It’s funny that I’m even attempting to write this when I, myself, don’t have any clue as to what I’m doing regarding most things in life. I sort of fake it till I make it through almost everything and somehow it works. However, after the number of job interviews I’ve had this past year, I’ve gathered some notes and tips that have helped me succeed and I’ve offered them to at least three people this past week who I know are in the middle of interviews as well. So I figured, why not make a post out of it? I’m sure there are others who are also looking for jobs and could use a couple of these.
These tips are some that I’ve learned as time went on. It’s embarrassing how long it took me to understand some of them and as soon as I did, I face palmed thinking of every time prior to that when I messed up during a job interview. They should seriously teach a class on this or something because I can’t be the only one who did some of these incorrectly. Or maybe I am. *shrug*
1) Don’t wing it.
I know this is obvious, but there’s been one too many times where I’ve attempted to wing it. I thought, what could be so hard? They’re just going to ask me some questions and I don’t want to sound robotic or practiced, so I’ll live in the moment. It has never worked and I’ve sounded like a moron. So, really, this is the biggest one - always be prepared. These interviewers are spending valuable time looking for the right candidate and this is a working business so you can’t just half ass it and waste their time if you’re not going to take it seriously.
2) Know the job role and responsibilities.
The whole point of a job interview is for you to convince the interviewer that you’re fit for the position you’re interviewing for. You have to know the job role and responsibilities to a good degree so that when they ask you things about your experiences or your skills, you can bring it back to how you did something in a previous job that matches up with this one. When you don’t have a particular skill or experience, tell them that you’re someone who is eager to learn and gain those very skills and experience that you lack.
There were a few interviews where I just babbled when they asked me about my job experiences. I never tied it in properly, so it was very messy.
3) Research the company through LinkedIn and Glassdoor.
You should know the basics of the company before going in for the interview. Who they are, what they do, how they do it, etc. I don’t necessarily go too deep into it, but I try finding general information on the first page of their website, or I go to LinkedIn and Glassdoor. With LinkedIn, you can find about the company, look at their employees and see what they do, and basically how it all fits together. Glassdoor is also extremely helpful because they allow current and former employees to review the company with pros, cons, benefits, etc. People who interview with them are also able to review them and the interview process. They’ll even add common questions asked during the interview.
4) Run through common interview questions and have a general idea of what you’re going to say.
I have a board on Pinterest that have a couple of links/pictures that list out general interview questions and give an overview on how you can answer them. Before every interview, I run through these questions and try to brief myself on how I’d answer them. It’s super helpful and gets you in the right mindset.
5) Always ask questions.
Up until a mere few months ago, I was always under the impression that you should never ask questions when the interviewer asks you if you have any questions. I assumed it was bothersome and made you seem like you didn’t have a clue about anything. However, I was speaking to a recruiter at one of my previous jobs and she was giving me some tips for future interviews. One of them, as she told me, was to always ask questions otherwise the interviewers think you don’t care! I sat there shook for a good minute. If I ever did ask questions during interviews, it was things like when am I hearing back from you, or something generic like that. Now I know that you’re supposed to ask meaningful questions about the company, the position you’re applying for, etc. It’s actually very helpful because they give you a more broad sense of what to expect from the job and their work culture within the company.
6) Engage with them in regards to your questions.
After learning the above tip, I started asking questions during my interviews, but I didn’t really engage with the interviewer after they answered. I just jumped into the next question because I didn’t want to waste their time. Usually they ask you to ask questions toward the end of the interview, so I was always trying to get going. But it’s super important to ask questions and then engage with them. Respond back with your thoughts on their answers, always bring it back to how you’re fit for the role, and how their answers and information interests you so they know you care.
7) Thank you notes.
Everyone knows to write thank you notes after the interview, but there’s this post I found on Pinterest that honestly changed the game for me. It really breaks down how you should write your note, how long after, and what not to write. Because of this, my thank you notes have actually been getting responses, which has never happened before.
I’m not suddenly an expert in interviews because I do still get nervous and feel like I’m going to vomit, but this has helped! I’ve been feeling more confident after some of my recent ones, which doesn’t always happen. I hope this is helpful for you as well and that you’re able to ace your next interview.
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