6 Sure Steps to Ace Your Interview
Internships, apprenticeship, research, graduate school, co-ops and full-time jobs typically require an interview. These interviews can be in person, through a phone call and most typically through Zoom or Teams or similar technology. Some people view interviews like taking a test – they make you super nervous, and you don’t like it. Well, here’s the deal – too bad, get over it. That’s your big sister tough love. If you want that job, then you need to interview. The good news is, we can help.
Interviews are a way to show how great you are. When I am hiring someone, I want to know how awesome you are so I can hire qualified and capable people. I want you to be amazing in your interview – I don’t want to be uncomfortable because you’re super nervous either. We all have the opportunity to shine sometimes, so use this interview as your time. Think about an interview this way; an interview is like an audition. In an audition for a Broadway musical, a choir or an orchestra, you are required to come in and do what you do well. If you are the best participant, you will be selected. An interview is like an audition, just without the tap shoes or violin.
This blog post is the ultimate guide to prepare you for your interview. I have done interviews and I have interviewed others in 2022. This guide can help prepare you for a new world of interviews filled with new twists and turns. As your big sisters, we are here to guide you through the process of preparing and nailing this interview process. Each job is different, but the goal is the same… get the job!
1. Make your plan
2. Do your research
3. Practice
4. Prepare
5. Execute
6. Follow up
Make Your Plan
Alright, you are interviewing for this job, and you are equal parts excited and scared. This excitement about being selected feels great and you should keep that excitement to motivate your through the rest of the process. This is so exciting! Now you can sketch out your plan so that you are ready for the interview.
Check out our guide here to get additional resources to guide your planning process.
Make your plan by mapping out what you need to do. Here are some things you want to do as a part of your plan:
1. Plan and arrange your schedule to accommodate your interview. If you need to miss a class, take time off from work, or arrange travel, map this out first!
2. Determine if you need to prepare anything in advance of the interview. Some companies require you complete an exercise before an interview. I’ve had multiple different interviews where I had to prepare analysis or presentations on specific topics to present during an interview.
3. Schedule time for pre-interview research. Make sure you’re not doing this last minute.
4. Game plan what you are going to wear and make sure you can plan for any specific actions before your interview. Some positions may expect you present a specific way such as marketing or similar roles may expect you have your hair nicely done. Other jobs make expect you to come to an interview with certain types of clothing that you may need to buy or have dry cleaned.
5. If you know you want to get a workout in the morning of, make your plan. Are you the type who want to have the hour before your interview completely open so you can meditate then make your plan.
6. Re-read the job description and posting information to scan for key functional responsibilities and make a quick inventory of your skills and relatable experience. You’ll use this later to prepare.
Some people do this planning process in their head, but we recommend you write it down. There is a checklist in our guide to help.
Do Your Research
You’ve read this everywhere in blogs about preparing for an interview. It’s simple – do your research about the company. Try to find people that work there or in that department or even that have previously had this job and learn about the company and the role.
I interviewed a candidate one time for a position who didn’t realize the company they were applying for was the electric utility in this Colorado town that was responsible for the cost of her electric bill. During the interview she talked about how she thought the rates were too high and they needed to be lowered. One does not simply lower electric rates because they want to. Do your research and be prepared. Check out their website and social media. If they have news releases published on their website, take a look at some of the recent topics.
Some key things to pay attention to specifically if you are applying to a publicly traded company:
1. Learn about their stock price. What is the amount? How has it changed lately and what is the forecast? Google can tell you all this and Yahoo Finance can tell you more.
2. Publicly traded companies publish annual reports. Some are boring things required by the SEC, but others are meant to highlight their performance in the year financially and operationally. Take a look – see if there is a highlights section.
3. If you have the time, listen to a recent investor call or quarterly update.
4. Find someone in this company or department. Do not be creepy. Do not expect a total stranger will accept a friend invite or be willing to discuss the topic with you. I recommend you find a contact you already have or a mutual connection.
