Interviewing for a Night Shift Job
Preparing for an interview can be challenging, especially when you work the night shift. In this lesson, HR expert Carrie Nelson, Ph.D., shares practical strategies to help you make a strong impression, from understanding a company’s culture to showcasing your reliability, focus, and adaptability as a night-shift worker. You’ll learn how to prepare for different interview formats, handle common and behavioral questions, and ask thoughtful questions that demonstrate initiative and genuine interest. Carrie also shares tips for virtual interviews, managing your schedule after late shifts, and following up professionally. Whether you’re new to night work or advancing your career, this guide helps you approach every interview with confidence and clarity.
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Hello and welcome. This video is about
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interviewing. We're going to discuss
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preparing for interviews and making a
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great impression.
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I'm Carrie Nelson. I'm an independent
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human resource consultant. I have 25
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years of experience in HR and I have an
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MS degree in HR management and a PhD in
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industrial organizational psychology.
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On our agenda today, we're going to
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discuss why interviews matter, how to
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prepare for interviews, common interview
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questions you may receive, and also
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questions you should ask as the
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applicant. Then we'll discuss general
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interview tips.
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So, why do interviews matter? An
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interview is your opportunity to show
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how your skills, attitude, and
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personality fit the job. It's not just
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about your technical skills. It's also
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about who you are as a person.
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It's also your chance to learn more
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about the company and decide if it's
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right for you. Think of it as a two-way
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conversation, not an evaluation.
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So, preparing for an interview.
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Preparation sets you apart. Before your
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interview, you should research the
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company thoroughly. You should know
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their mission, their products or
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services, and their values. You can look
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through their website, their social
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media, their LinkedIn. If it's a product
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company, you could even try their
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products. Really show your interest.
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Make sure to review the job description
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closely before your interview. You know,
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refresh yourself on exactly what they're
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looking for. And practice answers to
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common questions. We're going to talk
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about that in a future slide along with
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preparing your own interview questions
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to ask the interviewer. Tips for night
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worker. If your interview is scheduled
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early in the day after a night shift,
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adjust your schedule. Sleep ahead of
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time, you know, if you can, you want to
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be well rested and focused. I also don't
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think it hurts to mention your schedule
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and see if they can adjust. You know,
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you could say, "Well, I get out at 2
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a.m. and yes, I can interview with you
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at 300 p.m., but is there any way we
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could meet sooner?" Doesn't hurt to try.
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Dress and demeanor. First impressions
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matter. Dress professionally and
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appropriately for the company's
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environment. Neat, clean, and simple
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always works well. During the interview,
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offer a firm but friendly handshake.
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Make eye contact and show confidence and
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engagement. Sit upright and avoid
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fidgeting. Nobody wants to interview
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someone who's looking down like this.
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You want to smile and use a polite and
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respectful tone. So, night worker tip.
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If you're coming from a shift, you know,
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maybe bring a change of clothes, take
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some time to refresh before your
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interview and and don't be shy about
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asking about their standards of dress. I
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think they actually might be impressed
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if you ask if there's a certain, you
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know, style that they expect or what
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their culture is on site before you
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arrive.
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Virtual interviews, these are growing in
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popularity, especially for night shift
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workers. For online interviews, you need
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to prepare more unique ways. For
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example, testing your technology early,
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your camera, your mic, headphones. If
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you have noises in the background, you
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might want to wear headphones. Check the
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lighting. Make sure they can see you.
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Find a quiet, well-lit space. Check your
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background to make sure it's neutral.
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You don't see dirty laundry or toys or
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people. Uh, and keep your resume and
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notes nearby. It's actually good to
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study your resume. Again, they might ask
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you about things that happened one or
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two jobs ago. Uh, so I sort of study it
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like a test beforehand and have it
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nearby so I can sort of look at it in
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case they have a tough question. And
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again, make sure you smile. It changes
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your tone and your confidence.
