The pageant interview may seem like the scariest part of the competition, but not if you are prepared! Preparing for a pageant interview is easy if you follow these simple steps. This is how I nail my pageant interview, which is one of my strongest portions of competition, so I wanted to pass some advice on to you.
- Know Yourself- This is the biggest tip I can give, because if you know who you are, what makes you unique, and act genuine, you automatically will be more engaging and relatable in interview. So before you work to let others know who you are, get to know yourself.
- Prepare That Paperwork- Make your paperwork reflect what you want to talk about in your interview. The most important item should go first, because people are lazy and don’t read too far (honestly). Also, make them want to know more, write things that will make them question, then have awesome answers!
- Know the News- Learn the news and current events and have something to say about them. This is also helpful for onstage question. My favorite way? The Daily Skimm Newsletter. It takes me like five minutes to read every morning, and is a great way to get unbiased news information.
- Know the Pageant- Make sure you know the pageant system, current events in it, current and past titleholders, and the community you aim to serve. Don’t rehearse answers, but rather, if you know these facts well, you can answer questions regarding the pageant system and your future place in it.
- Don’t Over Rehearse- I don’t like to practice mock interview questions too much because they start to get unnatural once you make it into the interview room.
- Be Relatable- Try to add some fun relatability to your interview. You don’t want to be all work and no play, especially since titleholders should be engaging to all different groups.
- Practice the Physical- Film yourself, go in front of the mirror, and work on eye contact and hand motions.
- Ditch Those Nerves- Don’t be nervous! Remember, they want you to be the one to win the crown, they’re looking and hoping that you are it, so show them your best self!