3 Ways to Set Yourself Up For Interview Success
You did it!
You got the job interview and now, you’re one step closer to securing the position you’ve had your eyes on for a while. No more refreshing your inbox or checking your spam folder multiple times a day to see if that hiring manager finally got back to you. But now that you’ve snagged the interview, the real work has just begun.
Interviews can make you feel a mix of emotions. You’re excited and hopeful for what’s to come, but also feeling a bit nervous or anxious. That’s a normal part of the process. But how can you make sure your nervousness doesn’t interrupt your confidence? I’ve come up with three things you can do to make sure you are setting yourself up for interview success.
Number 1: Do your homework.
As a senior-level recruiter for the past 10+ years, I can tell you that there is nothing worse than showing up to an interview you are not prepared for. A hiring manager or recruiter will be able to sniff out that you are not familiar with the position or the company within the first few minutes of the interview. And bam! Your dream of working for the company goes right out the door with you.
To stay on top of current events and company updates, be sure to check out their website and follow them on social media, especially LinkedIn. When interview day arrives, you’ll want to mention things that the company has done recently like any public events or podcasts guests featured on their show. This will signal to the hiring manager that you’ve done your homework and have a genuine interest in the company. But just checking the website isn’t enough!
I’ve had clients in the past who have flubbed their interviews because they couldn’t answer questions like, “Why do you want to work here?” and “what excites you about the brand?” To answer this genuinely, you better visit a store, know their products and service offerings like the back of your hand, or can share what’s trending in their business. Get out and put yourself into that company culture! This is critical for leaving a long-lasting impression.
You may also want to do some homework on who you will be interviewing with. If you’ve emailed back-and-forth with a human (rather than received an automated response after applying), check out their profile on LinkedIn. Not only will putting a face to the name put you more at ease, but there may also be some things you can mention during your interview that will leave a long-lasting impression. For example, “I saw you attended XYZ University. I went to the same school!”
And whatever you do, keep your brands straight! Look, you are going to be hitting a few interviews for different companies if you are in the trenches of your job search. But you need to make sure you stay organized and do not mix up the products or anything else about the company during the interview. I once had a client reference a collection that was not part of that brand. BIG MISTAKE! The hiring manager will respond with something like, “Sorry boo, not us. Have a nice day!” and never look your way again.
Number 2: Highlight your skills.
The purpose of an interview is for the hiring manager to meet you and find out if what you have to offer is useful for their business. So now is your time to show off your skills and expertise to bright like a diamond.
Because you’ve already done your homework and know what the company is looking for, you can turn the job description they promoted into action items to mention during your interview. Here are some examples:
For a marketing role, you better be able to talk about campaigns you’ve managed or worked on and what the ROI was.
For a position within the e-commerce industry, you should be able to talk about what platforms and analytics you manage or are comfortable with.
For retail roles, you need to highlight what kind of leader you are, what your team size was, any client events you hosted, and the kind of store experiences you managed.
You are a stronger candidate if some of your skills or experiences are not specifically required for the job (but are credible bonuses to the position). For example, if you are applying for an operations position and you have event planning experience, you can say that you can even help manage your client’s event needs on top of the day-to-day processes.
Need some help remembering all of your promotions and accomplishments to date? Sounds like you need a performance journal. Learn what a performance journal can help you with (and how to get your hands on one) in my latest blog post by clicking here!
Number 3: Get prepared well in advance.
Once you score the interview, you probably have a few days to prepare. Use this time to get all of your T’s crossed and your I’s dotted. I’m talking about everything from your outfit to your Zoom background.
If you have an in-person interview, print out a few hard copies of your resume and keep them in a safe place. Have a digital copy queued up in case something gets screwed up (like having to commute through a storm that gets your papers all wet. Trust me, it’s happened before.)
Plan your outfit before the morning of your interview.
Interview day is not the time to realize you have nothing to wear. Make sure to dress for the position you want. Keep it classy, always! That includes Zoom interviews.
Have all of your questions prepared in advance. Not only will this show that you are genuinely interested in the position, but it can help you figure out if the position is right for you.
Be sure to ask questions, like:
What would my day-to-day responsibilities look like?
What are your expectations for me in this role?
What are some of the biggest challenges that someone in this position would face?
There you have it! I’m confident that following these three steps can set you up for interview success. Realize you need private coaching to get your career roadmap… well, back on the road?
Get started working with me in a Private 1:1 Career Clarity session today by clicking here!
YOUR FREE POST-INTERVIEW ASSESSMENT
This assessment gives you the space to jot down all of your thoughts and important findings after your interview!
Remind yourself of critical job elements, like who you would be reporting to and what your day-to-day expectation is.
Note what went well so you can do it over again or things you could have answered better.
Record any potential red flags that pop up during the interview process and much more!
