General Interview Tips

Kindly note that I by no means think I am the authority on what good or bad looks like in an interview, so please take the below as my personal humble opinion. Gather the opinion of others, and above all trust your gut as to how you think you can best showcase yourself. I truly hope the below information helps, and I wish you the best on your journey!

Preparation

1.     Understand the types of interview questions an employer likes to ask. The most common approaches use Behavioral (commonly referred to as STAR) and Opinion based questions. Googling this topic can help you get familiar with the various experiences you can expect. Also Googling “interviewing at XYZ company” will produce valuable threads and sites to help further inform you. In my interviews, I use STAR questions frequently so the below will reference that model a few times.

2.     Videotape yourself answering practice questions such as “Tell me about yourself…”, “Why are you interested in this role/company…”, “what are your strengths and weaknesses…”, and every STAR question you can think of. Then watch what you just recorded and take note of how you can improve. You are your own harshest critic so pay attention to your verbal tics such as “umm” and “so”, your body language and presence, and of course the clarity of your responses. You’ll be amazed at how much you improve after doing this so don’t underestimate the importance of this step.

3.     I recommend having 15 or more examples at the ready to answer a wide variety of STAR/Behavioral questions. In my experience, most questions tie into something mentioned in the job posting so turn every bullet point in the posting into a question. Example: “Looking for someone with 2-3 years experience of _Java/B2B Sales/Recruiting_” turns into “Tell me about a time that you used _skill associated with job posting_ to _maintain a back end system/exceed sales metrics/develop a diverse slate of candidates_.” This certainly won’t work all the time, but I’ve found that the answers that people prepare using this approach are oftentimes able to be incorporated into the actual questions asked.

4.     Be mindful of how you can relate what you just said back to the job you are applying for. How/Why does that story you just shared set you up for success in the role you are applying for? This is even more important when you are using an unusual experience to make your point such as an experience outside of the industry you are currently applying for. While hiring managers should have an open mind to a wide range of experience, don’t assume that they understand how your experience relates to their needs unless you’ve made a conscious effort to do so.

5.      After completing steps 1-4, you can now focus on setting up mock/practice interviews with people that you think would help you grow. Pick a combination of people you trust and people you are not as close to so you can experience a range of emotions to better prepare you for the real deal. If they aren’t familiar with interview questions, you can prime them with questions you are working on. Many times, feedback from people totally unfamiliar with the process can give great insight to if what you are saying is clearly articulated.

6. How much you should prepare depends on how diligent you’ve been in preparing for interviews in the past. For someone familiar with interview prep I think 20 hours of prep is a good starting place. For someone just figuring out what a proper STAR response looks like I’d strongly recommend closer to 40 hours. Crazy I know, but I cannot emphasize enough how easy it is for me to tell if someone has put in a lot of prep work or not because the clarity and relevance of their answers are at another level. Even if you feel naturally confident talking on your feet, I assure you that practice is critical.

The big day…

7.     Be totally ready for the interview 15 minutes early so that you can set the stage accordingly.

• In person interview: This gives you time to grab some water, use the restroom, and have a buffer if there is an accident on the road that causes you to be later than expected.
• Virtual interview: Have you written down the info to call in via your cell phone if the internet goes out? Is your background clean and representing yourself well? Is there anything you’d rather the interviewers not see, or anything you want them to see as a conversation starter? If you want to use a background like blur or a custom picture, is that all queued up? Do others in your house know you will be on camera? Even if a background image is used, when people walk in the background they are oftentimes visible so keep this in mind to avoid any embarrassment. Once you’ve done this, remember that if something goes wrong with your tech or your kiddo/dog goes crazy, remember that good hiring managers understand that things at home frequently don’t go as we plan, so don’t worry. If you have tech issues, just call the phone number listed in the Teams invite from your cell phone to join.

8.     Your nervousness is totally normal and okay! However, never forget this interview is a two-way street and that you belong at the table. This job is going to take up the next chapter of your life so it is really important to get a feel for who you’ll be working with. Have well thought out questions for the hiring managers, and don’t forget that you are interviewing them too! This mindset helps me calm down a bit, and I hope it does for you too.

9.     Control what you can control. Something crazy just happen to your internet? Didn’t even think to prepare for that question they just asked you? Interviewer shows up late? It’s okay. Just focus on what IS in your control (prep work ahead of time, getting there early, notes, etc.). The primary goal is to showcase your skills and who you are as well as possible because that is what you can control. Of course we want to get the job, but don’t put pressure on yourself for something that isn’t fully in your control.

I truly wish you the best of luck. You got this!

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