7 Tips for Successful Job Interviews

The recent historically high unemployment filings (jobless claims story here) will mean that in the near future, there are going to be a lot of people interviewing for jobs. If you or someone you know are going to be on the job search soon, then these tips might be helpful. Whether this is your first interview in years, first interview right out of school, or your 75^th interview in the last year, I think my advice can help you for 3 reasons:

Interviews can be stressful, but these tips will help you prepare. That is the main idea here: prepare in as many ways as possible to match your skills to the job description. When I haven’t had a good interview, it’s because I am under prepared in some way. These tips will better position you to highlight the best portions of your work experience and match them to what your potential employers want to see.

Know the Job Description

This may seem obvious, but it is one of the most important things you can do. You have to know what the job requires before you can match your skills to them. Once you know the job, then you can match each of your experiences to the job requirements. Lining up your experiences closely with job requirements will make it difficult for them to ignore you.

As you read through the list of desired qualifications and job duties, starting listing your own experiences that show you can accomplish and meet those requirements. This will clearly map you to the job and ultimately make it much harder for interviewers to say “no”. If you’re having a really hard time finding relevant experiences to match the job description then it might be an indication that it’s not the right job for you.

Have an Elevator Speech for Your Experiences

Interviewers often will start with a broad question to help you give a snapshot of your work experience. If you are able to provide a concise and informative first answer, it can provide a great first impression and help frame the interviewers’ thoughts towards the skills that you want to highlight for them.

Dress Professionally for the Interview

First impressions matter. Even if you are applying for a low-level position (or if it’s virtual) dressing professionally shows that you are taking the process seriously. If you come in clothes that are typical for grocery shopping, you can risk communicating that you are unprepared or put little thought into the interview. It doesn’t have to be expensive clothes. But it should be a step above any normal day’s attire. If it’s virtual, I guess you don’t have have to wear pants.

Practice Interview Questions Aloud

I can guarantee two things with this specific piece of advice. First, it will initially feel weird to do a mock interview. Second, it will make a huge difference when it comes interview time. You know the skills that you have. Communicating those coherently and relevantly is a different skill. Have a friend or family member ask you questions about how your experiences match the job description. They can give you feedback on how clear your answers are and you can hear what your answers sound like out loud. Several online sources have general example interview questions you can use to get started. You may have more specific industry questions to consider as well. If you don’t have someone who can help you, record yourself and play it back for some self-evaluation.

Make Things Easy for the Interviewers

Interviewing can be stressful for the interviewers as well. Find ways to make your information as accessible, understandable, and simple as possible. Bring copies of your resume that are polished, organized, and mistake free so it’s easy to read. Know how your skills match the description. Give them contact information in several places. Beyond being an advantage for you, since your information will be easier to find and understand, it is courteous to your interviewers since they will conduct many interviews and read through so many resumes.

Know When to Show Each Set of Skills

Organizations often have an initial screening interview with a recruiter or HR professional. They are needing to match applicants to a list of basic requirements that a hiring manager has provided them. They often do not have the technical skills or understanding for your position.

If you are invited back for another interview, then you will more likely be speaking with a subject matter expert that knows specifics about your position. Be sure that you clarify with your point of contact who will be interviewing you at each stage and what their background is. Sometimes you will have subsequent interviews with other people higher in the organization who may or may not know much about the job you are applying to. They might be looking for a personality fit or how you would work with management. It’s the same thing as what they say about public speaking though. Know your audience.

Have Good Questions for the Interviewers

Having good questions will do a couple things for you. 

1. It will help you know if you would like to take the job if offered and if there are any conditions to your accepting a position there. You will get a glimpse of the organization that you may potentially join.
2. It is an opportunity to show the interviewer(s) a little bit of how you work and think about decisions.

This may be another opportunity to impress the interviewers. If they don’t ask you if you have any questions, then bring the issue up yourself. Summarize your questions and ask them who the best person would be to direct those questions. If you don’t have any questions, take a minute to think through it. There is so much that you need to know about a job before you accept it, and usually a job description is not the place to find it. Get the information you need to make a good decision.

Conclusion

Make each interaction and word you say count. There are plenty of opportunities to show your best attributes to your interviewers. These are the steps that I have tried to follow in my own interviews and they have served me well. What tips would you give to others for a success job interview?

Thanks for reading!

-Brandon
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