prepared For Your Interview?
Ready to start building out your resume? A top staffing firm, like Recruiting In Motion, can help you find the perfect position for your experience level.
Contact Recruiting In Motion to get the guidance and support you need. A top recruiter, like Recruiting In Motion, can find the perfect job to launch your professional journey.