Practice
Remember that point about an interview being similar to an audition? Think about the practice you would be doing for an audition… it’s the same with an interview. Our brother recently interviewed for a job and to help him prepare we actually did a mock interview with him. Now, not everyone has awesome sisters to do this for them, but I bet you have friends, family, coworkers, professors or other resources in your life who might be willing to help. If you don’t, maybe you don’t have time – you can still practice all by yourself with a mirror or a video recording.
You want to practice because it gives you the chance to think about relevant questions you’re going to hear and practice your response before you’re in the room for the interview. If you get nervous in these kinds of settings, then practice can help you mentally prepare so you are less nervous.
Prepare
You’re probably thinking, haven’t I already been preparing? Sure, of course. However, we recommend you take time to actively prepare for the interview in more additional ways. My favorite way to prepare for an interview is to sit down and write (or type). An interview is an audition and therefore its purpose is to show you are a great candidate for the job and how you act under pressure. Most positions you will interview require you do well in the interview and are a competent person and speaker. We have some suggestions for how to prepare.
1. Create a list of accomplishments. If this isn’t already on your resume, then you’ll want to create the list from scratch. Once you have your list create a paragraph for 3-4 recent accomplishments that describe your role in that accomplishment or what you had to do to achieve that. Sometimes it feels like bragging, but if there is ever a place to toot your own horn, it’s a job interview.
2. Take the job description and for the first three core job functions write down 1-3 sentences for each task on how you are qualified or experiences that make you capable of doing this job.
3. If the position requires specific experience, write down how you meet the requirement. For example, if it requires 3 years of experience, write down what experience you have that qualifies that. If you don’t quite meet the experience requirement, explain why you think you are still qualified.
4. Anticipate interview questions. Things like: what is your greatest strength? What is your greatest weakness? Why are you the best candidate for the job? Why should I hire you? Tell us about yourself?
5. Know your audience. Who is the interview panel? What do you know about them? How are they related to the position you are interviewing for?
Preparing for an interview doesn’t mean you’re 100% going to ace it, but it really helps to bring the best candidate (you) to your highest potential!
Execute
You have prepared, practiced, done your research, you’re dressed for the job, you’re ready for the questions, you know the people who will be on the panel and now you need to execute. Get a good night’s sleep. Do your routine for that day to set you up best for success. Arrive early, have a pad of paper or portfolio, copies of your resume for the panel and a pen.
Bring your smile, your confidence and calm. Keep your mind focused on the positive outcomes of doing the interview really well. Don’t focus on what ifs, don’t focus on factors you cannot control. In your mind you are ready, you are excited, and you are up for the challenges and opportunities this job has in store. If doubts start to creep into your mind, remind yourself that you don’t have to know everything day one. You can learn, and you want to learn and grow in this role.
Ask great questions, including what the next steps are for the hiring decision.
Follow Up
You’ve done it! you completed the interview, and you can relax for a little bit. Be timely and get hand-written thank you notes to the hiring panel mailed or delivered within 48 hours of the interview. Put them in the mail with an actual stamp to add to a special feeling of an added touch and going the extra step. Sometimes an email is the best option or only option but still try for the hand-written choice. Aside from being courteous, this puts your name in front of the panel again.
Don’t pester the company or recruiter or hiring panel about your application status. Follow up in the time period the company stated they expect to make a decision. If you don’t hear back right away, be patient. If you don’t hear back after a week after your initial follow up, reach out again.
I interviewed for my first job in the utility industry more than 10 years ago. The interview went very well. At the end of the process what I heard from the company was that they were still evaluating. It wasn’t until 6 months later they offered me a job. They had a pause in hiring for reasons the company had decided even though I was their top candidate. This is not normal, but it is more common than you may think. Be patient but don’t feel like you need to wait on other offers if a company isn’t responding to you.
Learn from each interview you go through. I encourage you document notes after you interview. What went well? What did you learn? What are things you wish you did differently or answers you would give differently next time? In a follow up email to a hiring panel, you can always highlight some of these points after an interview. It’s not unheard of to do this but it is not necessarily common either so do your best to leave it all in the interview.
Your Next Step
Still want more? We’ve created an ultimate guide to help you prepare for the interview. Need help thinking and planning what to say? This guide is for you. Check it out here.
