Interview is arguably the most important part of the pageant competition. Whether you are participating in an in-person pageant or a virtual one, interview is the portion of the competition where you get to show the judge who you truly are and why you are the woman for the job.
With pageant interviews comes nerves. Even if your pageant is virtual, you may still be feeling nervous to face the judges without the comfort of other contestants around you waiting for their turn. While pageant interviews are important, we do not want those nerves to get the better of you! As with all things in life, it is always scarier to go into a big event blind. Knowing what to expect when you strut into the interview room, our log into the interview room for our virtual pageant queens, will allow you to let your personality shine and help you guide the interview in the direction you want it to go.
How Long Will Your Pageant Interview Be?
Pageant interviews can range in the length of time you will have to speak with the judges depending on the system that you are competing with and what age division you are in. For younger contestants, your interview may be about five minutes long, while Teen divisions and up may have an interview as long as ten minutes.
For some pageant systems, like National American Miss or Miss USA, you will compete in a Round Robin interview format. This means that you will interview with each judge individually for an average of three to four minutes before moving to the next judge. Other pageant organizations like Miss America choose to administer the interview in a panel-style format. This means that you will interview with all of the judges at once for the duration of your time.
Where Do the Judges Questions Come From
One of the most nerve wracking parts of pageant interviews is wondering what the judges will ask you. While we, unfortunately, cannot read their minds, we can do the work on our part to study the system we are competing in and have a general idea of the type of questions they like to ask contestants. For example, if you hand in a pageant resume or any type of “About Me” paperwork, the judges may base their questions based off of the information you provide in that paperwork. Other ways judges may develop their interview questions are:
Gathering information from your personal introduction (if your pageant has a personal introduction portion of competition)
The news or current events
Political or societal issues (Depending on your system, most pageants will specify if they will ask questions like these)
Set questions that the organization wants to know like: “Why should you be the next titleholder?” or “What made you choose this pageant to compete in?”
Questions regarding community service and your platform
If you are feeling nervous about your next pageant interview and what they may ask you, the best thing you can do for yourself is practice!
What To Expect When Your Pageant Interview Begins
Each pageant organization administers the interview process a little differently.
If Your Pageant is Virtual
If your pageant is virtual, make sure you are in a quiet place with a clear background and a strong wifi connection. It is important to do a test call on the video call platform your system uses to make sure everything is working properly on your computer. When you click the link to begin your interview you may be in the waiting room while you wait for the interview to start. Remember that the judges just want to get to know you and are excited to learn about all of the accomplishments and community service you have done!
If Your Pageant is In-Person
You will likely be asked to sit in a waiting room outside of the interview room with the other contestants before you are called in for your turn. The moments sitting in this waiting room are for you to center your mind, remind yourself of your goals, and not to be a Chatty Cathy with the other contestants. Trust me, the best thing you can do is to give yourself some peace and quiet and after the interview, you can catch up with all your new friends.
Do you have a pageant coming up? Stay up to date on all the latest tips, tricks, and advice on the Beauty Queens Galore blog!
Photo: Ryley Huslig