5 Tips to Ace Your Next Interview (or Win Over Your Next Date!)
Like dating, interviewing for jobs is a ritual in which there are often unspoken social conventions. On both first dates and interviews: appearances are important, the topic of money is generally taboo, and conversation matters – since the larger issue is always “do we want to spend more time together?” and there’s often an unspoken (short) time frame in which the decision is being made.
In short, the stakes are high.
Here are five strategies you can use to prepare for interviews and ensure that you are putting your best foot forward for the job.
1. When invited to interview, ask for details:
Who, what and where will you be meeting? (Just as it’s important to know how to dress for a date, you want a sense of how to get your game up for an interview.)
If you have more than one interview appointment, ask for information and a schedule of who you will meet with and when? This will help you prepare – and provide clues on what’s most important for the job. If, for example, you’re meeting with a team leader for an hour and a CEO for 15 minutes – it’s likely you’d be working more closely with the team leader if you get the job offer. (So you may want to study up on the team leader – check out his or her LinkedIn profile before you head into the interview.)
Make sure you confirm the address and location. If the interview requires driving more than 100 miles, air or train travel, you may want to ask (politely) about whether or not you will be reimbursed for the travel.
Success Tip: Plan your travel arrangements to accommodate any potential scheduling challenges – make sure you can be there at least 30 minutes in advance if travel over public transit or crowded roadways are required. It’s bad form to show up late for a first date; it could cost you a job to show up late for a first interview.
2. Print out and bring extra copies of your resume – and review the job description.
In interviewing as in dating, you always want to be prepared to take an alternative road if the conversation veers in a direction you hadn’t expected. Just as your date may know your long lost cousin, your interviewer may ask you about skills or experience that don’t align with the job title!
Don’t assume the same person who you are interviewing with is the same person that recommended you be invited to interview. Often human resources staff members take care of advance work for hiring managers: Hiring managers may have different perspectives on what’s needed most in the position than HR does, an aspect of the job description that hasn’t come up before may be important to the hiring manager
If you sit down for the interview and the person you are meeting with doesn’t have a copy of your resume, offer to provide them with one on the spot.
3. Anticipate the questions you’ll be asked.
One of the greatest differences between dating and interviewing is the balance of power: While both the job candidate and the interviewer get to make a decision about fit, the interviewer often has more power because they often have a greater number of other potential candidates to consider! (In dating, you are each making the same decision.)
To make sure you interview well, study up on what you may be asked in advance of the hiring process!
Check out Glassdoor.com, a site that provides employee reviews, salary information, and actual interview questions asked by companies.
If you haven’t worked in the type of job that you’re interviewing for before, find a friend (or friend through friends) who does that type of work and inquire about the most important skills and qualities required for the job.
Research the employer as if you are researching an important purchase – check out the company website, take note of any news releases or announcements, compare the website of the company where you are interviewing with other companies in the same field. Understanding the differences between the company you are applying for and competitors in the field, can help you understand challenges or concerns your interviewers may have in mind. Doing your research will better prepare you to demonstrate an understanding of their problems, and how you can help.
4. Be prepared to be as interested as you are interesting.
No matter how one-sided the process feels, interviewing is always a two-way street in dating and job search: you pick your employer and your employer picks you just as you pick who you want to date and they pick you,
Employers at world-renowned companies face the same challenges as some single celebrities do: They want to be with people who want to be with them as they are – not just because of their fame and fortune.
One of the greatest challenges employers face is hiring employees that truly want to work for them – they want to know you’re interested. In fact, they are more likely to hire you if they think it’s quite possible you will say yes when offered the job.
Never go to a job interview without a full list of questions you can ask in the interview. All of the questions should demonstrate your interest in working for the company. Example: If hired for this job, how would I work with you to get work done – and what would my first priority be on the job.
5. Practice your best poker face – and prepare to address any lemons in your background.
In dating as in job search, we often seek out new opportunities because the last experience was less than perfect or ideal. Most people have something in their resume they’d rather not talk about – an unexplained gap in employment, a short period of time, a “former boss” not willing to serve as a reference, etc.
If you’ve been invited in for the interview, chances are good that the interviewing committee may ask you about it – and how you respond will potentially influence whether or not you get the job offer.
A good way to handle questions on awkward topics is to avoid using any adjectives or negative tone of voice. When someone asks you a challenging question, don’t say, “Here’s the stinky situation I was in. My boss was out to get me.” Say “Here’s what happened” and describe only what can be seen: Example, last year the company brought in a new supervisor from Finland. He reorganized the department by cutting 15 jobs and redistributing the workload to 5 people. I left shortly after that happened; I’m told he left two months ago.” Note: This approach works well in both interviews and dates! Just like no first date likes to hear you trash your ex, potential employers don’t need to hear the emotional details of a previous job gone wrong. Stick to the necessary facts and don’t let old resentment ruin a good first impression.
Prepare for the interview using these tips and you’ll be well positioned to receive top consideration for the role.
Want to leave with an even stronger impression? Follow up quickly with a custom thank you email to each participant. Just as you’d thank a good first date for a nice time and you’d like to see them again; it’s important to let your interviewer know that you appreciated the time they took to speak with you and you’re interested in the position. If you have information on their job titles, include a sentence or two that shows you are thinking about how you would interact with them on the job. This is a great opportunity to revisit any particular topics you may not have nailed in the interview — example: You asked my opinion about X; here's a more complete answer to your question.
If you don't have email addresses for each participant, Google *@companyname.com — this will show you how companies assign email addresses — you can figure it out from there.
Don't forget the blind spot — think about whether you want the job the same way you’d decide whether or not to have a second date. Make sure you want it! You may be so focused on answering their questions that you don't take time to assess whether or not the job is a fit. If you receive an offer — and still haven't figured out whether the job is a fit or met all the players in person, you can always ask for a second date before you accept!
