Three Techniques For Interview Practice
For many people, the prospect of interviewing for a new job has the potential to bring on a small panic attack. This can be true whether you are a recent college graduate or a mid-career professional with many interviews under your belt.
Fortunately, there is a proven way to decrease this anxiety, improve your interview skills, and give you the confidence you need to ace the interview. Practice!
Most people know they cant just wing it when it comes to interviewing. But interview preparation goes beyond doing research on the company, the interviewer, and potential questions you might be askedalthough those are critical steps! You need to be able to articulate why you are the best person to solve the organizations problemsto someone who does not know and love you the way your friends and family do.
Being prepared for this important conversation requires mentally and physically practicing as though it were the real thing.
It sounds simple enough, but how do you actually practice for an interview? Lets start with the easiest way.
Practice Answering Interview Questions
The simplest way to prepare is to create a list of common interview questions and answer each question out loud. The more you practice, the more you will be prepared to respond during an actual job interview. It’s important to practice out loud so you can get used to verbalizing your answers and become more comfortable speaking.
Job Interview Questions And Answers
Here’s a list of common job interview questions, with examples of the best answers about you, your work history and experience, the job, your goals, the new job, salary, and what you have to offer the employer.
If you’re in a hurry and want to speed up your interview preparation, here’s a list of the top 10 interview questions employers typically ask, example answers, and tips for giving the best response.
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If You Woke Up And Had 2000 Unread Emails And Could Only Answer 300 Of Them How Would You Choose Which Ones To Answer
This is asking about how you prioritize and keep organized. The ideal candidate for most positions does a good job of dealing with situations according to their level of priority. Possible answers: filter by priority , or search for subject lines that include high-priority keywords. Or you can mention you have VIPs set up to go to a separate email folder.
Practice Interview Tips And Techniques
Do you have a job interview coming up? Even if you don’t have an interview scheduled yet, but you are job searching, it’s a good idea to practice interviewing.
The more you practice, the better your interview skills will be and the better prepared you’ll be when it’s time for real job interviews. Reviewing interview tips, taking the time to review possible interview questions, taking part in a mock interview, and practicing on your own or with a friend, will all help to reduce interview stress and boost your confidence.
Recommended Reading: What Are Questions That Are Asked In Interviews
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?
The End Is Just The Beginning
After your interview, be sure to follow up with everyone you talked to. Whether its an email or an official thank-you note, express appreciation for their time and let them know how much youd like to work with them in the future.
If youve been informed of when a decision will be made, or if further interviews are required, mark your calendar to follow up at the right time. Being proactive with this step, after all, is just one more way to demonstrate you have the skills and the drive to take on the job.
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How Long Does A Good Interview Last
There’s really not just one answer on how long a good interview will last.
Because of that, make sure to “be flexible, and plan to add more time to your interview in case they want you to meet with others or take you on a tour,” Ward said.
But length doesn’t always determine if an interview is going well.
“Heres a clue,” Montanarella said. “If the tone of the interview is conversational and you and the interviewer are exchanging information back and forth in a relaxed manner, that’s a good sign you are establishing rapport with the interviewer. … Typically, the longer an interview runs, the better it is going.”
There are other aspects to think about regarding interview length, though.
“The length of an interview will also depend on how high up of a role you are applying for,” Brathwaite said. “Many senior-level interviews will most likely push the hour mark, where others will be less.”
Prepare Answers To Common Interview Questions
There is no way to predict what you will be asked during an interview, but there are some questions that are often brought up. Plan your answers for these questions as this will give your confidence a boost and make you feel you can be successful. Here are some of those frequently asked questions :
- Why do you want to work here?: This is where your effort to learn about the company and its products and services will help you. You can answer this question by mentioning the aspects of the company that interest you and how the company’s business activities are aligned with your career goals.
- What interests you about this role?: This question is your opening to highlight the skills that make you a worthy candidate for this role. You have already reviewed the job description, and you are aware of the skills that you possess and the skills that the employer wants in an ideal candidate. Focus on those skills in your answer and convey why you feel you are the right person for this job.
- What are your strengths?: This is another opportunity for you to talk about your qualification and your skills. Make this answer a bit personal and highlight attributes and qualities that would help you connect with the interviewers and, at the same time, also convey your strengths.
Read Also: What Are Some Good Responses To Interview Questions
Tips For Acing The Interview
- Practice using your webcam equipment before the interview, so you are sure everything is in working order and that youre comfortable interviewing on video.
- Smile and focus as much as possible and try to behave as if youre in a regular, in-person interview.
- Speak slowly and clearly.
- Look into the camera, listen attentively, and engage with your interviewer. Dont just wait for your turn to speak.
- During a self-recorded interview, even though you are not speaking directly to a person, be sure to smile and maintain friendly “eye contact” via the camera.
- Its easy to speed up and come across as nervous and garbled when youre doing a self-paced interview. Take deep breaths. If it seems like youre speaking too slowly, youre probably doing it right.
Hammer Out The Logistics
Congrats if you’ve gotten through the previous four steps, youve already gotten the hard part out of the way! Now, all you have to do is think through all the little logistical details of your interview. These can vary depending on what kind of interview it is phone, video, in-person, etc. Here are a few things to keep in mind for some of the most common types of interviews:
Phone Interviews
- Pick a quiet place with good service to take the call
- Confirm the day and time, accounting for differences in time zone
- Confirm how youre getting in touch with the hiring manager
- Review the job description and company information 30 minutes before the call
- Breathe try to stay relaxed and focused!
