How To Be Great In An Interview

Remain Professional Throughout The Entire Process

The whole process without even getting the job leaves an impression on the company.

It is thus crucial to stay professional throughout the entire process, as candidates may or may not want to apply for other positions at the company because of their interview experience.

This entails that it is a good quality of interviewers to end the whole process professionally, i.e., you should give feedback to candidates explaining why they did not get the job.

The feedback provided to candidates should be timely while still portraying a positive image of the candidate and the company, even if the information is good or bad news.

Tips For Before The Interview

In the days before your job interview, set aside time to do the following:

1. Start by researching the company and your interviewers. Understanding key information about the company youre interviewing with can help you go into your interview with confidence. Using the companys website, social media posts and recent press releases will provide a solid understanding of the companys goals and how your background makes you a great fit. Review our Complete Guide to Researching a Company.

2. Practice your answers to common interview questions. Prepare your answer to the common question: Tell me about yourself, and why are you interested in this role with our company? The idea is to quickly communicate who you are and what value you will bring to the company and the roleits your personal elevator pitch. Review our guide to answering

Tip: You should come prepared to discuss your salary expectations. If youre unsure what salary is appropriate to ask for, visit Indeed’s Salary Calculator for a free, personalized pay range based on your location, industry and experience.

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Tips on responding to “Tell me about yourself:

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Tips For Great Job Interviews

From researching the company to handling certain key interview questions, make sure you make a great impression and ace your next job interview by following these 20 tips.

Want to ace your next interview and land thatopen job youve been seeking? Here are 20 tips to help you prepare.1. Research the industry and company.An interviewer may ask how you perceive his company’s position in its industry, who the firm’s competitors are, what its competitive advantages are, and how it should best go forward. For this reason, avoid trying to thoroughly research a dozen different industries. Focus your job search on just a few industries instead.

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Learn From Your Mistakes

A good interviewer views mistakes and failures as opportunities to improve. Here are a few things you can do to learn from your interviewing experience more deliberately:

• Keep records. Recording and filing your notes helps you as an interviewer since you can refer back to them any time. And your company can also use them in court, in the unlikely event that they face a lawsuit.
• Monitor results. Ask your teammates who are responsible for tracking recruiting metrics for information about candidate experience and quality of hire metrics. Its also a good idea to keep track of your companys online reviews on Glassdoor. Take constructive feedback to heart and work to improve on feedback you receive.
• Seek advice. Look for resources online and, if possible, ask more experienced recruiters or interviewers in your company for advice. If you plan to interview often, you could also make a case for attending interview trainings or workshops.

You Were Asked Follow

Interested interviewers will dig deeper into your answers with related questions. Are they asking follow-up questions that build well upon what you are saying? Or do they seem like theyre just going through their checklist of required questions? Kaplan says.

Pressing you for additional detail is a good sign, even if it feels a little intimidating in the moment. Keep in mind, though, that if theyre simply restating the same question they already asked, it could be a sign that you arent giving enough information in your initial answer.

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Interviews Are Your Chance To Sell Your Skills And Abilities

They also give you a chance to find out if the job and company are right for you. Follow the tips here to ace your interviews.

Review common interview questions. Practice answering them with someone else or in front of a mirror. Come prepared with stories that relate to the skills that the employer wants, while emphasizing your:

• Strengths
• Willingness to work and flexibility
• Leadership skills
• Ability and willingness to learn new things
• Contributions to the organizations in which you have worked or volunteered
• Creativity in solving problems and working with people

Figure out in advance how well you qualify for the job. For each requirement listed in the job posting, write down your qualifications. This can show you if you lack a particular skill. Plan how you will address this in the interview so you can convince the interviewer that you can learn the skill.

Make a list of questions that you would like to ask during the interview. Pick questions that will demonstrate your interest in the job and the company. This might include commenting on the news you learned from the company website, and then asking a question related to it. Also ask questions about the job you will be expected to perform, like:

• What are the day-to-day responsibilities of this job?
• How will my responsibilities and performance be measured? By whom?
• Could you explain your organizational structure?
• What computer equipment and software do you use?
• What is the organization’s plan for the next five years?

Why Did You Apply

We all need to pay the bills, but it’s important to check that this is not the sole motivation for a candidate. They’re likely to be a more productive and happy employee if they identify with your company in some way.

