Ensuring Successful Interviews
Interviewing can be challenging for most people and there is an art of being successful in the job search and landing that perfect job, especially with respect to interviews.
Success at an interview requires the following recipe, at a minimum:
Ensure you apply for jobs in which your technical skillsets are aligned. Review the requirements and draw parallels between what the job requires and what you have to offer. If you meet the preferred requirements, that is ideal, but it doesn’t mean you should not apply if you only have the required skills.
Create a positive mindset. Perhaps take some deep breaths, meditate, or visualize yourself landing that perfect opportunity with more money, better work-life, a boss you like, etc. Go into the interview expecting to be successful and at the very least learning something new or meeting someone you enjoy.
Prepare for the interview in advance. Research news articles and review company financials. Look at the company website and review the interviewers’ backgrounds on the website or on LinkedIn. Prepare a list of questions in advance to have ready and bring them with you along with copies of your resume.
Confirm logistics ahead of time. Be sure you know what to expect. Plan to arrive at the location 30 minutes early to account for traffic, parking, and navigating to the actual interview room. Aim to check in with reception about 10-15 minutes before your scheduled time. If you have extra time you can go for a gentle walk or do some deep breathing.
Practice Interviewing. If you have a case study, prepare for that ahead of time or be sure to conduct mock interviews with someone who can give constructive feedback.
Plan your outfit ahead of time. Dress professionally (vs. business casual) unless otherwise directed by the company.
Think about your value / your pitch. You sell yourself without coming across as “braggy” when you prove your value objectively by communicating the results you’ve achieved.
Practice appropriately communicating. Strong communication during the interview is critical! Practice communicating your answers to questions on an interview and communicating your value at the appropriate level of granularity; you should answer questions in a manner that’s not too long-winded, in which the interviewer could get lost, or on the other end of the spectrum, not too vaguely in which your interviewer will have to work hard to draw out your answers. You want to communicate succinctly and still make your points. People can usually understand you well if you give them a framework about the length of a few lines or a bullet point, conceptually.
Always close the interview confidently and warmly. Ensure any concerns were addressed. Don’t forget to ask for next steps and express interest in continuing the process. Express gratitude.
Follow up the interview(s) with thank you notes. Send thank you letters as soon as possible while the team is deliberating on your candidacy. Send thank you emails, and as a nice touch follow up with handwritten notes.
These are some short interview tips to get you started, but if you need deeper resources, let me know. Please also reach out if you would like personal coaching on career success and /or interview success, or even if you would like to practice with mock interviews.
Jennifer Granchi, MBA
Founder & Managing Director of Caliber Recruiting
jgranchi@caliberrecruiting.com
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