You secured an interview with the company you really want to work for. Now what? An interview helps the person seated across from you get to know you a bit more than what your resume and/or job application says. The interviewer wants to figure out if you are a good fit with the company’s mission and goals and whether you can work well with other employees and supervisors. Here are some tips on how to do well on your interview.
Preparation
Research the Company
Knowing about the company shows your interest and what the company’s mission is. Look at the company’s website and search the company’s social media pages. Read newspapers or business magazines with articles about the company. Find out if there have been recent awards or projects that have made the news. This information could be used in the initial few minutes of the interview as you congratulate the company on a recent accomplishment or ask about a project.
Research the Specific Job
Study the job description for the position you are applying for. Make sure your skills, as listed on your resume, fit. If they don’t, work in a creative angle that shows you can think outside of your resume and apply new insights toward projects the company is handling.
Prepare Stories
An interviewer wants to know how you think, how you handle obstacles, and how you deal with others. Think of workplace incidents that offered challenges and how you were able to overcome them. Discuss the qualities and skills that you used to do that and what the results were. If the action was done by your whole team, explain your part in it and how it fits the team effort. Think of ten to twenty stories that might be responses to questions that you might be asked.
Rehearse
Practice in front of a mirror to make sure you appear confident and relaxed. Pay attention to your rate of speech and how you use gestures. Strive for around 115 words per minute. Over 140 wpm may have the interviewer asking you to slow down. Make sure your gestures match the content of what you are delivering. Personal information requires small gestures closer to your chest. Use broader gestures to emphasize important points.
Remember you are having a conversation with your interviewer, who is trying to get to know you. Engage the interviewer in conversation about his or her interests if you notice anything in the office that points to hobbies or outside of work interests. Are there sports trophies? Pictures of their children doing something unusual? Team memorabilia? An unusual piece of art, not just corporate art on the walls? Anything that personalizes the interviewer’s office, whether you talk about that or not, helps you know more about that person.
Questions
There are some standard questions you need to ask if your interviewer doesn’t bring them up. How would you (the interviewer) describe the company’s culture? How does this position fit in with what the company produces? Ask about employee creativity and independence. Will I be working with a team? What are my daily responsibilities and what would my daily schedule look like? What challenges have others in this position faced? What does the career path for someone in this position look like? How will feedback about job performance be given? All of these questions are very job-specific.
Other questions to ask that may not be job-related but are definitely company-related. Are there any company perks (other than benefits and bonuses)? Does the company have an annual retreat or conference they encourage their employees to attend? Do employees spend time together outside of work? What charity or community activities does the company sponsor? Does the company involve employees in those activities? Questions like these will tell you a lot about a company’s culture and how happy its employees are.
There are several questions that employers should never ask and in some cases are illegal to ask. If you are asked one of these, smile, and tell your interviewer that you cannot answer that question. These questions involve your age and when you graduated high school (from which they can calculate your age). This only applies to legal age for work such as serving alcohol.
Don’t answer questions about your living situation (whether you rent or own and who you live with. This is personal information and has no bearing in an interview. You can answer questions about citizenship if the company is asking for proof of citizenship. Don’t answer questions about arrests or convictions. Employers can find this through a background check anyway. This can only be asked if the position is security-sensitive. Don’t answer questions about your finances or whether you own a car. Some companies can run a credit check on you but that’s as far as questions can go. Also, don’t answer any personal questions (whether you have childcare, are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, race, religion, sexual orientation or sexual identity, marital status.)
Day of Interview
Wear business casual attire or a suit. Be on time. Remember that the interview starts as soon as you leave your home. Be confident. Make eye contact. Have a firm handshake. Exude confidence but not cockiness. Make small talk about the company and its projects. This is the time to find those interest cues (sports, family interests, etc.) in the interviewer’s office and mention those casually. If you are interviewed in a boardroom or other neutral area, you may need to rely on just your knowledge of the company.
Follow-Up Letter or Email
Immediately after your interview, write down 2-3 things that impressed you about the company. Send a follow-up letter or email within 24 hours of your interview, using those points you jotted down to let the interviewer know what makes you excited about working there. Also, thank the interviewer for his or her time to speak with you.
For information about interview coaching in Atlanta, explore these links:
- Elite Resume Writing Services: https://www.eliteresumewriting.com/interview-coaching-services/
- The Interview Guru: https://interview-guru.com/services/
- Atlanta Resume Writing: https://www.atlantaresumewriting.com/Job-Interview-Tips.php
- Skills to Succeed Academy-Opportunity Atlanta https://www.opportunityatl.org/skills-to-succeed
- Bridges from School to Work: Young people as 17-24 (in and out of school)
Dr. DeQuan Smith is a globally-recognized educator, author, career strategist, and contributor in the higher education field. Dr. Smith currently serves as the Associate Director of Graduate Education and the Co-Director of Career Services at Morehouse School of Medicine. As an educator, he employs an integrated mix of educational and practical approaches to his work, using a variety of modalities, while encouraging critical thinking, personal growth, teamwork, and cultural diversity. Whether in the classroom or as an industry executive, he strives to inspire students and employees to become dynamic leaders.
As a servant leader, his commitment to collaboration, dedication to inclusion, data-informed decision making, creativity, and ability to unmask hidden potential within individuals allows him to provide motivation to the current and emerging leaders entering the workforce.
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