Interview Survival 101
Everyone gets nervous. Everyone. Even the ones that get up in front of a large crowd and speak so eloquently and effortlessly. The ones that host mega conferences and that serve as motivational speakers? You guessed it, they get nervous too. Now, they might not get as nervous as you or me, but they still get butterflies in their stomach before going out on stage. They don’t get as nervous, because they’ve done it a hundred times, maybe even a thousand times. As with anything, the more you do public speaking and give presentations, the easier and more natural it feels. Interviewing for a job is no different. I won’t say all of us get nervous during a job interview, but I will say that most of us do.
I’ve been teaching interviewing techniques for over a decade. I’d like to think that I have all the answers or that I am prepared to answer any question that comes my way, and I probably could, given all I know. I still get nervous. My point is that everyone gets nervous about something at some point in their life. You don’t need to be embarrassed about having some anxiety about interviewing. After all, the person (or persons) sitting on the other side of the table or the Zoom meeting are the ones deciding your fate! (figuratively speaking)
I can’t tell you exactly which questions you will be asked. I can’t tell you if your interview will be virtual, in person, or on the phone. I can’t tell you if you will have one person interviewing you or a panel of individuals that make up a search committee. What I can tell you is that there are a handful of questions that I guarantee you will be asked in some way, shape, or form, and these questions are typically the ones that people struggle with the most.
Before we review some questions that you will be asked at some point in your professional careers, it is important to remember that an interview is nothing more than a formal conversation between two (or more) people. The interviewer is a human being that is trying to identify the best talent for his/her open position(s). You aren’t on trial. While you are on the hot seat, try to think of it as being in the spotlight for a good reason! The employer thinks enough about your resume and skillset or experience to bring you in for an interview. Now it’s your time to shine! Also, you can put them in the hot seat by being prepared to ask questions about the company and the position. Let them do some talking as well!
Do Your Homework
When I conduct interviews, I usually start by asking the candidate what they know about my organization. This allowed me to see how genuinely interested they were in working with me and my team, or if they were just randomly applying for jobs. I would get candidates that knew absolutely nothing about the place they were applying to work, to people that would talk for 15 minutes about the founding of the company and leave me bored out of my mind and wishing the interview was over. The key is to know just enough to show that you took 10 minutes to review the website, your department, and possibly the direction the company is heading in the future. Students would always ask me “What am I supposed to know?” and “How am I supposed to remember everything?” Here is my advice to you to prepare for this question:
- Bring a notepad. Trust me, an employer that is conducting an interview is MUCH more impressed by the candidate that took the time to research and write things down than the one who didn’t put in any effort or can’t remember anything.
- Some things you can look up on the company’s website are their mission statement, their values, current events/activities/fundraisers/newsworthy mentions, etc.
- Once you look up those, you can think about how your personal traits and strengths align with the mission and values and be prepared to talk about it. (Ex: “I saw that the company recently held a fundraiser to raise money to purchase school supplies for children in need. I absolutely would love to be a part of a team that is a part of the community and gives back.”)
- You can research the types of clients the organization serves and the services they offer.
The interviewer wants the opportunity to tell you about their department and some things about the company, so don’t steal their thunder. You don’t need to recite the website, but you should come prepared with a few facts. Use your notepad to write them down so you can refer to them if you get nervous or freeze up. You will use your notepad again so trust me, it’s totally fine to have one.
When I was preparing for my interviews recently, I would spend at least one hour (yes, one whole hour, per job interview) writing down all the things I felt I needed to know to help me feel confident and ready for the meeting. It all depends on how badly you want the job! If you don’t really care, then you obviously won’t put in the time or the effort. If it’s a job that you are really excited about it, take the hour to prepare. You will be glad you did.
