How To Land That Job In The Interview
When you send out dozens of resumes just to get one interview, you want to make sure you do your best to turn that interview into a job offer. Aside from showing up on time, dressed to impressed with extra copies of your resume in hand, you must take extra steps to make sure you stand out from all the other people interviewing for the job.
1
Do your homework on the company, the interviewer, if known, and the job. Make a chart, comparing the goals and needs of the company against the skills and experience you bring to the equation. Be prepared to tell the interviewer exactly how you would be a good fit for the position.
2
Show your personality and that you have a full life outside of work. While you want to maintain a professional demeanor, let a little individuality shine through. You want the interviewer to remember you at the end of the meeting not as another blue suit but as a real person.
3
Follow the interviewer’s lead. You want to make a connection with this stranger in the short time you have available. If the interviewer is bubbly and speaks quickly in short bursts, try to adjust your speech pattern accordingly. If he is speaks slower and more formally, do so as well. By mimicking the vocal patterns of the interviewer, he will subconsciously make a connection with you.
4
5
References
Reflect On Your Accomplishments
Now that you have a bit of an idea of what youll need to cover, spend a little time reflecting on your achievements. During an interview, youll want to show the hiring manager you have what it takes to excel. Typically, that means discussing a relevant accomplishment.
Ideally, you want to identify key moments in your career that showcase you as a great fit. As you reflect, write down the ones that stand out most and that show that you possess the skills and qualities you found on the job description. Those are the accomplishments you want to work into your answers.
Crafting Your Career Story
Now lets consider the written parts of your profile. Your LinkedIn profile is a great place to express your passions, highlight your accomplishments, explain your journey, and touch on your career aspirations. Show the world what you have to offer!
Heres how to do it:
While youre improving your profile, be attentive and try to minimize mistakes. Things like misspellings show carelessness. You want to demonstrate that youre observant and show attention to detailskills that can help improve your employability!
Use these tips to clean up your profile as best you can, and then ask someone you trust to look it over, too. Ask for direct feedback and make adjustments over time to enhance it.
Read Also: Design Interview Preparation
Ask The Right Questions
This discussion should largely be driven by your questions since youre trying to learn more about this person and their area of expertise. Some of these questions should be industry- and interviewer-specific, while others can be more general. Below are some examples, which you should adjust according to your personal goals for the informational interview and your career in general:
1. How did you get your start in ?
2. Why did you decide to go into ?
3. What were some of your early roles?
4. Whats the typical career trajectory for someone in your role?
5. What are your big-picture priorities and responsibilities?
6. What do your day-to-day responsibilities look like?
7. How does your role fit in/work with other departments and the larger organization
8. What are the most important skills people need in your career?
9. How did you attain those skills?
10. What do you love most about your job?
11. What would you change about your job?
12. What are some challenges you encounter in your role?
13. Whats the typical educational background for someone in this role or industry?
14. How do people typically advance their careers in this industry?
15. What do you look for in candidates when youre in a position to hire someone?
16. If you could do your early career over, what would you change?
17. Why did you choose to work at your current organization?
18. How do you balance your personal life and work life?
19. Do you have any colleagues who would be willing to speak with me?
What Gets A Data Scientist An Interview
The point of a résumé is to attract enough attention to land a job interview. With data science an increasingly popular position, sometimes its not easy to stand out from the crowd, either.
All of our experts agree formatting matters, so be sure youre mindful of your résumé layout. And when the time comes for a job interview, make sure you can talk in great detail about any skills or experience youve listed. As Tsang says: You listed your skills and experience on your résuméif you mumble generalities about RStudio rather than explain its use on a recent project, then youre not following through. The résumé and what you want to discuss in the interview should be connected.
Padden agrees that communicating skills is critical during the interview processwithout doing that, you cant hope to land the position: I dont think there is necessarily a magic bullet. I really want to see someone who can cleanly articulate what they have worked on in general industry terms. I like to see clear evidence of applying academic techniques to solve business problems and personal commitment to learning.
Soft skills are just as crucial during a job interview as in the job itself. Having mastery of a technology, language, or discipline is great, but make sure you can discuss those things in a way your interviewer understands, no matter what their expertise in data science. Practice your answers before your interview.
