You don’t have a lot of time to shine. As a hiring manager, here’s what I recommend to make the cut.
Interviews can be challenging, whether you’re new to the job market or have been around the block. You never know quite what to expect and often leave the conversation feeling that it could have gone better. That’s true for interviewers, as well.
For this reason, interviews are a great way to set yourself apart by creating a surprisingly pleasant and memorable experience for both of you.
Here are my interview tips for job candidates:
1. Know who you’re talking to.
You’ve studied the job description, feel aligned with the company’s values, and are familiar with what the company does, but do you know who you’ll be speaking with during the interview?
There is no shame in preparing for your interview by going to LinkedIn or asking the recruiter for information about who you’ll be interviewing with. As an interviewer, and especially as a hiring manager, I’m surprised and disappointed when I end up speaking with a candidate who hasn’t bothered to learn anything about me.
2. Set the tone.
Don’t wait for the hiring manager to establish the tone. I recommend a warm and upbeat demeanor, as if you’re catching up with a casual acquaintance you’d like to know better. Take the time to say hi and demonstrate that you easily connect with people.
If you’re new to interviewing, be intentional with how you want to come off. Consider body language. Practice smiling, nodding along, or going slow if it doesn’t come naturally. Then rehearse what you’ll say should you be the one to kick off the conversation or find yourself responding to open-ended questions like “Tell me about yourself.”
3. Ask memorable questions.
As a hiring manager, people often ask me the same questions, usually what the role entails, which is listed in the job description, or facts about the company that are publicly available. I suspect candidates feel the need to ask questions in order to look interested but have no idea what to say.
It’s refreshing to hear questions I don’t expect. A great way to show interest and establish yourself as a creative thinker is to develop a go-to question that gives the interviewer a reason to reflect and perhaps ask you follow-up questions as a result. For example:
“I imagine this job is similar to roles I’ve had in the past, but how might it be different?”
Also consider asking questions about the interviewer. The people you’ll work with are just as important as the role itself. Show that you’re curious about the team, and I promise you’ll be surprised by what you’ll learn in the process. Here are a couple of my favorites:
“Why did you decide to join the company?”
“What’s it like to work with you?”
Plus, people enjoy talking about themselves.
4. Lead with concrete examples.
While you may see yourself as a series of adjectives, like “passionate,” “smart,” and “hard-working,” interviewers are looking for something more tangible when making hiring decisions. In many cases, that means reframing how you talk about yourself and your work. For example, I’m passionate about soccer. I can talk about my love of the game, but it’s more concrete to offer the fact that I am on a team that plays three times a week.
To afford concrete examples, many interviewers prefer behavioral questions over hypothetical ones. That means asking what you’ve done instead of what you’d do in certain scenarios. You may be asked to use the STAR method. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Results, and it provides a structure that begins by recounting a situation you were in, outlining what you were tasked to do, describing the actions you took, and concluding with a resulting outcome, including lessons you learned. If you’re asked to reply using the STAR method, be sure to rehearse because it takes some practice.
In any case, as a hiring manager it’s very compelling when a candidate provides concrete examples. Even if you don’t get asked to “describe a time when” or “tell me about a situation in the past,” I recommend that you ground the conversation in concrete examples.
It helps to come prepared to answer common behavioral questions related to:
- how you’ve dealt with criticism, conflict, or difficult situations
- your proudest accomplishment
- a mistake you’ve made or failure you’d like to rectify
- how you adapt, balance, or prioritize your workload
- how you’ve taken initiative or mobilized others
The interviewer is likely not expecting you to be perfect but rather assessing your ability to clearly communicate, make decisions, collaborate with others, follow through, and most importantly learn from the experience, particularly from adversity and failure. It’s great to end on a lesson learned.
5. Be vulnerable if you need to.
What happens if you simply don’t know how to respond? First, take a moment to think. Don’t be afraid of a little silence. Pausing is better than “um,” blabbering, or making up an answer. Give yourself a moment by saying something like:
“Let me think about that.”
Then, ask for clarification if you’re confused. Asking questions and seeking clarity are strengths.
However, if you’re being asked about something you simply don’t know, it’s best to admit it and show interest in learning, assuming it’s genuine. You could say:
“I can’t think of a specific answer, but I look forward to learning from such a situation.”
Interviewers value honesty.
There’s a lot of great advice out there, and you can’t be too prepared. Even if you’re seasoned, interviewing is like a muscle that needs to be activated. And there’s always something to learn.
Good luck!
