You have done your research and found a court reporting firm that you are interested in applying for a job with. You have sent a good cover email and attached a well thought-out resume. You are offered an interview. Congratulations. Most court reporters don’t even get their resume looked at because of poor introductory emails.
I personally do interview probably one or two reporters a month who for some reason have stimulated my interest. A job interview really is selling yourself. Most of us are not natural sales people, and court reporters are not applying for sales jobs. However, social skills do count. Dressing appropriately seems quite obvious. Most of the court reporters I have interviewed do dress appropriately. The first few seconds do count a lot so be friendly and upbeat. Try to not let your nerves show. Sit in a relaxed, open position. Make eye contact. I do understand that people are nervous.
I think it is very nice when a court reporter has some sort of folder where they have their resume, references from teachers are great, if you do volunteer work, that’s a good reference. Hobbies are also important. I have never ceased to be impressed when somebody tells me how important getting this job means to them. They normally get another door opened. Genuine interest probably counts to me more than anything else.
More on how to ace an interview tomorrow.