How do I crack an interview?
Josh Doody, Author of
FearlessSalaryNegotiation.com, salary negotiation coach, consultant
IN QUORA
This is a
broad question, so my answer is designed to give you a full overview of what
the interview process looks like and what to expect so that you're prepared for
the entire process. By simply knowing what to expect, you'll often outperform
other candidates who are just winging it.
This is the
summary from the "How to ace your next interview" chapter of my book Fearless Salary Negotiation.
You can get that chapter for free here: How to ace your next interview.
After reading this answer, you can always download the full chapter if you want
to dig deeper into some parts of it.
The
interview is two opportunities in one. It’s an opportunity to pitch yourself
and convince a company to hire you, and it’s an opportunity for you to
determine whether youreally want to do a particular job for a
particular company.
Interviews
can be intimidating, but they are also relatively predictable. Most interview
processes have four phases—Preparation, Pre-interview, Interview, and
Post-interview—and if you prepare for all four phases, you will ace the
interview process. You’ll know you’re doing well when you find yourself
repeating the Interview and Post-interview phases multiple times with a
company.
I recommend
reading through this summary section before each of your interviews, just to
make sure you’re fully prepared. After each interview, take a few minutes to
evaluate it and see if you can do anything differently the next time around.
You’ll get
better with practice, but this should be enough to help you ace your next
interview.
1.
Preparation
Do basic
company research. You should understand
the basics of the company—what they do, how they make money, how big they are.
Know which
job you’re applying for. Read the
description a few times to make sure you understand it well.
Know
which other jobs the company is trying to fill. You can learn a lot about a company by looking at their job
openings. See if you can get a sense of where they’re currently focused and how
you can contribute to helping them get there. Take note of other jobs you might
be a good fit for, just in case.
Prepare for
the dreaded salary question. They’ll
probably ask you something like, “What are you making now, and what would you
like to make if you get the job?” My recommendation is that you do not give
them either number.
Here’s a
good answer that covers both parts of the question without giving them a
number, while emphasizing that you believe you can be a valuable asset to the
company:
“I’m not
comfortable sharing my current salary. I would prefer to focus on the value I
can add to this company and not what I’m paid at my current job. I don’t have a
specific number in mind for a desired salary, and you know better than I do
what value my skillset and experience could bring to your company. I want this
move to be a big step forward for me in terms of both responsibility and
compensation.”
2.
Pre-interview
The
Pre-interview is usually a separate meeting, but will occasionally be part of
the Interview itself.
Build
rapport with the recruiter. The
recruiter may be your advocate both during the process and later if you’re
interested in other opportunities at the company.
Be ready to
answer questions about yourself and why you want to work for the company. You should already be prepared thanks to your research from the
Preparation phase.
Have a few
questions ready in case you have an opportunity to ask them. This is a good chance to learn about the company,
demonstrate your interest, and continue building rapport with the recruiter.
Before you
end the conversation, ask what the next steps will be and find out whether you
need to do anything to prepare for the Interview.
3. Interview
Be early. Don’t keep your interviewer waiting—that’s a horrible way
to make a first impression.
Bring a
notebook and your résumé. Take notes.
It’s possible your interviewer won’t already have your résumé, so be prepared.
Try to relax
and be honest during introductions. It’s
okay to make small talk for a few minutes so that you and your interviewer can
get settled in, but don’t spend too much time on this.
Come
prepared for different types of questions. Here’s
a partial list of common types of questions you may be asked:
· Questions about your résumé
· Questions about you personally
· Questions about tools and technology
· Technical questions
· Questions about your career goals and
aspirations
· “Why do you want to work here?”
· Questions about “a challenging
situation”
· Questions about special projects or
side projects you’ve done
Don’t be afraid to ask for some time to think about your answers. This shows “intentionality” and may help you formulate better answers to tricky questions. But don’t do this more than a few times during an interview.
Don’t be
caught off guard by curveball questions. If
your interviewer asks you something wacky, just gather your thoughts, listen
carefully, and formulate the best answer you can. Make sure to account for any
constraints that are part of the question.
When things
start wrapping up, look for opportunities to ask questions to learn more about
the company and the role you’re interviewing for.
Here are
some good questions you can ask if they haven’t been addressed already:
· “What does a typical day look like for
this role?”
· “What are the greatest challenges for
your team right now?”
· “What is the greatest challenge for
this particular role?"
If those questions have already been covered, see if any of your Pre-interview questions might work.
Only ask
questions if you can learn new information from them. If you’ve already covered
everything in your interview, it’s okay to say, “I think we actually covered
everything already!”
4.
Post-interview
Email the
interviewer to thank them for their time. This email should be very brief
and should not ask anything of the interviewer.
Email the
recruiter to thank them for arranging the interview. If you don’t have the interviewer’s contact information,
you can ask the recruiter to pass along your regards and thank the interviewer
for their time. You should also ask the recruiter what the next steps in your
interview process will be.
If you
haven’t heard anything from the recruiter after a week, follow up with one more
email. It’s okay to follow up with an
email a week after your last interview if you haven’t heard anything and don’t
know what the next steps are. Beyond a week, it’s likely the company has decided
not to continue the process and they just didn’t reach out to let you know.
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