Coming in on my phone here with a random thought:
During my interviews I often tend to try and make the interviewer laugh. At times, it can be a little assertive, but I really don’t think it’s enough to make me seem too brash or cockey. I just feel like the profess is very stressful and the interview, especially, is nerve-wracking. I have to assume the interviewer is a little bit stressed here too, and maybe a little comedic relief can go a long way. Also, if they want to get to know the real me, that’s me—I chuckle when faced with adversity, it helps me stay grounded and not melt down from stress. Everyone has their own coping strategy—that’s mine.
Most interviewers are not stressed out at all by interviewing students, they have interviewed thousands of students, have a formula for what they are trying to find out, and will be very relaxed. Be yourself, and if that includes humor, that should be fine. You are in 8th grade and trying to get into a prep high school, I take it. Some CC commenters may miss that, because they may find your post using Latest Posts.
Affable…yes. Funny…NO. These are professional interviews, perhaps the first at your age. Humor is an excellent coping mechanism, use it before and after your interview to blow off steam… in private or with your family and friends. But best to keep it out of the interview.
There is absolutely no stress on the interviewer’s part-- no need for you to put him at ease. For him, it’s simply another day at work. Trying too hard to be funny is absolutely going to backfire; you really don’t want to come off as the class clown. No one ever wants to teach that kid.
Be yourself. Be friendly. Be interested and interesting. And save the comedy act.
It is inappropriate to be funny during your interview as a 10th grader be interviewed by an adult.
While a gentle, appropriate sense of humor is often regarded as a sign of maturity, I do not think that it would work in your situation.
The sense that I get from this thread is that you are trying too hard to impress another when you should be focusing on being attentive & on being yourself.
Agreed. This is a school interview, and the same would apply for a college interview or a job interview. Making people laugh is a good strategy for open mic night at the local comedy club, not here. Know your audience.
I think it’s definitely a good thing to look comfortable and seem interesting by using humor. I would think that it’s a good sign if your interviewer is smiling and seems to enjoy the interview, but there’s a fine line between a good amount of humor and going too far. Make sure any jokes are relevant and not off topic (and obviously they need to be appropriate). Your interviewer is only going to remember a few tidbits of your interview a week or two afterwards, and you don’t want them to only see you as a funny kid.
