Job interviews don't start when the first question gets asked. They start when you walk through the door.
This isn't about mystical first impressions. It's about something more specific: hiring managers are watching to see how you behave when you think you're not being assessed yet. How you greet the receptionist. Whether you look at your phone while you wait. Whether you say thank you when someone brings you water. These things get noticed and mentioned.
By the time you sit down, the interviewer has already answered two questions in their head: does this person seem reasonably relaxed, and do they seem like someone I'd want to spend a shift with? Your answers to the formal questions are there to confirm or challenge that early read.
Nerves are expected and they don't hurt you. Interviewers for entry-level roles have interviewed hundreds of nervous teenagers. What they find off-putting isn't nerves — it's the behaviours nerves sometimes produce: very short answers, no eye contact, or the opposite problem, rambling to fill silence.
Short answers are the most common issue. When someone asks "tell me about yourself," most teens give a two-sentence answer and stop. The silence that follows feels excruciating and they assume they've failed. They haven't. They just need to say more.
A good answer to that question is about 90 seconds long. It covers who you are, what you're interested in, and why you're here. Practise saying it out loud before the interview — not to memorise it word for word, just to know you can fill the space comfortably.
Questions at the end of the interview matter more than most people think. "Do you have any questions for us?" is not a polite formality. It's a test of whether you've thought about the role.
Ask something specific: what does a typical shift look like, what would the first few weeks involve, what do they look for in someone they'd want to keep on long-term. Saying "no, I think you've covered everything" is a small miss that costs you credibility with almost no upside.