How to Interview Like a Pro
You’ve done it- applied for the job and snagged an interview. Congrats! Now to prepare for the often-dreaded interview. You can learn how to interview like a pro, it just takes preparation.
Interviewing for a job can be a nerve-racking experience. You may not be able to rid yourself entirely of the jitters, but with proper preparation, you will feel more confident knowing that you can rock it.
Follow these key steps and learn how to interview like a pro:
- Research the Company
- Make a List of Potential Questions
- Questions you might be asked
- Questions you should ask
- Prepare Your Elevator Pitch
- Practice with a Friend
- Dress the Part
- Send a Thank You Letter
Research the Company: How to Interview Step 1
The first step to proper preparation is doing some research on the company. You’ll definitely want to check out these resources before your interview.
Company Website
The company website is the best place to start your research. Look for information about the company’s products, research they’ve been involved in, organizations they’ve supported or any other relevant details that you might want to know or even bring up during your interview.
News
How is the company performing? Have they been involved with any recent mergers and acquisitions? What else is going on? You may want to consider Googling the company to find any recent news that might be relevant. It may not come up in your job interview, but if it does then it pays to be well prepared. Plus, it’s beneficial to arm yourself with knowledge about your potential new employer.
Social Media
LinkedIn is the go-to website for professional resources, but you might want to look into others as well. Glassdoor has reviews from employees and Payscale can help get you a leg up when salary negotiations get started.
Information You’ll Want to Compile
While you’re doing research on the company, look for the following details to arm yourself with in the interview.
Products
What are the company’s key offerings? What value do they provide to their customers? Learn as much as you can about the company’s products and/or services. Employers like to ask these type of questions to see if you did your research!
Strategic Direction of the Company
What is the company’s growth plan? Are they moving into new markets or services? You may not be asked about this, but it does help to know this information. After all, you should know if you plan on sticking around for a while. Are you convinced their plan will enable success in the long-term? If not, the job you’re interviewing for may not be worth your time.
Who works for them
Who is the team comprised of? Do you know any of them? Bonus points if you do! Learn as much as you can about the team and try to find some commonality between them and yourself- it helps build rapport with your interviewers.
Relationships with other companies
Does the company work closely with any others? Do they have strategic partnerships? Who are their competitors and how do they stack up against the competition? Arm yourself with this knowledge to formulate well thought out questions and you will gain the interest of your interviewers.
Make a List of Potential Questions: Step 2
You’ll want to come up with two lists here. The first list is a group of likely questions you might get in the interview. The second list is your questions for the interviewer(s).
Questions you might get in the interview
-
-
- Why you’re interested in the position
- Why you’re leaving your current job
- Salary you’re looking for
- About you
- Your education and work experience
- Personality questions
- How you handle change
- Your conflict resolution style and skills
- How you work in a team vs. on your own
- Work preference questions
- Tell me about a boss who…
- Tell me about your coworkers…
- What you know about the company
- Etc.
-
Common Questions
The simplest way to approach this challenge is to simply Google, “common interview questions.” There are numerous resources on the web. It would be nearly impossible to prepare yourself to answer every question, however, you can identify common themes and prepare for those.
Questions you should ask
The questions you ask should be tailored for the company, but these are some examples that you might use or customize.
-
-
- What skills does a successful candidate possess in this role? (Employers love this question!)
- Where do you see the company going in the next 5 to 10 years? (This also implies that you plan on sticking around for a while. It’s a good question even if you don’t.)
- What might a typical day (or days) look like?
- What challenges have you personally faced and how did you overcome them?
- Tell me about the team.
-
These are all great questions, but it’s also a good idea to ask about the company’s products, customers or anything else that’s tailored to them.
Your Elevator Pitch: How to Interview Step 3
Once you’ve finished your research and compiled a list of questions, you’ll want to work on your elevator pitch.
This should be a short explanation about yourself- who you are, what you want to do and something about what you’ve done (or why they should hire you). It should be short enough that anyone taking an elevator ride with you can get the full pitch.
The key is that it should be short, succinct and compelling.
This is a great answer to “tell me about yourself,” a potentially terrifying question if you don’t have your elevator pitch prepared!
Practice with a Friend: Step 4
If you’ve done all the above, then you are already well prepared. However, it is even better to practice with a friend, especially if you’re nervous and worried that you might stumble over your words. Find someone you trust, and bounce questions off each other. Ask for and be receptive to feedback. Adjust as needed and you will be very well prepared.
Dress the Part: How to Interview Step 5
The best interview clothing could be its own article, but to keep it simply- dress the part and show the interviewers that you’re serious. First impressions are critical- don’t let your clothing detract from making a good one.
It should go without saying and others may disagree, but casual wear is a no-go. For men, a suit is great, or at least a professional looking shirt, pants and nice shoes. For women, a professional looking dress or blouse and nice pants will do.
Even better if you can get a feel for the company dress style. Do most employees wear suits and ties? Dresses and heels? Dress similarly, if it’s practical, but just because they dress casually doesn’t mean you should do the same for the interview! If you know someone in the company you may want to ask them for a recommendation based on the work culture.
Now it’s time to impress them. Breathe, relax, you’ve got this!
The Thank you Letter: Step 6
This step follows the interview, but it is an important step that shouldn’t be forgotten. Make sure you collect business cards at the interview, and give out your own, if you have them. That way you can make sure you have everyone’s emails to send a thoughtful note of gratitude.
Send an individual letter to each person you interviewed with and thank them for their time. During your interview, you should take notes so that you can reference some of your key takeaways to include along with the message. It’s especially helpful if you take note of challenges or needs the position you’re applying for requires. It’s even better if you can explain how your strengths could benefit in the given situation.
For example, if you’re applying for a marketing position and the interviewer tells you that they’re having difficulty with customer acquisition, you could tell them about your experiences converting thousands of customers and how that benefitted your company in a previous role. Hard numbers are especially helpful here, if you have them.
Lessons Learned
Congratulations on your excellent preparation- now you know how to interview like a pro! Hopefully things work out in your favor, but if they don’t then there will certainly be another position more suited for you. Don’t give up hope if it takes a little while! With proper preparation and practice for the right job, you will find success.
Thanks for reading and if you have any burning questions, please let me know! Ask a question in the comments section below or send me a message on the “contact” page. Best wishes on your journey to success!