Recommended Reading: Mailscoop Io
What Not To Do:
I once heard someone standing outside our building, smoking furiously and complaining loudly on their phone about the early start time of their meeting and wondering aloud why they were even there. When I got to my next interview, I realised to my dismay the noisy moaner was my next candidate! Not a great start
Put Yourself On Camera
Theres only so much an employer can learn about you on paper, so another strategy to consider is to showcase your abilities with a website or a video. When I was job-hunting from another state, I wanted employers to be able to meet me up front, so I made a YouTube video where I talked about my previous experience, gave insights into my industry, and offered a few ideas that Id like to implement in a future position. I posted this video on my blog, and included the link in my resume and cover emails.
My current managers later told me they decided to call me for an interview because they were so impressed by the creativity, passion, and knowledge demonstrated by my video and blog. Using a unique medium like video lets you show off many sides of you and your talents, and also helps potential employers see how your personality will be a great fit for their organization.
Recommended Reading: Interview Attire Womens
Have Tell Me About Yourself Down
If you truly had one hour to land a job interview, you are likely to come across the question, Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? This is where people start to ramble and are not able to turn their answer into something that gives value to the person that asked it. Break this question down into three short and simple parts: present, past and future. First, talk about your current role and what exactly it is that you do. Next, talk about how you got here, whether this means prior experience or schooling. Finally, talk about what you are looking to do next and why this new opportunity is a great fit. The key is always tying back your answers to why you want to land an interview or go after this new opportunity.
Kayla Centeno,
Terkel creates community-driven content featuring expert insights. Sign up at terkel.io to answer questions and get published.
Thank The Interviewer And Show Your Enthusiasm
Youd think that thanking the interviewer and showing your desire to work in the company you just interviewed for is common sense… but its not.
When you thank the interviewer, dont just say the words. Instead, finish the thought: Thank you for…
- Taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with me. I know youre busy with ______.
- Not laughing about the ridiculous career goals I told you about.
- Being the nicest interviewer Ive ever had.
You get the point. Giving a reason why you say something makes it more credible.
Recommended Reading: Questions To Ask Cfo During Interview
Creative Ways To Land The Interview
You know the drill: You see a job posting, browse the company website, fill out the generic application, and attach your resume.
And then you wait.
Maybe your resume went into a black hole. Maybe it got tossed in a stack of hundreds of other resumes. Or maybejust maybeitll find its way to the hiring managers desk.
But what happens when you find that perfect jobthe one where you cant bear the thought of being just another one of 5,000 resumes tossed a pile? When it really matters to you, is there a way to make sure you stand out from the crowd?
There sure isit just takes a little extra work and a big dose of creativity. But if youve found a job that makes you want to go above and beyond in your application, try one of these unconventional ways to land the interview.
Practice Common Interview Questions
Before the interview, read through common questions and prepare answers. Even if your interview does not include all of the most frequently asked questions, considering your answers gives you a chance to review your experience, qualifications and goals. Taking this step also allows you to identify specific examples so that you can mention them readily during the interview.
For example, you can consider your answers to personal questions like How would you describe yourself? and What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses? You can also think about job-specific questions like Why do you want to work here? and Why should we hire you?
You may also consider researching what questions are common for the specific role or company youre interviewing with. These questions can help you anticipate what this company expects or what prospective employers need to know about candidates for specific positions. Practice your answers to these questions to ensure you are prepared for a variety of general, company- and role-specific questions. This preparation can lead to a stronger connection with your interviewer.
Related:22 Most Common Interview Questions and Best Answers
Also Check: Interview Questions To Ask A Cfo
Tips To Help You Land A Job Interview
Whether you are currently unemployed and looking for your next gig or you have a job and youre open to new opportunities, applying to jobs can be a challenging and discouraging process.
In particular, hourly positions often receive hundreds of applications. The average time spent doing an initial resume review is only 6 seconds. Its unlikely that the employer will be able to properly screen every application let alone give everyone a fair chance at an interview. Typically, only 1 to 3 people actually get an interview. Whether you are currently unemployed and looking for your next gig or you have a job and youre open to new opportunities, applying to jobs can be a challenging and discouraging process.
These numbers seem daunting, but there are a several simple things you can do to significantly increase the likelihood that are part of these select few that do get an interview.
This is the focus of this article. Im going to walk you through several tips that will give you an edge over your competition.
Lets get started.
