The Night Before Your Interview
- Read through your notes, resume, cover letter, job description, company or industry summaries one last time.
- Know the route you will take to the location and how much travel time you will need.
- Build in additional time to ensure you are not late.
Youre ready! Get a good nights sleep to ensure that youre at your best on the day of the interview.
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.
Tell Me About Yourself
Employers ask this to see how you’ll fit in. They already have a copy of your resume, so you don’t need to go over everything on it. Give a quick summary of your key qualities, skills, experience and goals. Some people call this an elevator pitch.
Good: “I am passionate about giving customers an excellent experience through my great customer service skills. My background is in hotels and restaurants, where I learnt the power of hard work and enthusiasm. I want to shift my focus and take on opportunities in tourism management.
Bad: Don’t tell your interviewer what you did on the weekend or your favourite TV show .
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Study Your Resume And Know Everything About It:
Any work experience or skills you have listed on your resume are fair game to talk about during the interview. Your resume is all the interviewer has to go by in order to get to know you. They may pick things out from it and ask you to elaborate. Even though you may have a previous job listed that was many years ago, the interviewer may ask you to explain what you did at that job and you are responsible for providing an answer. This is one step you absolutely wont want to skip on how to prepare for a job interview.
Look Your Interviewer In The Eye
In the online environment, eye contact is importanteven though it isnt true eye contact.
Instead of looking at the person on the screen, look directly into the webcam and stay engaged. It can be tricky to look at the camera when you see a person on the screen. But, looking at the screen will make you look like you are staring down .
If youve taken a selfie before, then you probably know the deal. But, somehow, video is harder.
Pro Tip: If you are uncomfortable, put a picture of someone you know up by the webcam. This way, you feel as though you’re chatting with a friend. If you have a webcam on a stand, you can even place it in front of the persons face to make this a little easier.
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The Interviewer Responds To Your Follow
Once youve sent your thank you note expressing your gratitude for the interview opportunity, gauge how long it takes your interviewer or human resources contact to respond. A prompt response can be good news, but also keep an eye out for the tone of the message.
A message like, Thank you for coming in to meet with us! We very much appreciate it and look forward to following up with you later this week. Have a great day! bodes much better than something short and dry like, You are welcome, and thank you. Speak soon.
How To Prepare For A Video Interview
As with phone calls, video interviews can be tricky – the good news is, at least during a video interview, the hiring manager can see you.
Video interviews are a great way to connect and can save both parties the hassle of travel. Before your video interview make sure your technology is up to date and working. Take the time to also check that your surroundings are clean and tidy. It may seem obvious, but in the midst of delivering an answer, it can be easy to forget that you’re sitting in front of a camera.
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What Are You Passionate About
Much like the previous question about motivation, employers might ask what you are passionate about to better understand what drives you and what you care most deeply about. This can both help them understand whether you are a good fit for the role and if it fits into your larger goals. To answer, consider this structure:
1. Select something you are genuinely passionate about and explain why youre passionate about it:As a software developer, Im passionate about creating truly beautiful, efficient digital products to make peoples experience with technology memorable…
2. Provide examples of how youve pursued this passion:“…One of the things I loved about my last job was witnessing the results of my teams code update and watching as our months of work yielded positive user feedback…
3. Relate it back to the job:“…Having the opportunity to lead projects from ideation through launch was one of the reasons I was so excited to apply for this role.
Read more: Interview Question: What are you passionate about?
Review The Job Description Before The Interview
Even though you applied for this position and are probably familiar with what the role entails, consider reviewing the job description at least one more time before your interview. This can help you adequately prepare for questions you may receive, and you should be better able to develop talking points to show your ability to do well in the role.
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What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment
Its easy to get hung up on figuring out your single most impressive accomplishment. Instead, think of a few achievements that showcase your work ethic and values. If you can, pick examples that also tie back to the job youre applying for. The STAR method is a great tool to ensure you highlight the parts of your story that employers want to hear.
Example answer:In my last role, I managed all social media content. I noticed other brands were experimenting with videos and seeing great engagement from their customers, so I asked my boss if we could do a low-budget test. She agreed, so I produced a video cheaply in-house that drove double the engagement we normally saw on our social channels. It also drove conversions with 30% of viewers visiting our website within a week of seeing the video.
Read more: Interview Question: What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?
Do Your Research On The Company
You need to know the company like the back of your hand. Make sure to visit their website and collect information about their history and values. In addition, they might ask you why youre applying for this position.
Tip: work on the job offer to be ready to answer questions about the job. Per example: What are the tasks related to the job?
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A Snail Is At The Bottom Of A 30
Questions like these have become a lot more popular in recent years. The interviewer isn’t necessarily looking for the right answer but instead a little insight into your reasoning abilities.
All you can do is talk through your logic as you try to solve the problem. Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself if you get it wrong — sometimes the interviewer is merely trying to assess how you deal with failure.
When You Don’t Get Good Signals
If none of these things happen, remember that it might not because of anything you did or didn’t say. There are many reasons candidates don’t get invited for second interviews, and some of them have nothing to do with the applicant.
Dont beat yourself up. If this job doesnt work out, it means it wasnt the position for you. Keep your job search moving forward, and the right opportunity will come along.
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Why Are You Interested In This Position
Interviewers typically want to be sure that you applied for this job because youre genuinely interested in it. Avoid voicing concerns about your current position or companynegative comments about your employer are often interpreted as unprofessional. A good answer will positively frame your transition and communicate your desire to grow in the role youre interviewing for.
