hbrady
Member
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2019
- Messages
- 15
Before my NROTC Interview I was looking through the forums for any advice I could find. Most threads weren’t up to date and there wasn’t a lot of information about what women should wear for the interview, so I thought that I’d drop my two-cents here.
Interview Tips
I chose to take a more casual, but still very presentable and professional approach because it is what I was comfortable in, and it was truer to who I am. I am an eighteen year old girl. I feel like it would be strange to be wearing super formal business attire.
Secondly, my interviewer interviewed me in a flannel and jeans. If I was wearing something super formal I think we both would have felt a bit uncomfortable.
You really need to have a solid answer to these questions (especially for NROTC since it is a question in the application). If you don’t, you probably should not be applying to ROTC.
If you interview well, minimal practice is required. If you don’t interview well—practice. Also, don’t be afraid to actually take a moment to think about what you want to say—a quick answer doesn’t necessarily mean a better outcome. You might think of a better response later and too many very quick answers could potentially seem scripted. Being contemplative isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Important Things
Best of luck to everyone and I hope that this helps!
Interview Tips
- Be overqualified
- Bring your life on paper
- Dress the part
- You don’t need to be super formal. For guys, this means that you don’t need a suit, and for girls this means that you don’t need a skirt, or anything of that matter. Since it was winter during my interview and I interviewed in a cold area, I tailored my outfit toward that. I wore black jeans (they didn’t look like jeans—definitely more along the lines of nicer pants). I wore a very simple maroon sweater with a simple, brown trench coat. I wore simple brown wedges, small pearl earrings, and a simple grey necklace.
- For my hair, I twisted the front part of my hair back on one side into a low bun (think a simpler, more practical version of Emma Watson’s hair as Belle). I fidget with my hair a lot when it’s down, so it was crucial for me to have it pulled back. Since my hair is longer, a bun looked cleanest and most professional. The twist in the front was practical since I have a lot of stray hairs, and it made my hair look more interesting.
I chose to take a more casual, but still very presentable and professional approach because it is what I was comfortable in, and it was truer to who I am. I am an eighteen year old girl. I feel like it would be strange to be wearing super formal business attire.
Secondly, my interviewer interviewed me in a flannel and jeans. If I was wearing something super formal I think we both would have felt a bit uncomfortable.
- Be prepared
You really need to have a solid answer to these questions (especially for NROTC since it is a question in the application). If you don’t, you probably should not be applying to ROTC.
If you interview well, minimal practice is required. If you don’t interview well—practice. Also, don’t be afraid to actually take a moment to think about what you want to say—a quick answer doesn’t necessarily mean a better outcome. You might think of a better response later and too many very quick answers could potentially seem scripted. Being contemplative isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
- Be confident
Important Things
- If possible, try and interview at your top choice school. An in person interview is best (though understandably not always possible), but many schools are willing to do FaceTime, Skype, etc. interviews. If an officer is interviewing you at their NROTC unit and they’re not your top choice they will most likely feel that to some degree, the interview isn’t meaningful for them. If they’re not even in your top five list, that’s even worse!
- Arrive early if possible—do not be late!
- Ask questions at the end, but make sure they’re meaningful questions
Best of luck to everyone and I hope that this helps!