How to write a winning scholarship essay - Gen Tanabe, Kelly Tanabe 2018

The disaster interview
Winning interview strategies

Even after doing interview homework and diligently practicing mock interviews, you may still find that you and the interviewer just don’t connect or that you just don’t seem to have the right answers. If you spend some time preparing, this is very unlikely. Interviewers are not trying to trick you or make you feel bad. They are simply trying to find out more about you and your fit with the award. Still, if you think that you’ve bombed, here are some things to keep in mind: avoid “should have,” “would have,” “could have.” Don’t replay the interview in your head again and again, thinking of all the things you “should have” said. It’s too easy to look back and have the best answers. Instead, use what you’ve learned to avoid making the same mistakes in the next interview.

There are no right answers. Remember that in reality there are no right answers. Your answers may have not been perfect, but that doesn’t mean they were wrong. There are countless ways to answer the same question.

The toughest judge is you. Realize that you are your own greatest critic. While you may think that you completely bombed an interview, the interviewer will most likely not have as harsh an opinion.