Interview Survival Guide: For us inexperienced folk.

So, you think you're ready for the big interview, huh? You've put in your applications, bled dry everyone you know for references, practiced your most professional smile in the mirror, and have even recovered from those nightmares where you're sitting in your interview and it's going GREAT until you look down and realize you're in your underwear--your ugliest pair, sprung forth from the back corner of your closet, to be exact. You're feeling pretty confident, yes? Like a BON-A-FIDE teacher who can tackle any question thrown at you, huh? Well, let me tell you something, buddy.
You are ready.
At least, more ready than you may think. You've spent the better part of your last year immersed in the newest educational studies, practicing with real, live warm bodies and brains, and collaborating with veteran teachers who have given you great examples of what to do (or what not to do, which is equally valuable). Most importantly, you are living in a constant state of self-reflection and revision. You will probably never again have such a great opportunity for feedback as this--from mentor teachers, fellow students, professors, principals, your students, and your coordinating supervisors. This may give you an advantage over other applicants, because self-awareness plays a major role in the interviewing process.
"Just be honest," says the department head of one major high school. "We can tell when you are being sincere and when you're just giving us what you think we want to hear."
Your interviewers, unless they somehow fail to read your resume or detect that green hue in your bright, idealistic face, will know that you are new to the profession. So, don't act like you are just as seasoned as other teachers, and don't try to make up for or apologize for your lack of experience. Everyone began somewhere, and experience does not always equal qualification.
While naivety is never desirable, your fresh (and hopefully) idealistic position on education and your content area is something to capitalize on. You probably have a lot of new and novel ideas rolling around your head, so make this a highlight. Do not, however, try to be the radical new teacher who desires to change everything. Even if that is your plan, keep it under wraps. Most times, the people interviewing you are the very ones who hold those ideas you may find too traditional, boring, or ineffective. Ever heard the saying, "In order to change the system, you must be inside the system?" Don't jeopardize your chance to get inside. Stay true to yourself, as long as your self is not going to rock the proverbial boat too forcefully and too early.
If you have learned anything during your time in the MAT program, it is probably that there is still a lot to education which you don't know. Your classes at the university strive to cover as much as possible, but they should leave you wanting, with the understanding that even veteran teaching professionals haven't conquered all aspects of education. Hence the need to be a lifelong learner, and the need for professional development.
With this in mind, be humble. Confident, but humble. Let them know you are willing to work with others, to listen to criticism and respond positively, to be open to ideas--even if they seem archaic. (Sometimes there's a good reason behind certain methods perpetuating education's history). A team player who is willing to identify his or her weaknesses (if a lack of experience is a weakness) and willing to adapt his or her practice to what is needed in the school community is a desirable job candidate.
So, when the time comes for you to take your place in the hot seat, remember these things. You are more ready than you may feel, so lift your head and throw a skip in your step. Be confident. If you believe in yourself, then perhaps you can persuade others to believe in you, too. Be prepared to share some honest self-reflections. Use your "greenness" to your advantage, but remember to be humble, no matter how tall your aspirations are. And finally, most schools want a team player, not a force to contend with.
It also wouldn't hurt to do some deep breathing before your interview. And cover up those tattoos, you heathen. You'll be great.