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So, common interview questions. Let me
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start with you can use AI to your
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advantage on this. You can copy and
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paste the entire job description into an
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AI like a chat GPT and say give me 10
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common interview questions for this this
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particular job can be very helpful. You
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know in general they may say things like
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tell me about yourself and you need to
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be ready to answer that. Typically you
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want to talk about yourself as it
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relates to the position. You know what
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are your strengths and areas of growth.
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They might not just want to know about
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your strengths and what you do well.
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They want to know what has challenged
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you in the past and how have you
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overcome those challenges. Uh why do you
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want to work here? This is where your
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research will really come in handy.
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Explain why you're passionate and
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excited to be there. Don't say give
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answers like the pay or the benefits.
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You want it to be your passion for their
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business. They might also ask describe a
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time you solved a problem at work. You
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know, think about some of the great
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things you've done in the past, projects
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you've worked on, customers you've
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helped. depending on your position,
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maybe your previous performance
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evaluations and what kinds of things did
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your supervisors tell you during those
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performance evaluations. Uh those might
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be things that you want to highlight.
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A tip, practice clear, honest answers
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with real examples from your experience.
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Don't worry if you need to take a minute
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to think, say, let me think about that
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for a minute. because coming up with an
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authentic example is going to be much
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better than giving them a textbook
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answer or telling them what they want to
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say, what they want to hear. Uh, often
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they know when you're doing that. So,
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you really want to be be yourself, be
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authentic.
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They might also ask interview questions,
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uh, behavioral questions. So, uh, could
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be, "Tell me about a time when, tell me
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about a time when you dealt with a
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difficult customer, tell me about a time
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you've solved multiple problems at
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once." You know, they might say, "Tell
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me a time when there was someone in
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front of you and phones ringing, someone
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knocking at the door. What did you do?"
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So, be prepared for those types of
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questions. Um, they might say, "Give me
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an example. Give me an example of your
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teamwork skills." I think that's even
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harder. Give me an example of your
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customer service ability or problem
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solving ability. So, things like that.
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Think of think now how you would answer
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that. You know, be prepared. Tip: Share
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examples that show reliability, problem
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solving, and independence. These are
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particular strengths of night shift
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workers.
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Now, your questions, what are your
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questions to ask them? Again, you can
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use AI for this. You can put the whole
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job description into a check GPT or
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other AI and say, "What are thoughtful
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questions I could ask the employer when
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I interview for this position?" They'll
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be amazed. Uh some things you might want
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to ask is what does a typical night
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shift look like here? Uh how is
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performance measured? What qualities
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make someone successful here? This also
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gives you great tips on how to be
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successful. Uh what's the handoff
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process between shifts to insert ensure
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smooth communication? Person
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interviewing you. Some of the people
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interviewing you might not be on that
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shift. So you want to hear how how they
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interpret things. Uh, and you'd also
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want to say what are the next steps in
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the process so you understand what's
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happening.
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A tip, save questions about time off or
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benefits or things that benefit you or
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towards the end, either at the end of an
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interview or if there's going to be a
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second or third interview. I recommend
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you save those types of questions till
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the very end. In the beginning, you
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really want to show your interest in the
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company and not what you get out of the
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deal.
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General interview tips. Bring a copy of
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your resume and references, whether it's
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in person or online. Arrive or log in 5
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to 10 minutes early at least so you're
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fully prepared. Greet everyone politely
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and professionally. And here's one. Send
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a thank you note afterwards. Yes, this
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is still done. Again, you can use AI to
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have it come up with a custom thank you
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note for you, but you can personalize it
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easily by doing these two things. Put
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one thing you learned and a skill set
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that you bring to the table if you're
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looking for content for a thank you
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note. That really makes it customized
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and personal and they'll appreciate
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that.
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So, conclusion and final thoughts,
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preparation and professionalism make all
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the difference. Be yourself, stay
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positive, and show genuine interest in
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the role. Night workers bring unique
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strengths such as reliability, focus,
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and adaptability. Highlight those
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qualities and you'll stand out in any
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interview. No matter what shift you
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work, preparation and presence are your
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best tools for success. Good luck.