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Accomplish January 9, 2019
Say goodbye to unemployment.
Interviews are scary. They can mean the difference between landing your dream job and starting the job application process all over again. But if you keep landing interviews, you’re almost there! ENTITY has an interview guide to help you snag that job.
If you only take one thing away from this interview guide, make it this: research makes perfect.
If you haven’t already looked at the company’s online content for your resume (and even if you have), check out their social media and website. Main points of interest include their Home, About and Events pages.
Write down the corporation’s tagline, most recent event, mission and brand. Try to determine their employee culture based on what they post. And then come up with a plan! What seems to be the company’s strengths? Weaknesses? If you were hired, what would you improve? You should brainstorm ideas, future goals and projects you could bring to the table.
Lastly, if you know the name of your interviewer, find them on social media. Determine their position and professional experience. And find ways to connect with them! If you both worked in Ohio for a few years, you can mention that in your interview.
You should also check out the company’s Human Resources team. If you don’t know the name of your recruiter, HR workers are probably your best guess. And even if you do know the name of your recruiter, you should still be prepared in case they call someone else in to interview you.
Once you’re done researching the company, you should move on to answering common practice questions. These include:
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What are your weaknesses?
3. What are your strengths?
4. Why were you drawn to our company?
5. What is your greatest work achievement?
6. Have you ever experienced failure? How did you overcome it?
7. What is your ideal work environment?
8. Can you work well under pressure?
9. Why are you leaving your previous employment?
10. Do you have any questions for me?
To find out how to answer these, check out ENTITY’s list of 34 common interview questions.
Also, Glassdoor is a great resource outside this interview guide for practice questions. There, you can find reviews from candidates who previously interviewed with the company. They rate the process and usually offer a question that they were asked. These reviews can give some pretty good hints at what to expect in the interview.
If you have any inappropriate pictures or posts on your social media, delete them. Interviewers might research candidates after their conversation, so you don’t want them to see anything unprofessional.
The night before your interview, proofread all your professional documents. If you’re really worried, send them to a friend or family member for edits. Lay out a professional, business casual outfit. And get a good night’s sleep!
The next day, keep checking the traffic. You never want to arrive late. With possible traffic fluctuations in mind, shoot for arriving 15 minutes before the interview.
Make sure you have everything you need, then breathe. You got this.
During the interview, there are ways to maximize your chances at landing the job.
It’s not only about getting all the answers right. You also want to stand out from the other candidates. Put your documents in a professional folder or small ring binder to make your application pop in a pile of resumes.
With the exceptions of discrimination, harassment or any sort of abuse, if you left your previous employment on bad terms, don’t let it show in your answers. For example, if you hated how your boss always gave you the morning shift, you can say, “I wanted a job where I had a more flexible schedule.”
Simply make sure your answers match the position you’re applying for. You don’t want to say that you left your last job due to its schedule if the job you’re applying for has similar work hours.
Usually, you should keep your tone as professional as possible. Coming off uptight is better than coming off lazy and casual. But if you notice that the interviewer and company culture is laid-back and friendly, you can gently adjust your tone. You want to show your recruiter that you belong at that company. Make it easy for them to see you fitting in with the other workers.
Never check your phone during an interview. Always turn it off before you walk in the room. If someone calls and it interrupts your meeting, your recruiter could see you as unprofessional or incompetent.
Companies want confident employees on their team. They might not necessarily reject you for being nervous, but it doesn’t win you any points. If the recruiter is comfortable with you, enjoys the conversation and leaves with a good feeling, you made a solid impression. It’s hard to do that when the interviewer picks up on your nervous energy.
In a presentation to 2018 ENTITY mentees, Rick Schwartz advises taking time to think about your answers. If you need it, ask the recruiter to give you a few seconds to gather your thoughts. It’s better to be considerate than fast.
Don’t waste their time, obviously, but let yourself breathe! Your answers will be better overall.
This interview guide isn’t over yet. Even after candidates meet with their recruiter, there’s still work to do.
When you thank the interviewer for their time and walk out the door, make sure to follow up! The Cut recommends emailing your recruiter one to two days after the interview. Thank them again, then build on the conversation you had. Keep it fairly brief.
If you made a blunder, you can also take this chance to apologize for any mistakes. It definitely does not guarantee you a spot in the competition, but it doesn’t hurt to try.
And don’t worry if you don’t get a response! A reply (or lack of) doesn’t mean anything.
If you didn’t get the job, you should reach out to your interviewer for feedback. Make it easy for them to respond. It’s scary to hear your mistakes, but it will help you avoid them in the future.
Then stay persistent. If you keep trying, you’ll get that yes eventually.
Celebrate! You did it! We knew you could.
And if you want to spend your summer developing career skills, check out our ENTITY Academy collectives! There might be an interview, but if you follow our interview guide, we know you’ll rock it.
