Crush that Interview.
Interviews are a key part of the hiring process, interviews let you see if the candidate is a good fit with the company's culture, how good their people skills are and how they handle high pressure environments. With that said it still surprises me how unprepared people show up to these all too important things. Us the 20 somethings are specially guilty of it. We assume that because we had an internship with some big shot company for 2 months, then every one should just go ahead and make us CEOs.
Perhaps we are right; Perhaps we are a very enterprising, full of integrity, task oriented business gurus and those 2 months of interning where all we needed to polish off the gem that is to be our professional careers. We still have no idea how to sell ourselves tho, and it is obvious because what we think is confidence is actually coming across as dripping arrogance and it is not impressing any one.
If I have gained any experience while working human resources is that people (including myself) are often terrible at selling themselves. I see it over and over again. People with great experience and knowledge that fumble at the simplest of questions, causing the faith of the interviewer to plummet. I believe we all have been guilty of this at one point in our lives and I would like to share with you some of the lessons I have learned, often the hard way, in hopes that this may help you crush your next interview.
1. Be positive about yourself.
If you don't believe that you are the man (or lady) for the job then believe me your interviewer wont believe it either. So much of the nerves, anxiety and all around bad answers to interview questions come from a person's lack of confidence. You need to have an open hand approach to interviews, go in there happy and excited for the opportunity, be frank and professional and walk away knowing that if you get the job then that company just gained an asset, if you don't, then no biggie, you will find another great place to fit in to. This perspective change will allow you to be confident and remove the all so desperate look that many people carry in to interviews. Remember the difference between confidence and arrogance is the desire to improve others instead of yourself. Have a genuine desire to help the company and you will drip with confidence and excitement that interviewers love to see.
2. Sell your skill and willingness.
I don't need a tour of your resume, I can see it, it is right in front of me, spending 5 minutes listening to you list your places of work will do nothing else but put me to sleep and wish that this interview was over. Instead, tell me what skills you have acquired in those work places listed in your resume, and how you can apply those in to the position you are applying for. Accept that there will be new roles that you will have to stretch in to and tackle that with confidence.
Don't use the words "quick learner" that makes me think that I will have to hold your hand the whole time. Instead use the word adaptable and then explain to the interviewer how you grew and learned a new skill at your previous employment.
3. Don't be afraid to pause.
This one is simple, when they ask you a question. Don't follow it with a list of "umms" "huhs" "wells" and "let me thinks". Instead take in the question, pause for a second and the answer with a pre-prepared scenario. This will show that you are not afraid to take a step back, asses a situation and find a solution. Don't linger too long tho, that is just awkward.
4. Have pre-planned answers.
There is certain questions that you can almost guarantee you will be asked in an interview, and these questions are not ones to just nonchalantly spin out. The reason all companies ask them is because they are important and because they say a lot about a person, so be prepared with solid answers for them.
Some of the questions you are almost guaranteed to hear are the following:
why did you apply to our company?
How do you handle conflicts with employees?
How do you handle conflicts with clients?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
All of the questions should be answered with positive and specific scenarios not hypothetical. For example "At my previous employment a co-worker and I had a problem with how we should have approached the sales pitch, he insisted in method B while I believed that method C would be a better choice, we sat down over coffee and talked out a compromise, I did my part of the presentation and then transitioned to his, through this compromise we where able to gain the client's trust and our supervisors commended us both for a job well done"
An answer like this lets the interviewer get a grasp of your true reactions and intentions. Lastly when asked about your weaknesses, think of parts of your life that you are actively working on improving and tell them that. For example "About a year ago I realized that my organizational skills where lacking, since then I have been intentional in keeping a ledger with my appointments and tasks, I understand that I still have room for growth but I am doing everything in my power to turn my organizational skills in to strengths."
5. Appreciate the culture.
This one kind of ties to the previous point, and that question of "why did you apply to this company?" is the perfect opportunity for you to tell them how much you appreciate the little things that make this company great. Now a days culture is just as important as benefits and employers are looking for culture fit candidates as much as skill fit ones. Therefore you will need to do your research, learn about the companies history, who is the CEO, talk to employees and learn what are the things that make the company unique. Once you learn that and decide that you want to be a part of it, tell the interviewer what qualities are the ones you appreciate and how they correlate to your own personality.
If I could say one more thing is that you need to get your intentions straighten out. If your desire to join a company is to climb a corporate ladder and crush every one under your feet, then you will find yourself in companies with terrible culture and nothing but stab in the back dog eat dog attitudes. If however, you have the simple genuine desire to join a company to add to its already great endeavors, and you genuinely desire the success of the team over your own, you will find yourself not just in a great work environment, but also recognized and promoted in due time. I hope this post helps you in your next interview and let me know what other tips you have found helpful at crushing interviews.