Tell me about yourself
This is it. This is the question that, at times, would make me want to interrupt the candidate and say “Please, just stop talking.” It amazes me how such a simple question has gotten so many candidates off on the wrong foot. As a reminder, my advice to you in this blog comes from my experience as a working professional, in working with hiring managers, human resource professionals, and from being a lead member of the talent acquisition team (meaning I conducted A LOT of interviews). In one of my roles, I was asked to be included in almost all jobs that were open, because of my ability to read people and identify the best cultural fit. If you google “How do I answer the question “Tell me about yourself?”” You will get tons of different suggestions. Many of them will probably be good and will help you. What I share below is what I have always used in my interviews and what hiring managers have shared with me about what they like to hear.
So, what do you say? How do you answer the question, keeping your answers professional while also coming across like a person and not a robot, or with a scripted answer? There are three things you need to remember to answer this question perfectly: Present, Past, Future.
- Present: Start your answer by talking about what you are doing currently. I can’t provide a cookie cutter sample answer here, because all of you are going to be in a different place professionally. Some of you may be employed looking for an advancement opportunity. You may be a current student working a part time job, or not working at all. You might be a stay at home parent looking to get back into the workforce, or someone who was displaced due to the pandemic. Again, everyone is different. Use your best judgement here. Honestly, this part doesn’t have to take up that much time. A couple sentences will do. Keep everything professional. Don’t share that you are a husband or a wife, a mom or a dad, that you like to hike or go bowling, or fishing. Just don’t. You may have the opportunity to share some personal details about your life if you are selected to move forward or discover that there is a hobby in common, but in general it’s best practice to leave that stuff out. Share only the professional facts.
Ex: “Currently, I am working as a Head Cashier at a local department store. In this role, I oversee the Front-End Team and ensure that customers have an efficient, speedy, and friendly checkout. I also assist the management team with preparing deposits and inventory management and at times, I help creating the weekly schedule.”
- Past: After you share a few statements about what you are doing currently, next it’s time to talk about what you have done in the past. Again, this will look different for everyone. You will want to provide a summary of other positions you have held or industries you have worked in. This will allow the employer to get a sense of your work ethic and how you have grown over the years. If you have never held a job before (either because of being a full-time parent or a full-time student), you will want to talk about clubs you belonged to, places you have volunteered, fundraisers you assisted with, internships, etc. Again, you don’t need to spend a lot of time here. Remember, this is just one piece to the “Tell me about yourself” question.
Ex: “Prior to my role as Head Cashier, I spent about five years working for a few different organizations across various industries, including food service, hospitality, and retail. In those roles, I was able to see how the importance of customer service is applicable in every industry. I learned tasks that I have been able to take with me and use in my current role as Head Cashier. I believe having the entry level experience across industries has greatly contributed to my success supervising the Front-End team.
- Future: You will want to communicate to the employer what you are looking to do next, hopefully working with their company. You should mention why you applied for the position, what excites you about it, and what you are looking to learn
Ex: “When I saw this position for the Assistant Manager with your store, I was really excited. It summarizes exactly what I know I can bring to the table based on my success in my past roles. I am looking to continue to develop my skillset as a manager and join a team where I am a part of something larger and creating exceptional shopping experiences for our customers.
That’s it! When you put the three together (present, past, future), you have a well-organized and thorough recap of who you are as a working professional. See? Wasn’t that easy? The next time you are asked this question, it will be a breeze.
Strengths
It’s pretty easy to talk about the things we are good at. As human beings, we like to show off our talents and things that we do well, it’s just part of how we are hard wired. When you are interviewing for a job, don’t just start spewing out the resume filler characteristics “I like working with people. I have good time management skills. I can work independently.” Congratulations, you just said the same thing as the 10 other people who interviewed before you.
It may sound simple but READ the job description. The job description is telling you EXACTLY what they need you to be good at, and you’ll want to reference those things when you answer this question (assuming they are true). For example, if the job description says “Must have experience working with diverse populations” one way to highlight that you have that skillset and reference it as a strength is to say something like “I believe one of my best strengths is my ability to work with and motivate associates from all different walks of life. I like to do this by getting to know my team so I can identify their own unique strengths and areas for opportunity so I can build truly phenomenal teams.”
That is a much better answer than “I’m a people person,” wouldn’t you agree?
