Interviews are such an important part of pageantry, in those 2/3 minutes you need to make a lasting impression to the judges so they will remember all of the things you have done for the system before going on stage. Most importantly, they get to know you as a person rather than a number on a sheet. If you haven’t prepared as much for the interview as you have with the selection of dresses, appearances, charity work and walk practice then you have put yourself at a disadvantage.
A pageant system is looking for a spokesperson, someone to represent what they pageant stands for, how will you inspire more to compete for your crown next year if you can’t prepare and talk about what makes you the best person for the crown. One thing I always train girls for the most is the interview,. So you can see what areas you need to improve, what information to give and what the judges want from you in front of them.
1. First things first, everyone at one point in their lives have had an interview so they know how you feel. Whether it’s in front of one person or a panel of judges like a pageant, everyone has to be interviewed for a job or university. Use this to your advantage, especially if there are past or current queens in the line up. They progressed to their level because of how well they performed and you can be there too!
2. EYE CONTACT- Acknowledge the judges, don’t talk to the floor! This is the only time they will be face to face with you on a personal level before seeing the stage transformation. Saying that, don’t stare down one judge until it makes them uncomfortable. If there is a panel, acknowledge all judges, not just the judge who asked the question. The judges will either take it in turns or one judge will do all the talking. Engage with them all, but don’t turn your head really fast between them all as that will look really strange!
3. Body language- you can say a lot more with your body language than with words sometimes, so make sure you are sat up straight without fiddling with your dress or playing with your hair. When you speak you might sound really calm but if you are fidgeting the judges are more likely to watch that than hear what you have to say. Wearing the right outfit will help this (more to come on that subject in another post). If you talk with your hands, try not to wave your hands around too much as they will watch your hands instead of looking at your face. Last point, don’t cross your arms! It is a negative pose and shows you are closed off, hands on your legs, on your knee, to yours sides but not crossed!
4. Tell me a little something about yourself? No short answers! The judges will almost always ask you this as your ice breaker, to get you comfortable before the real questions begin. This is also a perfect chance for you to put your personality across and also lead the questions to where you want the interview to go. You don’t want to give short answers as that leaves awkward silences as doesn’t give much away! For example:
What’s your name? Hannah
How old are you? 28
Where do you live? Swindon
Why do you want to win? Because I should.
It doesn’t tell anything about you!
Instead: My name is Hannah Golding, I live in Swindon and work as a personal trainer alongside competing in pageants. I love my job as it combines what I love doing in pageants and that’s helping people, through fitness, inspiration and charity.” With this question it can then lead onto what charity do I support, what work I do for the charity and what I’ve done to prepare for the pageant giving a more rounded view.
5. Don’t over rehearse your answers. Prepare for the interview of course, but don’t go over the same words over and over again as when it comes to the interview itself it won’t sound natural at all and if you mess up the words you could get frustrated with yourself yet the judges don’t even know what you are going to say. The biggest tip for interviews which helps a lot is focus on the subjects you want to get across. Here are mine: My work with the homeless. Charity patron. Mental health campaign. Curvy body confidence.By sticking to the subject’s whom I am most comfortable talking with I can give my side of pageantry and all the extra things I bring to the crown. So make a note of the things you are passionate about and have done on the lead up and concentrate on them.
6. Why should you be the winner? This will feature in all interviews, maybe worded differently but it will crop up! Make sure you practice different versions in your training so you don’t get confused! You wouldn’t have worked so hard beforehand if you didn’t want that crown! If you are a late comer into the pageant, we’ve all been there! Be honest, tell them that you entered late but list the work you’ve done for other pageants like the community work and charity and that if you were to win you would dedicate as much time as possible to promote the title and do the best you can do. It can be done, I entered a pageant with 5 days to spare, I ended up winning Best In Interview and finishing 1st Runner Up!
7. Don’t be negative. If you say negative things about yourself or anything else it doesn’t say a great deal about yourself. When I first entered pageants I remember joking in one interview that I would love to travel but I can’t speak any other language to save my life. I thought it was funny but my feedback was it went against me. If I were to win the international crown I would of had to travel and only speaking English seemed a drawback. Think of the bigger picture and what the pageant is looking for, do your research! Look at their past queens and see what the example is. Always ask for feedback after a pageant as well, as it’s the only way you know what to improve on!
There we have just a small selection of tips, if you have any tips then please comment and we can create another piece! Also look out for what to wear to a pageant interview, and other tips here on Sparkles and Rhinestones!
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