Interviewing can be a nerve wracking activity. You’re sitting there trying to feel out the company just as much as they are trying to feel you out. Will you be a good fit? What words should you say or not say? Can you embellish your skill set without getting in trouble? Many people have trouble navigating the process and thus psyche themselves. Luckily, I’ve gone on my share of interviews and held some heart to hearts with HR professionals so that I can distill some interview tips to you. (It’s a long read so I put some surprises at the end for those who make it)
- Company Research – Preparation is key. Research the company, what direction they seem to be heading in and how you can help. I went to an interview for a top tier tool company years ago and before entering the interview I went to their website. I saw that they had a lot of messaging around Built in the USA and safety measures. It’s a pretty safe bet that whatever messaging you find on the home page of a company’s website is messaging that has top priority to that company. Make an effort to speak to those priorities every change you get. I was able to work in my knowledge of Built in the USA programs, and general sense of patriotism and bringing workmanship back to the United States into my interview and I ended up getting that job.
- Self Research – One of the most underrated interview tips. Odds are you wrote your resume once, put a lot of keywords in it and never touched it again. No one should know your resume better than you. You don’t want to get caught without an answer in an interview to a simple a resume-related question. It’s a good practice to go through the job posting and pull out a tangible example of how you’ve learned about, interacted with, completed, assisted on or accomplished that task. Not only does this show you can complete the job you’re applying for, it shows you read the description (most people don’t), understand what’s being asked of you (again, most people don’t), and are someone who is direct and drives home results. All positive qualities that come from knowing who you are, what you’ve done and how you can help.
- Problem Solving – I’ve interviewed so much in my life and at a certain point I realized that interviews are much less a first date than they are a discussion of solving a problem. You may go into a company to interview and meet with up to 5 people. To make it more tangible, let’s say you meet with a Brand Director whom is 3 levels above you and runs the department. You also meet the Sr. Digital Marketing Manager who is your direct manager and an Associate Brand Strategist whom you will work alongside and is the same level as you. Everyone in that room is looking to solve the problem of filling a seat. The Associate Brand Strategist is looking to see if you can collaborate well, can they rely on you to get items back to them in a timely manner? Are you someone they can lean on if need be? The Sr. Manager is looking to see if you’re qualified, can you perform the functions of your job? They may also be looking to see what style and how much support you’ll need. These are all questions a boss asks of themselves and are important for you to understand. The Brand Director is looking to see how you fit in with the team and the overall direction. This time next year, is her team better off or worse off for you leaving? Breaking down the conversation in that manner makes it less intimidating. Most times the people who are interviewing you don’t consciously know they’re searching for those items. Quell those concerns before they’re raised gives you the advantage now.
I know this got long, but I had to present the top three interview tips. So many people are applying and getting a shot. These interview tips can help push you over the edge. Also, as promised I threw in some non-spoiler Master of None GIFs to reward all those who finished. But, seriously please comment below or tweet me at @_ThreeStacks if you have any more interview tips and tricks. I’d love to hear them.
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