How to Prepare for an Interview
Congrats! You’ve tweaked your resume and your LinkedIn profile and recruiters have been reaching out and responding.
(Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash)
You’ve scheduled for an interview with the hiring team - are you ready?
(Know someone about to interview? Send them this article! )
Review your results and speak to them. When you’re asked to tell the panel a little about yourself, highlight the parts of your background that demonstrate your ability to do the job you’re interviewing for.
(if you have one) Talk about the elephant in the room. If you’ve taken time off to care for a loved one, or to travel the world it’s a good idea to address that BEFORE the team digs in. That way you can control the narrative. No sob stories or arrogant stories, needed. Just the facts. Extra points if you weave in some lessons learned that translate to the workplace.
Prepare good questions. If you have concerns about the company, the work they do or the job as described, formulate questions to get a better understanding if these are really red flags or not. Concerned about their bro culture? Ask about their diversity initiatives and how they work. Did you get mixed answers from the recruiting team on whether or not the role was remote-hybrid-in office? Ask directly now. The more questions you ask to assuage your concerns the more information you have to determine whether you want to move forward.
When you’re asked a question answer truthfully. Example, you’re interviewing for an operations role where you’ll be leading the implementation of a new HRIS system. And while you’ve participate on installations in the past, you’ve never actually led the team, tell the truth when you’re asked, “how large was the last implementation you led including your budget and manpower?” Tell them the truth, “While I wasn’t the lead, I was responsible for 25% of the full project, overseeing 500K in budget and worked with three individual contributors to complete the project on time and on budget.” Don’t inflate your role or downplay your role.
Have a strong close. When the interview is over, make sure you make eye contact with each person on the panel and if you’re in person, shake their hands. Let them know you’re eager to work with them - with sincerity, not desperation. Then ask the group what they see as the next steps in this process. Hold fast to get clarity on the time frame for their hiring process and then state, “Thanks for letting me know you plan to make your final hiring decision by the 23rd. I’d like to reach out if I haven’t heard anything by then, should I contact you Bob? or should I call your recruiter?”
Send a note after the interview - email is fine and thank them for their time and reiterate the time line they gave you. “Thanks again for answering my questions about Arvidson Corporation, based on our discussion, I’m certain my leadership experience in the semi-conductor industry as well as my time as a maintenance engineer in a xylophone manufacturing company will help me assimilate quickly and add value in this role. I’m looking forward to hearing from you on the 23rd.”
Sending you good vibes and happy thoughts for your next interview. Don’t forget to let me know how it goes.
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Til next week — drink your water, smile at a stranger, use your dang sunscreen and smell the flowers.
Big hugs,
Peggie