Job Interviews: A Beginners Guide to Landing the Job
You're sitting in a lobby, waiting for someone to come out, shake your hand, and bring you back through the door that could lead to your future. Your palms are sweaty, knees weak, and arms are heavy (thank you, Eminem) because you know that the presentation of who you are, your skill set, and your drive to succeed can determine the course of your life within the next 30 minutes. Your mind is racing. You're trying to keep in mind the name of the interviewer, predetermine the answers to the questions they might ask, and think about the skills you’re going to present and how you'll present them to make it an easy decision for the hiring manager to pick you.
When you walk out of the room you’ve been sitting in for the last 30 minutes, you shake the hand(s) of the interviewer(s), and everything you did wrong floods your brain. Two days later, you get an email saying they appreciate your time, but they are moving forward with another candidate. Your heart breaks, and you open your laptop to start the job search journey over again.
Going into an interview and blowing the hiring managers away is an art, not a science. In many cases, the final decision to bring you on as an employee can be made by something as simple as a follow-up email, a firm handshake, and even showing gratitude at the end of the interview for the interviewer's time. It's not always about the skills or credentials that you possess.
Think about when you were young, playing sports. Yes, there were a handful of kids who were amazing athletes, but there were also many kids who may not have been the best, but they tried hard and were very likeable. It’s the same concept when getting hired onto a team and into an organization. People want to work with people they like. If you don't have as much experience as another person, but you make yourself very likeable and seem hungry to secure the job, you’ll end up getting hired over the person with loads of experience but no personality.
Interview Prep:
When you get the call or the initial email that you've secured an interview, make sure to set it up for a time of day when you feel at your best. If you're a morning person and feel sluggish in the afternoon, try to get a time slot for the morning. If you're a horrible morning person or can't function until you get your cup of coffee, maybe later in the afternoon would be better. If they don’t give you an option, try your best to switch up your normal routine around your interview time in order to be at your best. If you have a few days before your interview, adjust your routine in advance to get your brain and body ready for the big day.
Try to get the names of the people who will be interviewing you. This can be advantageous because you can jump on LinkedIn and do a little research. You could potentially find job history, schooling, or activities that you can weave into the conversation. You may even get a slight gauge of what type of person they might be. This goes without saying, but I wouldn't recommend telling them or even eluding to the fact that you did research on them because you don’t want to seem like a stalker. Might not bode well when they make their final decision on who to hire. Just see if there are any openings to use some of the material you found while in the interview. If not, no harm, no foul. Better to be overprepared than underprepared.
Do your research on the company. Find articles, go through their website, and reach out to current and past employees to gain some insight of the pros and cons of working for the company. Remember, most current and current and past employees are going to be bias, so internalize what they say, but don't hold it in stone. If the company is a publicly traded company, you can even research their financials.
Get some practice. Mock interviews are a great way to get over some of the nerves before the real interview. Have a friend or family member play the part of the hiring manager, and go through a list of questions they might ask. You could even film yourself, which could help you check your mannerisms, body language, and the clarity of your speech. All of which play into a person’s perception of you.
The Interview:
Give yourself enough time. By this, I mean you need to arrive early. Make sure to prepare for the worst-case travel scenario. There’s no faster way to not get hired than to arrive late before you’ve even been hired. This ties into what I said above about trying to schedule the interview for a time that works best for your lifestyle, if at all possible. It'll make it easier for you to get there when you need to be.
Walk in with a smile. I’m not just talking about when you’re walking back into the area where you will be interviewed. You need to make an impression on everyone—from the people sweeping the floors to the CEO. Smile, make conversation if possible, and really let your personality shine. You never know who the hiring managers are going to ask about you when you walk out the door. It’s also proven that if you smile, you can boost your mood-enhancing hormones like serotonin and endorphins, and reduce stress-producing hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.
A firm handshake goes a long way. When you meet the person or people who will be interviewing you, make sure you greet them with a firm handshake and that same stellar smile you presented when you walked through the door.
When the interview starts, the interviewers are probably going to ask a lot of "get-to-know-you" questions before moving into the tougher ones. They may ask, "Tell me a little about yourself," or "Why do you want to work for this company?" At this point, they are not asking for your life story or for you to list all the accomplishments of the company in question. So, give them a general outline of who you are and a few bullet points of what made you apply for the specific company. They will eventually move on to asking you about your experience and why you think you’ll be a good fit for the company. This is the time to pump yourself up a bit. Don’t go in with an ego, but make sure your confidence shows. If you have to embellish your skills or experience a bit, go for it. Don’t blatantly lie about anything, but a little embellishment is fine. Everyone does it. Think of all the people you've met who you know are not cut out for the position they are in, but still managed to secure it. It’s either nepotism or a little faking it until you make it—and good for them for making it.
Remember to ask questions. Many people, especially those just starting their career search, forget that an interview is a two-way street. Yes, the interviewer holds the power, but that doesn't mean you are powerless. Make sure to ask questions that you feel are relevant to the position you're applying for, the culture of the company, and what growing with the company might look like. An example of a question could be something like, "Company culture is very important to me. What has made you stay at the company for as long as you have, and what do you feel the company values most when it comes to its culture?" Make sure your questions are open-ended. These are questions that can’t be answered with just a yes or no, or with a one-word answer. You want to make sure that you are extending the conversation and not giving them a quick way out. Bring a small notebook with some prewritten questions. Remembering the questions is preferable, but if you have to reference your notebook during the Q&A portion, it’s better than fumbling your words.
When wrapping up, always be appreciative and courteous. At the end of the interview, make sure to shake everyone's hand again, flash that award-winning smile, ask what the next steps are, and then thank them for their time. You could also ask when they are planning on making the decision for the position. This is optional, but getting a timeline could be helpful. If there are any little nuggets you got from the conversation—such as one of their kids has a basketball game that evening or maybe they are going on a vacation—use that as you say your goodbyes. Believe me, they’ll appreciate it.
Follow Up:
Always make sure to send a follow-up email thanking the interviewers for their time. It goes a long way. Again, splice in little nuggets you may have found out during your interview if possible. The more personal you are, the more you'll stick in their mind. They’ll be appreciative and maybe even impressed by your ability to remember personal details.
Last Few Tips:
Always use names if possible. Dale Carnegie said in his book How to Win Friends and Influence People that people like nothing more in the human language than the sound of their own name. Saying someone's name humanizes them and makes them feel important. Try it out. Next time you go to the grocery store, use the cashier’s name as you're checking out. You'll see them respond differently than you've experienced before.
Make sure to listen more than you talk, and pause for a second before you respond. This gives you the ability to take in everything they are saying without interruption, as well as avoid word vomit.
In Conclusion:
If you are currently in the middle of your job search, know that you are not going to get every job that you interview for. There are so many factors behind the hiring process, plus the human element makes it so easy for someone with a slick tongue and a good personality to be more impressive than a person with all the necessary credentials. Don’t get discouraged. It's a numbers game. The steps above are some general tools and actions that can give you a bit of an edge when you land the interview. Interviewing does take practice. The more you do it, the better you get. Unfortunately, that is a double-edged sword, because if you're getting the reps, that usually means you're not getting the job. Eventually, though, you will land the job that you're supposed to be in, and then you'll be able to share your journey with someone who is in the same position you’re in right now.
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