Getting ready for an interview can be intimidating. I spend a lot of time on the other side of the desk, interviewing hopeful candidates for a role in my organization. I can say honestly that there are two factors which come across in interviews in which the candidate “does well:” They are prepared and they come across as comfortable. Prepared and comfortable can make up for a number of gaps in a fit for a role, but a perfect match of qualifications to role can’t always make up for a bad interview.
1) Show Up Early.
If your interview is at the top of the hour, be sure to be there 10 minutes early. And by “be there”, I mean in the lobby, checked in, however you’re meeting the person. You’ve already arrived, found parking, used the restroom, whatever it is you’re doing before your interview. While you’re waiting, read the newspaper on the table, or sit patiently and quietly. This is not a time to use the phone, text your friends, read a book, etc. Remember that the receptionist can see everything you’re doing, and might get asked later on about how you carried yourself during that time. Every moment counts. You’re already interviewing before you meet your interviewer.
2) Dress Appropriately.
In most, but not all, cases, wearing a conservative suit is most appropriate. In some cases, in hip/trendy/creative places, it isn’t. Know your audience. Just because the place is business casual doesn’t mean it is appropriate for you to be dressed that way on an interview. Dress to impress.
But remember that it’s not a fashion show… unless you’re interviewing for a job in the fashion industry. Make sure your accessories aren’t the headline (don’t let them be a distraction). Best to downplay cleavage, avoid perfume/cologne, and stay away from anything that you might wear on a fancy night out (read: sequins or shiny fabrics). Make sure your shoes are in good shape.
3) Do Your Homework.
The best thing you can do to prepare for an interview is to do your homework about the company and the opportunity. It’s so much easier to do with the internet than it was even 15 years ago. Know the history. Read the recent press releases. Understand the key moments in the evolution of the company. Research competition and challenges in the industry. Spend a lot of time with the job description, if there is one, and try to figure out what the core purpose of the role is, and how it fits into the success of the company. Pretend it’s like you’re researching a car or a house you want to buy; research the heck out of it to make sure you know what it’s all about.
4) Know Your Stories.
Some interview questions will be pretty basic: “What are your strengths?” “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” Those kinds of questions you should certainly know the answer to, on the off chance they come up as literally as that. But a lot of interview questions are behavioral, and start with something like, “Tell me about a time when you….” Those questions all require stories. Think about your experiences and figure out what stories will work well for those answers.
Often, you can get clues by reading the job description, when they talk about different skills and competencies you need to have. If they talk a lot about “team environment and collaboration”, it’s a good idea for you think about stories which would highlight how well you worked with others during difficult challenges. If the description mentions, “dealing well with change”, think about examples in your past that illustrate that competency.
Once you think of your story, practice telling the story well. A big part of interviewing is just about effectively communicating an answer and confidently making connections. Well prepared stories are a great vehicle for that.
5) Bring Questions.
Most interviews will eventually get to the point where the candidate is asked, “So, do you have any questions?” The answer should always be yes… but it also doesn’t have to wait until that point for questions to come up. A great interview has some give-and-take along the way, where a question that an interview asks can lead to a follow up question that the candidate can ask to understand more.
Do you know what makes a good question? The best questions are the ones that show that the candidate wants to understand more about the role and the company, not the ones in which the candidate is asking, essentially, “what’s in it for me?”
Some of the best questions can be geared towards learning more about what makes the company successful in the past, and the employees feel hopeful about the future. Learning about what makes someone succeed in the organization, learning about the culture, and learning about challenges are all the best use of your question time. It’s not about asking what the benefits and the pay are.
6) Know How to Close.
I tell people when preparing for an interview: “Know what the things are about you that an interviewer needs to know. And figure out the best ways to make sure you get those points across before leaving that room.” Some of that can come up in story-telling for answers, as I discussed above. The rest, you need to use in your closing. As you are ending an interview with final questions and points, you need to find a way to make sure you get any important point that hasn’t come up naturally in the interview that you think will make a difference in your candidacy… It’s not always easy to do, but you only get one shot to interview, and you want to make sure you don’t walk away with regrets about what you left out.
Finally, bring copies of your resume, a notebook or folio and a pen, and have them out when you’re interviewing. It gives the impression that you’re prepared to do some learning here. You can even use it to take notes at points in time when you’re reminded of something you want to bring up in your answers, or if you want to write down questions you have (not ideal, but better than not having questions at all).
Good luck!
I did find the time to go quickly and it was super easy though it did take longer than I originally thought it would.