Weaknesses
Most employers in 2022 will not ask you “What are your weaknesses?” but rather “Can you tell us about some areas that you may need improvement in?” This is the question that makes a lot of people nervous, or that they answer in the worst possible way. I used to have students that would say in their mock interviews with me “Well, I’m really bad at time management” or “I have issues getting to class on time” (insert palm to forehead emoji here). Even if that’s true, you NEVER say that in a job interview. Ever. Leave that characteristic about yourself out.
My best piece of advice is to share something that is accurate about yourself, but that isn’t going to be catastrophic to your chances of getting the job. Again, read the job description. Is there something in there that you aren’t that experienced in, but you meet all the other qualifications? An example would be:
“I noticed in the description that is says having experience with Excel is preferred. I will admit, that while I can navigate a spreadsheet and insert a few formulas, I am far from an Excel Wizard. I haven’t taken any classes in it, and most of what I have learned is self-taught, but I do like learning to things and uncovering more efficient ways to interpret data. I still have more learning to do!”
You address that 1.) You’ve read the job description, which is more than what half of people do nowadays and 2.) You answered the question, that you aren’t a pro with Excel, but that you are working on developing your skills and are happy to learn. That is a win-win.
For my readers that are entering a new field, there is a very easy answer for you. Your weakness is that you have no direct industry experience. But you can’t leave it there! You need to say something like
“At this moment in time, after reviewing the description, I feel as though my biggest weakness is my lack of industry experience. I am a new graduate, and I think it is hard to break into the field for the first time. While I may not have ever worked in my field, I have held other positions with many transferable skills, such as patient care, time management, conflict resolution, team building and motivation, as well as inventory management. I believe that my transferable skills and my passion to get working in my field make me a really great candidate for this position.”
Again, you are making it positive while answering the question. THAT is what employers like to hear. We all have weaknesses. We all have things that we could do better. Talking about the things that we still are working on is nothing to fear.
Why should I hire you?
One of the last questions that an employer will typically ask is “Why should I hire you” or “What makes you the best candidate for this position?” There are a variety of ways that it can be asked, but in a nutshell, you need to summarize your awesomeness.
In my opinion, this all comes down to preparedness and how well you know yourself, and the organization’s needs. During your interview, you probably heard the interviewer(s) say the things that they need in a candidate, the things that need to be improved within the department or the team. Be a good listener. Pay attention to what they are saying that they need. When they ask you why they should hire you, be prepared to say how you can help them achieve their goals and improve their weak areas. Most employers are willing to teach the technical skills, or hard skills. They don’t have time to teach the soft skills, things such as having a good work ethic, being a good listener, having pride in your work, being on time, being reliable, having an appropriate and professional attitude, etc. It is worth mentioning that you have those characteristics, if you truly have them.
The most important thing is to be yourself. You don’t want to be so scripted that they think you aren’t able to think on your feet or that you aren’t genuine with your responses. They also don’t want to hire you, and then find out you aren’t who you portrayed yourself as. That’s not good for anyone.
The last piece of advice I can offer for this question is to really know why you want to work for the organization. Employers like when they feel important or special during the interview process. Hiring can be exhausting. It costs the employer time and money that they would prefer to be doing something else. Make your interview worth their time. You won’t be disappointed, and neither will they!
If you’re not selected…
What do you do if you’re not selected for the opportunity? Well, that depends. You won’t get selected for every interview you go on. There very well could be someone that had more experience than you, that had a higher level of education than you do or a certification that they desired. They might have interviewed better than you, and that’s okay.
If you aren’t selected, stay positive and professional. If you receive word via email, respond and thank the employer for taking the time to notify you and wish them the best of luck in their search. You never know when you might be applying again, and you want to leave on a professional note.
Find your grit. It’s okay to get a little sad or discouraged and it’s okay to stay in that place for a day or two. But don’t stay there long. You have a job to find and you need to get back up on your horse and continue riding until the next interview comes your way. There is a position out there for you and if you give up, you’ll never find it!