It might be the projects you’re working on or the direction you’re heading in. It could be the fact that you’re a 2-person startup and they’re interested in responsibility. Maybe it’s the fact that you’ve just signed some big customers. Hopefully it’s something!

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Talking Only To One Person

Many interviews have two or more interviewers in the room, and ignoring certain people in the interview committee can ruin your chance of landing the job. Be sure to address every person conducting the interview, making eye contact and speaking directly to them in turn. Many job candidates tend to only address the highest-ranking person in the room, which comes across as rude.

What Goals Does Your Company Currently Have

Many companies have goals that represent their vision for the future. Asking about their current goals as a company shows that you have the desire to surpass your minimum requirements and be an asset to their team. Learning about company goals may also help you understand whether you want to be part of their vision.

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Invite The Interviewee To Ask Questions

At the end of the interview, ask if the candidate has any questions and answer them thoroughly. The questions that a candidate asks can tell you a lot about how much attention the person paid during the interview, their level of interest in the position, and how much research they conducted about the company before attending the interview. You should expect the candidate to ask for details about the position, the organization, employee benefits, and the other people on the team.

What To Wear To A Job Interview

When you are dressing for a job interview, the image you present is really important. Your image is what makes the first impression on the interviewer that first impression is the one that sticks, so it’s important to dress appropriately when interviewing.

Regardless of the type of job you’re interested in, you want that first impression to be a great one. When dressing for an interview for a professional position, dress accordingly in business attire. If you’re applying for a job in a more casual environment, like a store or restaurant, it’s still important to be neat, tidy, and well-groomed, and to present a positive image to the employer.

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What Single Project Or Task Would You Consider Your Most Significant Career Accomplishment To Date Walk Me Through The Plan How You Managed It How You Measured Success And What The Biggest Mistakes You Made Were

Lou Adler, one of the world’s foremost recruiting thinkers, has made no secret of his 10 year search for the perfect interview question. After all his research, this is the question that he landed upon. He believes it’s the best indicator of whether you should, or shouldn’t hire someone.

Interview questions like this are the whole package. Candidates have an opportunity to give you a behind the scenes tour of the professional accomplishment that they’re most proud of. You’ll get insights into how they plan and run projects, as well as how the bar they set for success.

Top candidates will also use the “biggest mistakes” part of the question to display a sense of ownership for any weak points in the project.

Focus On Why This Opportunity Sparks Joy

When you’re prepping for the interview, channel your inner Marie Kondo and ask yourself what about this opportunity sparks joy. In other words, consider what this opportunity genuinely excites you. It could be the company’s mission, the people you’ll get to work with, the projects you’ll get to work on, or the tools you’ll get to use. Whatever it is, be sure to bring up this information during your interview, especially if you’re asked to answer the question Why do you want the job?. Your true self will naturally come through in your reply.

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What To Bring To A Job Interview

Coming prepared to a job interview is important. Bring extra copies of your resume along with a list of references to offer the interviewer. Also, bring a list of questions to ask the interviewer.

If you’re interviewing for a tech or web job and you want to show examples of your work, it’s okay to bring your laptop or tablet to show the interviewer what you have accomplished.

What shouldn’t you bring? Don’t walk into a job interview with a coffee cup or bottle of soda or water or anything else to eat or drink. Don’t chew gum.

Your cell phone should be turned off and out of sight. You don’t want to be the applicant whose text messages or calls disrupted the interview.

Practice But Don’t Over

Preparation is the key to successful job interviews, no doubt about it. However, it’s important that you don’t over-rehearse for your in-person interview . Should job seekers practice responding to some difficult interview questions? Most definitely. Should job seekers memorize their responses? Absolutely not.

When you recite your answers during the interview like a robot, you run the risk of coming off as disingenuous to your interviewers. To avoid this issue, brainstorm the main points you want to communicate when answering tough interview questions like Why should we hire you?. Then, instead of writing out a full response in paragraph form, outline your answer using bullet points. Each bullet should contain only a couple of words to jog your memory. Finally, practice answering the question out loud in a mock interview using these bullet points as cues. This will help you create a thoughtful, yet natural response during the actual interview without sounding like an over-rehearsed, inauthentic robot.