1. Apply to Lots of Jobs and Dont Stop Applying
Snagajob found that workers that get hired apply to twice as many jobs as those that do not get hired.
One reason for this is that applying to jobs, interviewing and the entire process of landing a job is a learnable skill set that takes practice. The more jobs you apply to, the faster you will learn what works and what does not.
2. Track Your Progress and Results
3. Target Your Cover Letter
What Does Being Prepared For An Interview Really Mean
For many, the idea of being prepared for anything is a bit ambiguous.
Is there a specific point that separates the prepared from the ill-prepared? Do you have to dedicate a certain number of hours to the process of getting ready? Is there a critical step you have to make to cross the threshold?
Technically, the answer to those questions is no. In many cases, being prepared means youve done some due diligence. You know how to talk about your achievements in a way that entices the hiring manager. You can sprinkle in relevant tidbits of information based on research.
Essentially, being prepared means youve taken whatever steps were necessary to set yourself up for success, allowing you to arrive at your interview brimming with confidence. Youve dedicated time and attention to the process.
Even if the idea of being prepared isnt highly defined, that doesnt mean you cant do what it takes to make it happen. By following the right steps which well cover in a moment you can do proper laser focused research, prepare and practice relevant and engaging answers, and increase your odds of handling even the trickiest questions with ease.
Don’t Miss: What To Wear For An Interview Women
Interview Tips That Will Help You Land The Job You Want
Youve worked hard on your resume, and you finally networked your way to the right person. This is your chance: youve got an interview coming.
What now? Wing it and hope for the best? Google for interview tipsand end up with the same template as everyone else?
No, youre smarter than that. You want to stand out from the crowd. Here are 13 tips on how you can do that:
Do You Simply Send Off Your Application And Wait
Many people fail to realize that theres more to getting an interview than simply pressing submit. In fact, the majority of the work is done after the applications sent in.
Pressing submit is equivalent to placing your resume on a recruiters desk, only to have a slew of resumes dumped on top of it seconds later. By simply waiting for them to find your materials on their own, you risk the chance that they may never even see it in the first place.
Recommended Reading: Best Interview Clothes For A Woman
Youll Get Practice Interviewing
This is a low-stakes opportunity to get experience interviewing. Because its not evaluative, an information interview gives you the chance to test out your interviewing skills without having to be anxious about whether or not youre going to land the job. This will be valuable practice for when you go on actual job interviews, and youll be able to build your confidence up in a more informal setting.
Tips On How To Land An Interview At Stryker
Our workplace is special. Our employees feel it when they come to work every day and candidates feel it when they interact with us. It is what makes Stryker one of the Worlds Best Workplaces. If you are looking to join our growing family, check out these 6 tips on how to land an interview at Stryker.
Read Also: Best System Design Interview Prep
Are You Being Realistic
Sometimes your ambition leads to applying for positions you don’t minimally qualify for. It’s OK to apply to some stretch positions, but those should not make up the majority of what you’re going after. If everything youre aiming for would require a leap of faith from the hiring manager, you shouldnt be entirely surprised youre not hearing back.
Write An Effective Cover Letter
Since your cover letter serves as your first chance to make a good impression on the hiring team, customize this introductory note for the job listing. Consider mentioning specific aspects of the company that appeal to you, qualifications that make you an ideal candidate for the job and contributions you would make if you took the role. Be sure to provide more details about your experience that might not be explained in your resume.
At the end of the cover letter, prompt the hiring manager to take the next step in the application process. For example, you can encourage the hiring manager to schedule an interview with you to discuss the job opening further.
Related:How to Write a Cover Letter
Also Check: Questions To Ask A Cfo
Youll Put Yourself On Employers Radars
On a similar note, an informational interview is a means of getting your name out there. Its hard to break into some industries even more so given the competition these days so making a contact like your interviewer will help put you on their radar.
If youre lucky, theyll also tell other people in the industry about you, giving you even more exposure. If you make a good impression on your interviewer, they and their colleagues will keep you in mind and seek you out when and if they have openings.
Keep Your Cool When Things Go South
Sometimes, no matter how much youve prepared, things go wrong. In fact, I know of some interviewers who intentionally disrupt the interview to see how candidates react.
So keep your cool when things go south. Remember that one stumble likely wont cost you a potential job if you get the rest of right.
Also Check: Top 10 Behavioral Questions
