Human Capital Management
Part 1: Interviewing Tips for the Job Seeker
Whether you’ve been on several interviews or starting out, it’s always good to review some tips for the best interview experience. Interviewing can be stressful and time-consuming but with a little bit of preparation, you can put your best self forward to become a standout candidate.
- Update – Make sure your resume and your LinkedIn profile are updated, proofread and that your dates match. Most hiring managers will look at both to gain more insight into your experience before meeting with you. You don’t want anything to contradict as that will raise a flag to the interviewer. According to CareerBuilder, 77% of recruiters see typos and/or poor grammar as dealbreakers. Recruiters frequently use LinkedIn for searches, so make sure you include descriptions of your experience and keywords for the type of work you’re looking for. Keywords are used to do searches, so make sure you’re coming up on as many as possible to give you the most chances to be contacted.
- Prepare – Review your own resume. Be prepared to explain any gaps, reasons for leaving, what exactly you did at each job, and be able to give some examples of how you overcame challenging situations at each. You’ll want to be able to clearly connect your experience with the job you’re interviewing for. Make sure you have good answers for what you’re looking for and how you think you’ll be good for this job. Connect the dots between your skills and the skills listed in the job description.
- Research – Once you’ve secured an interview, do your research on the company and the people you’ll be interviewing with. Check out their company website and company social pages so you can incorporate some of your research in your answers. This shows that you took the time to learn more about the company and have a genuine interest in working there. You also want to make sure this is a company you want to work with that shares the same values as you.
- Present – According to Forbes, you have 7 seconds to make a good first impression. It’s important to be yourself during an interview. Let your personality shine through. Be clear and concise with your answers and give examples where you can. Make eye contact. Come prepared with a few questions of your own for the interviewer.
- If this is a virtual interview, be sure you are in a quiet room with no noise or TV on that’s showing behind you. Be aware of the background the interviewer sees in your frame. Most video conferencing tools have professional backgrounds you can use. Don’t be in your car on your phone. Make sure you have a quiet setting and are dressed for an interview. You should treat this just like an in-person interview.
- If this is an in-person interview, be sure to arrive a few minutes early and be dressed appropriately for the interview. Have a notebook, pen, and a copy of your resume. Leave your phone in your pocket or bag on silent so you don’t have any distractions.
- Follow up – Send a thank you note. This isn’t so much about the person needing to be thanked for their time, although they are taking time out of their day to talk to you (but so are you). This is more about showing that you have follow-up skills. This is even more important for a corporate position. This is your last opportunity to show the interviewer that you have follow-up skills, good written communication skills, are interested in the role, and why you think you’d be a good fit. Make sure it’s timely. You should send a thank you email within 24 hours of the interview. If you’re meeting with different people in the company, you should send one to each of them. These can be short and sweet but should have a personal touch. Let one sentence reflect upon the conversation you had with that specific person.
Whether you’re looking for the right job now or your future dream job, we hope these tips help to give you that edge to make your candidacy stand out and bring you to the top of the pile. Best of luck! For more information on Exude Human Capital Consulting CONTACT US.
Stay tuned for Part 2: Interviewing Tips for Hiring Managers.