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Realize Candidates Are Assessing You As Much As Youre Assessing Them

Some interviewers approach interviewing as if they hold all the cards and will treat candidates in ways theyd never treat, say, clients like starting the meeting very late, checking email and taking calls throughout, or being dismissive or even hostile. But good candidates have options, and theyll be assessing you right back. Theyll pay attention to things like how respectfully you treat them, whether youre focused or distracted, how interested you are in answering their questions , whether you can clearly describe how youll measure success in the role, and how they see you interact with colleagues during the hiring process. So, as youre deciding which candidate to choose, dont forget the candidate must choose you as well.

How Many Questions Should An Interviewer Ask

Studies show that it’s not always better to ask more questions during an interview.

For example, suppose the entire duration of an interview lasts about an hour , and you plan on asking, say, 30 interview questions. In that case, there’s only enough time for 1-minute answers.

Whereas you ask 5 – 6 questions, there’s a lot more time to get to know the candidate more in-depth. It’s a good idea to try and keep these questions as open-ended as possible, so candidates really have time to elaborate on their skills and past experiences.

If you want candidates to elaborate on their answer, just keep quiet for a few seconds extra. You can even make a note or two during this time.

This will subconsciously let candidates know that you want them to elaborate on their answer without you having to ask the whole time.

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Acknowledge That You Have Read The Job Description

A great way to tell the interviewer you read the job description is in your response to the question, Why are you interested in this specific job or company? You should focus on things specifically listed on the job description.

Example: While reading the job description, I realized you are looking for someone who excels at both the strategic side of planning a content marketing project and at the creative side of content formatting. These needs align with my experience and strengths in content marketing.

Focus On How Your Strengths Can Benefit The Role

If the interviewer asks what your greatest strengths are, use this opportunity to show interest in the needs of the company. While the question is about your personal strengths, using the word you in your answer allows you to connect those strengths to the needs of the company.

Example: My experience as an account executive helped me strengthen my time management and customer service skills. Based on the job description it looks like you need a candidate who can manage their time to complete tasks efficiently while also providing excellent customer service.

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Who Is The Smartest Person You Know Personally Why

These questions test what the candidate values and aspires to by forcing them to think of a real person they know, and then articulate what makes that person smart.

A good answer to this question:

Ideal answers vary, but could include specific examples of the person they’ve chosen’s ability to think ahead several steps and execute. They could also touch on the person’s decision-making skills, ability to connect, desire for learning, or application of the things they learned.

Dont Be Afraid To Show Your Sense Of Humor

Don’t go into the meeting looking to deliver a standup routine, but also don’t be afraid to show your sense of humor. If appropriate, laugh at yourself or a funny comment the hiring manager makes, but avoid sarcasm, off-color remarks, or inappropriate jokesthis isnt the time to show how edgy you are.

Just be friendly, witty, and personable, but dont get too far away from who you are. And dont forget that a genuine smile can go a long way towards demonstrating your friendly personality.

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What Made You Excited To Get Up And Come To Work At Your Last Job

It’s true that many people dislike their jobs. For the companies that want to have the best culture and employer brand though, it’s important that employees are emotionally invested in coming to work. No doubt you have many employees for whom this is the case, your goal should be to swell their ranks!

Explore why candidates found their last role exciting and what motivated them to keep dig deep when the going got tough. If they didn’t find their last role stimulating, find out why.

Are they likely to find work at your company interesting? This is more important than you think. It can be a great motivator for those late nights and lengthy projects.

Show Up Early To Your Interview

Rushing into your interview stressed, late and maybe a little sweaty isnt a great first impression to make. My alarm didnt go off and Traffic was crazy are not explanationstheyre excuses.

The last thing you want to do is start your job interview with a lame excuse. Instead, double the amount of estimated traffic you might encounter and set multiple alarms so you dont accidentally hit snooze and fall back asleep.

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What Is The Ideal Feedback On A Candidate Interview Process

The purpose of giving feedback on an interview is to help candidates in their job hunting journey. Candidates can use this feedback to improve their profile and do better in their future job applications.

Therefore, its crucial to provide positive interview feedback with clear and fair answers about improving. The ideal post-interview feedback must have clarity because if its vague, it doesnt help the candidate. You must provide candidates with clear feedback, highlighting the areas they can work on to get the job of their dreams.