Do you prepare for your interviews? Well, you should.
What to do before your interview
You have all heard about researching the company before you arrive right? But how much research is too much? Experts say, that having a few facts that would impress the interviewer really goes a long way. These facts should really show the interviewer you did your due diligence. I’m not saying to go in sounding like you’re Google, you want just enough to make you stand out.
You should also make sure you know about the person(s) that are conducting your interview. LinkedIN and Google are great resources. Once you view the interviewer’s profile on LinkedIN they will know you have, which is showing them that you are inquisitive and doing your research before you even get into the interview.
What to do during your interview
During your interview you should make sure you are ready to answer the basic interview questions we all know and love:
- Tell me about yourself.
- How would you describe yourself?
- What makes you unique?
- What interests you about this role?
- Why do you want to work here?
- What are you passionate about?
- What motivates you?
- Why are you leaving your current job?
- What are your greatest strengths?
- What are your greatest weaknesses?
- What are your goals for the future?
- Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?
- Can you tell me about a difficult work situation and how you overcame it?
- What is your salary range expectation?
- Why should we hire you?
- Do you have any questions?
If you have done a lot of interviews recently, practice these answers to ensure you do not sound like you are reading them from a script you have just memorized. Go with the flow, be yourself!
Yes, employers are looking for these answers to fall within their parameters, but they are also looking at your personality! Employers want you to be a good fit with their current staff and culture. You could be an outstanding candidate on paper but not a good fit culturally. Being culturally unfit is not an ideal situation for either party to be in.
Always be prepared to ask questions of the interviewer. Here are a few questions that you may want to ask them at the end of your interview.
- Can you describe the culture of the company?
- Can you tell me more about the day-to-day responsibilities of this job?
- What do you think are the most important qualities for someone to excel in this role?
- What are your expectations for this role during the first 30 days, 60 days, year?
- What are the biggest opportunities and challenges facing the company/department right now?
- Where do you think the company is headed in the next 5 years?
- How do I compare with the other candidates you’ve interviewed for this position?
What to do after an interview
After the interview you should go home and write a letter to the person(s) that interviewed you. An Email letter is okay, but hand written or mailed shows much more to an employer. If you interviewed with more than one person, send them each a letter thanking them. Personalize them let them know you were listening to them.
Follow up the letters with a call to get any updates on your offer. This should be done no sooner than a week after your interview.