Video Interviews
- Pick a quiet place with good lighting and a simple background to take the interview
- Do a test run to try out the video software
- Restart your computer before the interview to help avoid technical difficulties
- Research standard company attire and dress one step above that
- Have directions to where youre going
- Print multiple copies of your resume
- Plan on arriving 30 minutes early, but wait in your car or at a coffee shop nearby until 5 minutes before
- Brush your teeth or chew some gum before walking in
- Run through your cheat sheet of responses, and a list of questions to ask each interviewer
Look Up Common Interview Questions
A lot of candidates stress out over not knowing what a recruiter or hiring manager is going to ask them. But in reality, youll get a lot of the same questions from one person to another. There are a few basic questions that youll almost certainly be asked these include staples like Tell me about yourself,Why do you want to leave your current job? and What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses? If youre a data-driven job seeker, youll appreciate the list of the 50 Most Common Interview Questions that Glassdoor identified after sifting through tens of thousands of interview reviews.
You can also use Glassdoors interview reviews to find out which questions they specifically ask at the company youre applying to, as well as which questions are common for your job title. Sure, you might be thrown an oddball interview question every now and then, but youll likely find that the vast majority of questions youre asked are ones that you can identify in advance.
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?
What Are Your Goals For The Future
Hiring managers often ask about your future goals to determine whether or not youre looking to stay with the company long-term. Additionally, this question is used to gauge your ambition, expectations for your career and ability to plan ahead. The best way to handle this question is to examine your current career trajectory and how this role helps you reach your long-term goals.
Example answer:I would like to continue developing my marketing expertise over the next several years. One of the reasons Im interested in working for a fast-growing startup company is that Ill have the ability to wear many hats and collaborate with many different departments. I believe this experience will serve me well in achieving my ultimate goal of someday leading a marketing department.
Read more: Interview Question: What Are Your Future Goals?
Get Comfortable With The Setup
No matter what type of format or technology will be used, it’s a good idea to practice with a friend beforehand.
It often takes a few tries to get the hang of angling the camera so that your whole face is in the frame.
Youll want to find a flattering angle and practice making eye contact with the interviewer via the camera. Newbies tend to stare at the part of the window with their own video image instead of looking into the camera, which can appear odd, not to mention disengaged.
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.
What Is Your Teaching Philosophy
This isnt a question solely for those applying to teaching positions. Employers may ask this of anyone who might be leading or teaching others. Your response will allow employers to gauge your personal skills and if you would be a good culture add. A good answer will concisely identify what you think teaching should achieve and include concrete examples to illustrate your ideas.
Example answer:When it comes to managing people, my teaching philosophy is to start by asking questions that hopefully get the person to come to a new conclusion on their own. This way, they feel ownership over the learning rather than feeling micromanaged. For example, in my last role, I was editing an article written by a copywriter I managed. The story didnt have a clear focus or hook.
In a one-on-one meeting, I asked her what she thought was the main point of the article if she had to sum it up in a sentence. From there, I asked if she thought the focus was clear in the article. She didnt think it was clear and instead thought she should rework her introduction and conclusion. As a result, the article improved and my direct report learned a valuable writing lesson that she carried into her future work.
Read more: Interview Question: What is Your Teaching Philosophy?
Youll Learn About Your Competitors
Consultants always try to learn how they stack up against the competition, so be sure to ask about other candidates in the running.
- Where are you in the hiring process? How many other candidates are there?
- How do you see me compared to other candidates?
- What kind of person are you leaning toward hiring?
- Can you see any reason why you wouldnt want to have someone like me on board?
- What kind of person would be your ideal candidate?
As powerful as consultative interviewing is, it doesnt mean youll be asking all the questions, and it doesnt mean every interview will be smooth sailing. Thats why weve put together some interviewing tactics for you to deploy along with your consultant mindset.
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.
Why Is A Practice Manager Important
As an integral member of the pediatric practice team, the Practice Manager should be responsible for making sure that the administrative aspects of the office runs smoothly, managing staff efficiently, and handling patient concerns. A strong Practice Manager can alleviate administrative burden on pediatricians.
Practice Using Mock Interviews
Practicing for an interview is one of the most effective ways to prepare yourself, relieve your anxiety and improve your confidence. This may be a tedious exercise, but the effort is worth it. You can ask your friends or family members to help you conduct mock interviews. If you don’t have anyone you could ask for help, you can use the mirror and practice your questions and answers out loud. Practice a few times because the more you practice, the better you will perform during the actual interview.
Reread Your Resume Or Application
Reread your resume? Why would you need to do that? After all, you know your own background, right? Well, sort of.
If you tailor your resume to each job , and youve applied to more than one recently, you may not remember which details you included. That could spell trouble.
You can almost guarantee that the hiring manager is going to talk about your resume. If you forgot which accomplishments you mentioned, you might not prepare to discuss them. Then, if the hiring manager asks which they almost certainly will you might give a stumbly answer.
Review your resume! Know what you said! Remember, your resume might be all the hiring manager knows about you, so make sure you can discuss those points with ease.
How Do You Sell Yourself During An Interview
Being confident is always a good way to impress an interviewer. To be more confident, you should look over some common interview questions and what interviewers are looking for in your answers. This will help you to answer questions more appropriately, giving the interviewer the information they need.
Think of how your skills and experience match what the company is looking for, and how you can help the company grow in the long term.
