You’ve crafted the resume. Now you’ve landed the interview – great work! But now what? Interviews can be a scary territory, but these tips will help make sure that you are properly prepared to blow the interviewer away. We’ve broken it down into key points to check off your list before, during, and after the interview.
BEFORE
The key to a great interview is preparation. Here are a few suggested ideas of topics you can research and review to better prepare for your upcoming interview:
DURING
It’s now time to interview. You put in the time to be fully prepared to wow your interviewer(s) and show just why you’re the perfect fit for the job. The following are some simple yet impactful things to do to really stand out as a candidate:
AFTER
The hardest part is over, so at this point, you want to make sure you left a lasting impression and re-iterate your interest in the role. It’s best practice to send a thank you note after an interview. You can email this to the interviewer if you have direct contact or, if you are working with a recruiter, you can send the note to your recruiter to pass along.
A thank you note should be:
Emphasizing your interest in the role, company, and team is a great way to wrap up a thank you note. This extra step goes a long way and shows that you are willing to put in effort beyond expectations.
Interviewing can be an anxiety-inducing situation, but by following these key points, the interviewing process can seem a lot less daunting. If you properly prepare, interview confidently, and re-iterate your interest, you will be a stand-out candidate and will have an offer in no time.
- What questions might the interviewer ask? Prep an answer!
- Information about the company. What are their values and company culture?
- Who is the Interviewer? What is their background?
- Do I fully understand the job description and the responsibilities?
- Dress to impress! Show up wearing your best business professional attire. It is always better to be over dressed than under dressed.
- Arrive early. We recommend showing up at least 10-15 minutes prior to your scheduled interview. It is important to not show up too soon to avoid waiting around for your interview, but you also do not want to show up late or even right on time.
- Bring a copy of your resume. Having your resume in front of you during an interview can assist with talking points and can help ease the nerves of potentially forgetting an important statement you want to address.
- Have a padfolio or notebook and pen on hand. Having these allows you to make notes or jot down relevant pieces of information regarding the position or company that you may want to remember later.
- Interview the interviewer! Questions to potentially ask during an interview might include:
- What skills, experiences and work attributes are you hoping to find in your ideal candidate?
- How would you describe your management & leadership style?
- What are next steps or the timeframe of the interview process to be on the same page?
- Provide relevant examples. This shows that you’re able to corelate your past experiences to what will be asked of you in this specific role. Sticking to the STAR Method is a great way to keep it simple and organized which breaks it down into:
- Situation – Briefly describe the situation. What is the issue or concern?
- Task – Describe responsibility. What were your responsibilities in the situation?
- Action – Describe what you did. How did you handle the situation?
- Results – What was the outcome of your actions?
- Genuine and Authentic. Avoid sending anything generic.
- Keep the length less than two paragraphs.
- Reference something from the interview to show you were paying attention.
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