Let’s be honest, interviews can be extremely nerve-racking and uncomfortable. You have to be your best self, explain why you’d be a great fit for the role, and somehow not overthink every word, movement, or expression you made. As a staffing company in NJ that employs paraprofessionals, we’ve seen the good and the bad. Often times it isn’t how a candidate answers questions that make an interview go wrong, but how candidates come across during the interview. The good news is that this is something you can fix for your next interview. Here are 5 mistakes to avoid in your paraprofessional interview.
5 Mistakes to Avoid in Your Paraprofessional Interview
- Negative Body Language
Nowadays more interviews happen via video conference, but some employers may still request an in-person interview, and you can unknowingly express negative body language in both settings. Signs of negative body language include crossed arms, slumped posture, and avoiding eye contact. If you’re heading to an in person paraprofessional interview, make sure to greet the interviewer with a firm handshake while making eye contact. If you’re doing an interview over zoom, when the interviewer enters the video conference, greet them with a smile, a wave, and something along the lines of “Hello, I’m (name). It’s very nice to meet you”. When you are sitting down, it’s important to sit up straight in your chair. Smile naturally throughout the interview, keep eye contact with the interviewer, and make nodding gestures while listening. Nonverbal communication is a huge part of a first impression and if you seem closed off, the interviewer may assume you’ll be this way with students.
- Talking Negatively About a Past Job or Employer
There is one question you can almost guarantee you’ll be asked in every paraprofessional interview, and that is “What was your reason for leaving your previous position?”. While being truthful is a good quality, you don’t want to badmouth your previous employer. It is very common for people to have experienced a tough workplace or boss, but it is not something you want to talk about with your potential new employer. This is because the interviewer may become nervous about how you handle conflict, regardless of how justified your complaints may be. If you truly feel like you can’t say anything positive about your previous position, consider answering this question like “I faced a few challenges at my previous job but it taught me a lot about patience, boundaries, and communication. Moving forward, I am looking for a team that values clear expectations and collaboration”. As a paraprofessional in NJ, you’ll work with many different personalities and collaborate with a team. Therefore, it’s important to not come off as someone that may not know how to handle conflict (even if you don’t mean to come off that way). At the end of the day, avoiding speaking negatively about your past employer is a safe bet.
- Dressing Inappropriately
First impressions mean everything when it comes to paraprofessional interviews, or any interview for that matter. While you don’t need to come to a paraprofessional interview in a full suit, you also don’t want to show up dressed too casual. Wearing sweatpants, workout clothes, or leggings is a big mistake. It’s all about first impressions, and the goal is to look neat, polished, and confident walking into your interview. Showing up to an interview with freshly ironed clothes and business-casual attire expresses professionalism, effort, and respect.
- Showing Up Late
Arriving to an interview late is not a good first impression. By arriving late, it shows the interviewer that you have poor time management skills and a lack of respect. For a majority of employers, showing up late to an interview can be an immediate deal breaker. Now of course, if you have a family emergency or major transportation failures, those should be forgiven. If you’re headed to an in-person paraprofessional interview, plan you travel ahead of time. How long will it take you to get there? Is there traffic around the time your interview is? Do you know how the parking situation is in that area? These are the questions you should know the answer to before going. It’s important to give yourself an ample amount of time to get to the interview and account for any traffic.
If you’re doing a virtual interview, you still need to plan ahead of time. Does the video conference link work? Is your computer charged? Do you have the app downloaded on your phone? Are your camera and audio working? You should test all of this out and make sure everything is good to go. For a virtual paraprofessional interview, set up your location about 20 minutes prior to your meeting time and click the meeting link to confirm everything is good to go.
- Not Asking Questions
In every interview, you should always have 2-3 prepared questions for the interviewer. Not having any questions to ask at the end may signal a lack of interest, engagement, or preparation. When the recruiter or interviewer is closing out the interview with “do you have any questions?”, this is your opportunity to get more insight into specific duties, questions about the company culture, or anything else you want to know to make sure the company is the right fit for you.
- Not Researching the School or Agency You’re Interviewing With
Being unprepared isn’t a good first impression. As soon as you connect with a recruiter or potential employer, you should research the company extensively. Read up on the school district’s background, their mission, vision, values, curriculum, and culture. By doing your due diligence of reading up on the school you’d like to be hired as a paraprofessional at, it shows professionalism, eagerness, and enthusiasm. The more you know about the school and district, the better chances you have of a connection with the interviewer. Not only does this show your excitement for the possibility of getting hired, but it may also make you stand out against other candidates who didn’t do their research.
Final Thoughts
Heading into a paraprofessional interview in New Jersey can be intimidating. Taking the time to prepare, going in with a calm mindset, and truly understanding the job you are applying for should give you the confidence you need. Most of the time when an interviewer doesn’t move forward with a candidate it may not actually be due to a lack of qualifications, but because of how they conducted themselves throughout the interview. When you land an interview, take the steps to thoroughly prepare for it. Being overly prepared results in better outcomes. If you’re looking for a paraprofessional job in NJ, send us your resume today or check out our open jobs.
