You've been asked to interview - here's a few tips to get ready.
You’ve applied and been asked for an interview. Congrats. As a veteran of loads of interviews, a few tips:
- Keep on the gas – No matter how strong the fit, phone screen, initial interview, etc. there are dozens of reasons that a position may get delayed or go unfilled. So keep applying and networking. It’s not over until the paperwork is signed.
- Use your network to learn more about the company – Start at the high level by reading every page of a company’s website and available articles, but the real workings are found out from talking with people inside the firm. Keep a list of commonly mentioned issues, strategies, etc. as you move closer to the department where you will potentially work.
- Understand the business – You should have a firm handle on what client need is being fulfilled, how they make money, etc. Here’s the 10 questions I used to help prep for interviews and meetings. Understanding A Business
- Match Your Skills, Experience and Cultural Fit - Now that you have researched the company, you can start to better match your skills beyond what you see on the job description. I usually take the job description and other items learned, then insert a bullet point below each for my skills and experiences. I specifically add a section for "Culture/Work Style" (if not included in their job description).
- Create Your Pitch - By the time I finish item #4, I can see a pattern emerge of where and how I'll best perform in the role. Of course, there's always an area to learn, at least I know that going in and can figure out how to best compensate or what experiences to build upon.
- Make a list of questions – Candidates without prepared questions are candidates with lower interest in the role, as they have not invested the time to get the most out of the interview. Under “Candidate Resources” on my site, I list a couple of books I’ve used – otherwise, just do a search on “Questions to Ask in an interview”. This is where understanding the company and business model comes in handy, because you can focus your questions on discussion, not discovery - so you get more into more depth during an interview.
- Practice your answers aloud – To avoid rambling answers, take the questions you expect to get (usually focused on critical skills and experience for the role) and write out the answers (either bullet points or full answers – you choose). Using the written notes as a guide, say your answers aloud at least five times per question. This will help you make the answers more direct and sound more natural when you deliver them. This is also a great way to help for you to feel relaxed going into an interview.
- Don’t fall in love with the job – A good friend of mine gives this advice regularly, as those candidates who fall in love tend to come across as desperate in their interviews and thus do not show themselves in their best light - simply because they use their objectivity.
Good luck today!
Mark Richards