What to do before a job interview starts the evening before you shake anyone's hand. The night before decides how you sleep. Breakfast decides how you feel an hour into the questions. The last 10 minutes, sitting in the car or on a lobby couch, decide how you walk through the door. Below is the timeline we'd follow, with a named source for each step, ending with the one spray we keep in a jacket pocket for the walk in.
What to do before a job interview, from the night before to the door
Most interview advice is a long list in no particular order. A timeline is easier to follow when you're nervous, because each step has a slot and you can forget about it once it's done. The slots are the night before, the morning, the trip, the car park or lobby, and the last minute.
The night before a job interview
Ontario Tech University's career centre gives a short checklist for the night before an in-person interview. Reread the job description and write down the skills the employer asks for. Next to each one, note the example from your own work that proves you have it. Run a mock interview out loud. Plan the trip and work out how long it takes. Lay out a clean outfit. Then go to bed.
Bob McIntosh, a workshop specialist at the Career Center of Lowell, told the World Economic Forum to spread company research over several days so the night before is a light review. He also said that in eight years of running workshops, two people told him they enjoy interviews. Everyone else is nervous, which includes the person across the table.
Sleep is the step people cut. The CDC recommends at least 7 hours a night for adults, and its 2016 survey found about 1 in 3 American adults regularly get less. Set the alarm, put the phone across the room, and stop rehearsing answers in bed.
“Oh wow, the saliva flow.”
What to eat before a job interview
Dr Michael Roizen of the Cleveland Clinic, co-author of What to Eat When, lays out a schedule for interview day. In the morning, skip garlic and onions and pass on muffins and pastries. Oatmeal with fruit or whole-grain toast are his picks. About 90 minutes before the interview, eat a meal with protein, carbs and fat together, such as a whole-grain chicken sandwich with avocado. About 45 minutes before, have one cup of coffee, and keep it to one or two cups in total so you don't arrive jittery. Carry a bottle of water and a small bag of nuts if the day might run long.
Arrive 10 to 15 minutes early, then use the spare time
Amanda Augustine, a career expert at TheLadders, recommends walking into reception about 15 minutes before your slot. Earlier than that and you're sitting in someone's lobby while they rearrange their morning. Ontario Tech says 10 to 15 minutes. If you can, do a test run of the commute a week before, at the same time of day, so traffic and parking hold no surprises.
The trick is to leave home early and arrive at the building on time. Give yourself 20 to 30 spare minutes and spend them in the car park, a café down the street or a quiet bench. Those minutes are for the reset.
What to do right before an interview
This is the part most searchers want. A lot rides on the first few minutes of small talk. A 2016 study in the Journal of Applied Psychology by Brian Swider, Murray Barrick and T. Brad Harris followed 163 mock interviews and found that candidates who made a good first impression in the opening chat got more favourable scores, most of all on the first few questions. So the goal of the last 10 minutes is to walk in switched on and ready to talk.
- 10 minutes out, in the car or café. Phone on silent. Read your three strongest examples once, then put the notes away.
- 8 minutes out. Bathroom. Mirror check for teeth, collar and hair. Spit out any gum (Ontario Tech lists chewing gum in the interview as a mistake).
- 6 minutes out. Walk the long way to the entrance. Roll your shoulders and take a few slow breaths on the way.
- 5 minutes out. Say your first answer to "tell me about yourself" under your breath, start to finish.
- 2 minutes before reception. One spray of Dragon Breath, outside the door.
Be polite and friendly to whoever greets you at the desk. Ontario Tech puts that on its day-of checklist next to greeting the interviewer by name.
How to get pumped up before an interview
Nerves show up in the mouth first. The World Economic Forum's list of interview nerves names dry mouth next to butterflies and sweaty palms, and a dry mouth makes the first sentence sound tight. Our last step is built around that moment.
Dragon Breath is a 50 ml mouth spray of chilcuague extract. Chilcuague (Heliopsis longipes), also called golden root, is a root from Central Mexico. Give one spray into your mouth. For a second it tastes earthy and a little peppery. Within about 10 seconds a bright, electric buzz spreads across the tongue and mouth, then your mouth floods with saliva. A customer filming their first spray said it before anything else: "Oh wow, the saliva flow." Another, moments after one spray on camera, put it in two words: "Definitely energized."
That's the feeling you carry through the door. Your mouth is wet when you say hello, you're wide awake, and the whole thing sits in your jacket pocket. A clean, fresh feeling lingers afterwards, which is welcome before a handshake and a conversation at close range.
The buzz comes from affinin (also called spilanthol), measured at 6.9 to 8.5 mg per gram of chilcuague root. The plant's history, from the Sierra Gorda to Mexican kitchens, is in our guide to chilcuague root.
Dragon Breath – Chilcuague Extract
50 ml mouth spray. Wild-harvested chilcuague root, dual-extracted. 250+ sprays.
Add to bagWhy it comes as a pocket spray
A few sprays is all it takes, and the 50 ml bottle holds 250+ of them, enough for every interview, second round and first day. It fits in a jacket or trouser pocket and nobody in the lobby will notice it. The extract stays sealed in Miron violet glass, which keeps light and air off it and adds significant longevity to its quality and potency. Start with one spray. Once you know the feeling, some people go up to five.
The root is wild-harvested from growth zones the Mara team selects with the help of local elders, then dual-extracted in organic solutions. It's vegan, gluten free, sugar free and non-GMO.
Dragon Breath considerations
If you're pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or allergic to plants in the daisy family, ask your doctor before using it.
Questions people ask
What should you do the night before a job interview?
Reread the job description, match an example from your work to each skill it lists, plan the trip and lay out your clothes. Then aim for at least 7 hours of sleep.
How early should I get to a job interview?
Check in at reception 10 to 15 minutes before your slot. Arrive in the area 20 to 30 minutes early and wait nearby.
Should I drink coffee before an interview?
Dr Michael Roizen of the Cleveland Clinic suggests one cup about 45 minutes before, and no more than one or two cups that day.
When should I use Dragon Breath before an interview?
Outside the building, a minute or two before you check in. The buzz arrives within about 10 seconds, and you'll want to swallow the first rush of saliva before you say hello.