Research the role and company ahead of time to understand how it relates to your background. Ask yourself questions such as, How will this position help me advance in my career?, How does the position align with my future goals? and What makes me a good fit for this company or role?
Example answer:While I highly valued my time at my previous company, there are no longer opportunities for growth that align with my career goals. This position fits perfectly with my skill set and how Im looking to grow in my career. Im also looking for a position at a company like yours that supports underserved communities, which is a personal passion of mine.
Read more: Interview Question: “Why Are You Interested in This Position?”
Figure Out How Youll Assess Your Must
Once you have a clear idea of the essentialskills, experiences, and qualities for the job, your primary goal in an interview is to find out how well the candidate matches up with that list.
That means you need to devise interview questions that really probe the candidate aboutthe traits and experiences youre interested in. In doing this, be sure to focus on the candidates actual experience, rather than asking hypothetical questions. Dont ask, How do you think youd handle X? Instead, ask how the person has actually handled X, or situations close to it, in the past. Its easy for candidates to come up with good answers to hypothetical questions about how they think they might act. Youll get much more useful insight if you instead delve into how they have actually operated.
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Getting Ready To Interview
Wear appropriate interview attire. It can be awkward if you show up at a job interview overdressedor underdressed. Always dress appropriately for an interview, so you make the best first impression.
Go light on the perfume or cologne. Some people have sensitivities or allergies to fragrances. Others have strong reactions to scentsand not always positive ones. Make sure the interviewer can focus on your qualifications, not your perfume selection.
Avoid sweaty palms. Nobody wants to touch a slimy, wet hand. If you can visit the restroom on the way to the interview, wash and thoroughly dry your hands. When thats not possible, use a tissue to make sure your hands are dry.
Dont Forget About Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal communication plays a major role in a job interview. Are you looking at your feet? Do you have your arms crossed? Do you lean on the back of your chair? All these signs will show inward-looking attitudes to the interviewer and he wont feel free to get to know you better. Make sure to keep this in mind. Also, employers will be looking at your appearance and how you present yourself. Dress sober and clean.
Tip: Dont forget to give a nice and firm handshake to the employer before and after the interview.
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The Interview Runs Longer Than 30 Minutes
Did the interviewer spend time asking quality questions, listening to your answers, and discussing the details of the position with you? If you felt like you came away with a thorough idea of the position and your interview lasted for more than 30 minutes, consider it a good possibility that the interviewer was interested in hiring you.
However, in a case where there are multiple interviewers, however, one of them may feel the need to ask questions just to ask them in order to make it seem like theyre doing their job.
So, bonus points if its just you and a single interviewer and the discussion still carried on for a significant amount of time.
Listen And Ask Questions
During a job interview, listening is just as important as answering questions. If you’re not paying attention, you’re not going to be able to give a good response.
It’s important to listen to the interviewer, pay attention, and take time, if you need it, to compose an appropriate answer. It’s also important to discuss your qualifications in a way that will impress the interviewer.
Also, be ready to engage the interviewer. You want there to be a give and take in the conversation, so you’re building a relationship with the interviewer rather than just providing rote responses to questions. Have questions of your own ready to ask the interviewer.
Toward the end of the interview, let the recruiter know that you believe the job is an excellent fit and that you are highly interested.
You’ll know if the interview went well if it runs longer than 30 minutes, you discuss salary, or you get an invitation to a second interview.
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Why Companies Use Phone Interviews
Employers use telephone interviews as a way of identifying and recruiting candidates for employment. Phone interviews are often used to screen candidates to narrow the pool of applicants who will be invited for in-person interviews. A phone call is a relatively quick, low-effort way to determine whether a candidate is suitable.
They are also used to minimize the expense involved in interviewing out-of-town candidates. For remote positions, a phone interview may be the only option.
Preparing For An Interview
Preparing for an interview primarily means taking time to thoughtfully consider your goals and qualifications relative to the position and employer. To accomplish this, you should perform research on the company and carefully review the job description to understand why you would be a good fit. Lets look at the steps to preparing for an interview.
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Speak Positively About Your Previous Experiences
Even if you’ve been unhappy in a previous position, or had a negative experience, avoid discussing it during a job interview. Consider ways you can focus on the positive aspects of the position and what you learned while in the role. Although it’s important to remain honest when answering interview questions, you can still word your answer in a way that shows you have a positive attitude and can learn from and appreciate any work situation.
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What Really Drives Results In This Job
Employees are investments, and you expect every employee to generate a positive return on his or her salary.
In every job some activities make a bigger difference than others. You need your HR team to fill job openings, but what you really want is for them to find the right candidates, because that results in higher retention rates, lower training costs, and better overall productivity.
You need your service techs to perform effective repairs, but what you really want is for those techs to identify ways to solve problems and provide other benefits — in short, to build customer relationships and even generate additional sales.
Great candidates want to know what truly makes a difference and drives results, because they know helping the company succeed means they will succeed as well.
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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.
Interview Thank You Email
After your first interview, it can be tempting to sit back and wait for the job offer to roll in. Don’t undermine all the good job interview preparation you did by faltering at this stage – keep the lines of communication with your potential employer open by sending an interview thank you email.
Read our article outlining why you should send an interview follow up, the format and content that should be included, as well as an example of an interview thank you email you can use as a template.
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