Perhaps we are right; Perhaps we are a very enterprising, full of integrity, task oriented business gurus and those 2 months of interning where all we needed to polish off the gem that is to be our professional careers. We still have no idea how to sell ourselves tho, and it is obvious because what we think is confidence is actually coming across as dripping arrogance and it is not impressing any one.
If I have gained any experience while working human resources is that people (including myself) are often terrible at selling themselves. I see it over and over again. People with great experience and knowledge that fumble at the simplest of questions, causing the faith of the interviewer to plummet. I believe we all have been guilty of this at one point in our lives and I would like to share with you some of the lessons I have learned, often the hard way, in hopes that this may help you crush your next interview.
1. Be positive about yourself.
If you don't believe that you are the man (or lady) for the job then believe me your interviewer wont believe it either. So much of the nerves, anxiety and all around bad answers to interview questions come from a person's lack of confidence. You need to have an open hand approach to interviews, go in there happy and excited for the opportunity, be frank and professional and walk away knowing that if you get the job then that company just gained an asset, if you don't, then no biggie, you will find another great place to fit in to. This perspective change will allow you to be confident and remove the all so desperate look that many people carry in to interviews. Remember the difference between confidence and arrogance is the desire to improve others instead of yourself. Have a genuine desire to help the company and you will drip with confidence and excitement that interviewers love to see.
2. Sell your skill and willingness.
I don't need a tour of your resume, I can see it, it is right in front of me, spending 5 minutes listening to you list your places of work will do nothing else but put me to sleep and wish that this interview was over. Instead, tell me what skills you have acquired in those work places listed in your resume, and how you can apply those in to the position you are applying for. Accept that there will be new roles that you will have to stretch in to and tackle that with confidence.
Don't use the words "quick learner" that makes me think that I will have to hold your hand the whole time. Instead use the word adaptable and then explain to the interviewer how you grew and learned a new skill at your previous employment.
3. Don't be afraid to pause.
This one is simple, when they ask you a question. Don't follow it with a list of "umms" "huhs" "wells" and "let me thinks". Instead take in the question, pause for a second and the answer with a pre-prepared scenario. This will show that you are not afraid to take a step back, asses a situation and find a solution. Don't linger too long tho, that is just awkward.
4. Have pre-planned answers.
There is certain questions that you can almost guarantee you will be asked in an interview, and these questions are not ones to just nonchalantly spin out. The reason all companies ask them is because they are important and because they say a lot about a person, so be prepared with solid answers for them.
Some of the questions you are almost guaranteed to hear are the following:
why did you apply to our company?
How do you handle conflicts with employees?
How do you handle conflicts with clients?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
All of the questions should be answered with positive and specific scenarios not hypothetical. For example "At my previous employment a co-worker and I had a problem with how we should have approached the sales pitch, he insisted in method B while I believed that method C would be a better choice, we sat down over coffee and talked out a compromise, I did my part of the presentation and then transitioned to his, through this compromise we where able to gain the client's trust and our supervisors commended us both for a job well done"
An answer like this lets the interviewer get a grasp of your true reactions and intentions. Lastly when asked about your weaknesses, think of parts of your life that you are actively working on improving and tell them that. For example "About a year ago I realized that my organizational skills where lacking, since then I have been intentional in keeping a ledger with my appointments and tasks, I understand that I still have room for growth but I am doing everything in my power to turn my organizational skills in to strengths."
5. Appreciate the culture.
This one kind of ties to the previous point, and that question of "why did you apply to this company?" is the perfect opportunity for you to tell them how much you appreciate the little things that make this company great. Now a days culture is just as important as benefits and employers are looking for culture fit candidates as much as skill fit ones. Therefore you will need to do your research, learn about the companies history, who is the CEO, talk to employees and learn what are the things that make the company unique. Once you learn that and decide that you want to be a part of it, tell the interviewer what qualities are the ones you appreciate and how they correlate to your own personality.
If I could say one more thing is that you need to get your intentions straighten out. If your desire to join a company is to climb a corporate ladder and crush every one under your feet, then you will find yourself in companies with terrible culture and nothing but stab in the back dog eat dog attitudes. If however, you have the simple genuine desire to join a company to add to its already great endeavors, and you genuinely desire the success of the team over your own, you will find yourself not just in a great work environment, but also recognized and promoted in due time. I hope this post helps you in your next interview and let me know what other tips you have found helpful at crushing interviews.
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