Why am I qualified to teach on this subject? I have probably interviewed for a couple of dozen jobs in my career, and changed industries several times. There have only been two times when I got a face-to-face interview and was not offered a job. In one instance, I finished runner-up. In the other instance, the company temporarily eliminated the position altogether, so nobody was offered the job. Besides those two exceptions, I have always gotten a job offer after a face to face interview. The reason is because I have applied the very skills I’m going to share with you today.
First, let's consider the main goal or from each perspective. What is the employer thinking? What about the interviewee?
Main point from employer: Am I going to make money with this employee? Maybe not the view of the person interviewing you, but the company is offering the position for that very reason. As an interviewer, I’m thinking things like, “Will this person be a good fit with my team? Is he teachable? Does he have some intangible skills?” but never forget that the company intends to make more money on your work than what you get paid. Can you present yourself in a way that answers that question?
Main point from interviewee: This is a two-way interview. You are interviewing the company as much as they are interviewing you. If you are potentially changing careers or starting from scratch, this is a big adjustment. The job market is wide open right now. Companies need workers and they want good ones. If you present yourself well in the interview, you’ll get an offer. And you get the chance to choose a company that fits well for you.
Let's get the obvious tips out of the way first and then I'll go into my 6 tips. Everyone should know these:
Be on time, dress the part, make eye contact, give a firm handshake, smile.
Here are my tips for you today:
#1 Bring your own questions
It always baffles me when I ask a litany of questions and then finish with, “Do you have any questions for me?” and the person says they don’t. Are you kidding? You’re about to potentially make this a new career choice and you don’t want to know about me, the company, or the job? One of my best job interview practices has always been to have a list of questions ready. If I am the job applicant, I literally pull out a folded sheet of paper and work my way down whenever I get asked if I have any questions. It shows the employer you are not rushing into this. You did your homework and you are interviewing the company as well. Since a lot of companies want to hire “leaders” or promotable employees, this is a sign that you are the right person.
#2 Be honest about your weaknesses
If you get asked to talk about a weakness(which you probably will), don’t respond with, “I don’t have any.” First, the interviewer knows you are lying because everybody has one or more weaknesses. Second, if your weakness is something they specifically don’t want, why lie about it and get fired for it a month later anyway? It’s a waste of time and money for both of you. Third, as an interviewer, if an applicant has the ability to be self-aware enough to speak comfortably about a weakness, that is a major strength in my book. Everyone knows that everyone has weaknesses, so don’t shy away from it. Be honest about it, work on it as applicable, and move forward while promoting your strengths.
#3 One question can change the entire interview
Here is what I mean by this point: Let’s say you aren’t feeling good about how well you’ve interviewed up to a point. Then, you get asked something like, “Tell me about a time when you overcame a challenge at work.” Then, you think of a great example and proceed to amaze everyone in the room. That kind of question and answer can change the direction of the interview. Chances are, depending on how you do on the front end, the interviewer already knows if you are going to be hired before you are halfway done with the conversation. It’s just a formality at that point. However, if the interviewer doesn’t want to hire you, but then you knock it out of the park with one question, you’re back in the game. I’ve seen this happen and I know it works. Granted, you can’t control the questions you get asked, but you can think of answers ahead of time to possible questions and be prepared. This can work the other way too. You can lose a job on one question. You never know what kind of bizarre question you may be asked, but show ingenuity and thoughtfulness in your response, and it can make the difference.
#4 If you are in a panel interview, address the whole group
I used to be a manager at a bank where panel interviews were the norm. They were great if 3 managers were interviewing one person, but if 3 managers interviewed 4 applicants simultaneously, it was wildly uncomfortable. If you are alone with multiple interviewers, address all of them with your answer, but focus primarily on the person who asked the question. It doesn’t matter where they are sitting—look everyone in the eye during every response. Even if someone is behind you(not likely), make light of it by completely turning around, chuckling about it, and address that shadowy figure. Don’t leave anybody out.
#5 Speak like you’re already a member of the team
This pairs nicely with point #1. You can ask things like, “What will I be doing when I’m working here?” or “Can I meet the people I’ll be working with?” Part of the interviewer’s job is to make sure to hire somebody who will be a team player. If you’re already acting like one and chatting it up with the other staff, that’s a win!
#6 It’s ok to pause and think about your answer
Don’t rush your response, especially if it’s a question you didn’t expect. It is OK to pause, look up with a thoughtful expression, and then answer the question after a few seconds. If you don’t want silence, simply say, “That’s an interesting question. Let me think…” before you answer. Another extremely important piece of this is to let the interviewer finish the question before you answer! Don’t cut them off. Exercise enough self-control to wait until the question is fully asked before you say anything. It’s ok to nod while the question is being asked, but don’t say anything too soon. Most people aren’t comfortable with this. In reality, what feels like 10 minutes of awkward silence is really only about 5 seconds. When you’re nervous in an interview, everything feels longer than it really is.
Long form video
"I can't carry your interview for you, but I can carry you!"