Allora Collective

Common Job Search Mistakes And How To Fix Them: Interviews

This series, Common Job Search Mistakes And How To Fix Them’ will share my best advice to answer FAQs we see at Allora during each stage of the job process. Read each blog in the series and you will know which common mistakes you should avoid throughout your job search, or skip ahead to ones that are most relevant to you. Many of these tips are specific to video interviews for remote, corporate, tech, and office jobs. Watch this space for our next series focused on career options for those who don’t want the traditional 9-5 office job.
Welcome to the interview stage. Your resume or CV, application, and networking efforts worked and you’ve made it to the interview – well done!!
Interviews can lead to job offers. These moments are your opportunities to tell your story, and learn more about the job and the team. Now it’s time to demonstrate why you are a great fit for the role(s) and talk about yourself.

What To Do During The Interview Process

  • Before the interview
    • Prepare your career examples and practice saying them as if you were telling someone that story in an interview
    • Do your research on the industry / company / team / role to discover things in common that may give you an advantage 
      • Industry knowledge or experience 
      • University alumni
      • Connections to former coworkers or previous work for the same company
    • Practice for your assessments
      • Take home assignments
      • Case studies
      • Coding
    • Check your background for your video interviews to make sure it is professional and appropriate
  • During the interview
    • Use direct and concise language
    • Ask the interviewer questions that are important to you
    • Repeat and confirm your interest in the role
  • After the interview
BEFORE THE INTERVIEW, prepare your career examples and stories
At every step in the process you should be sharing how you are qualified for the role and a great hire, ideally with quantifiable outcomes (measurable results such as % changes that increased or decreased or size/scope of a project). Interviewers often ask the same or similar questions that you can prepare for in advance including: tell me about yourself, why do you want to work there, how do you manage conflict within your team (if you’re a lead or manager) and how do you build trust with stakeholders.
Write out your answers in easy to read notes, and then practice talking through your notes aloud a few times before your interviews. The more you practice speaking, the more natural this will become and you can always adapt your stories as needed based on any feedback from friends, family, and/or future interviews.
BEFORE THE INTERVIEW, do your research
It’s possible that a recruiter will contact you about a job opportunity you didn’t apply for or there are cases where you apply for more than one job that are a match and receive an invite to interview. Clarify the role you’re interviewing for before the call, and prepare questions for the first call, usually with the recruiter to qualify the job you’re interviewing for.
More about preparing for different interviewers here: How To Interview Prep for Recruiters, Hiring Managers, Teams, Leadership And Culture
  • Research the company, leadership, financial status and history
  • Know their industry, products, and what role you are interviewing for
  • Reviews from former employees, crunchbase,: publicly available reports, stock information, media, social pages
  • Bonus points for competitor knowledge
BEFORE THE INTERVIEW, practice for your assessments
First impressions matter. The waiting period post-rejection at tech companies (the time period where you have to wait before you can reapply) can range anywhere from 3 months to 1 year. Sometimes the timing or the role may not be right once you’re in the interview process, but you want to maximize your options to move forward and opt out based on your own interest. 
Depending on your desired role, evaluations could include a take home assignment, case study, paid project, coding interview, or pre-recorded call (i.e. sales, customer-facing roles).
Common mistakes candidates make during assessments include:
  • Time management
  • Overcomplicating the problem
  • Not showing your work and not explaining your thought process
Many live assessments now allow Google searches or referencing the internet, but when you use these tools you should still be able to explain your rationale, considerations, and the why behind your answers. This is how the interviewer will understand your level of critical thinking and decision making which are desired skills at most employers.
BEFORE A VIDEO INTERVIEW, check your background
A professional setup is a must in the era of video interviewing. Whether you are taking your calls from a coffee shop, coworking space, or your living room, there are a few things you can do to make sure your background is as professional as possible.
Your audio and video should be clear, check both of them before the interview. Beyond the logistics of the call itself is the appearance of your screen. It’s OK to show your personality with personal effects but you don’t want your background to appear sloppy – this is a direct reflection of qualities that employers are looking for – attention to detail, responsibility, and organization.
If you’re not comfortable with sharing your background use a filter – there are plenty of options.
DURING THE INTERVIEW, Use clear and concise language
Be specific in your examples. “We grew revenue by a lot” is a non-specific answer and doesn’t give the interviewer a result that qualifies your experience. The more details you can include the better. 
Details matter. Projects don’t always run perfectly, and that’s not the expectation, but it’s how you discuss what you learned if a project went wrong. If you were a lead on a project you should be able to describe your team, their roles, all of the stages, your contributions, and the outcomes. Did you ship on time? Did you deliver under budget?
Whether you’re doing a live SQL assessment or a take home case study, it’s important to understand the prompt. If you feel like you are missing information it’s always ok to ask for clarification and it’s very important to communicate your thought process. 
What’s your communication style? Are you receptive to feedback? How do you respond to challenges when you get stuck? These signals to your potential employer and colleagues about your work style.  
Common communication mistakes candidates make during interviews include: 
  • Lack of detailed answers or structured thinking
  • Not presenting interest in the role / company 
  • Exaggeration of your experience, skill set, or knowledge
Want a deeper dive? Feel free to check out our recent blog Interviews: ‘Tell Me About Yourself’ Is A Great Question, This Is How To Answer It
DURING THE INTERVIEW, Ask the right questions
Interviewing is a two way street – you are evaluating your potential employer in the same way they are evaluating you. This is your opportunity to evaluate if the role is right for you. The more unique to you, the more effective your questions will be in helping you make a decision if there’s an offer extended.   
Typically at the end of each interview there’s time for questions and if you run over you can send your follow ups via email. 
Sample question:
  • What are the expectations for working hours? (ie remote teams)
DURING THE INTERVIEW, Emphasize your interest in the role
There are a few things you can do during and after interviews to show them that you’re serious about the opportunity. If you enjoyed your interview sessions, especially if you have specific examples of WHEN and WHY, share that in your thank you notes! Sharing how the role fits your expectations lets the hiring team know that they are a match for you
AFTER THE INTERVIEW, Send thank you notes and follow up
You’re almost done! You’ve completed your interviews and now it’s time to wait for feedback. There are a few final steps you can take to leave a lasting impression.
Send a thank you note to your interviewers. Email is totally OK these days and is a little more casual or you can send a note on LinkedIn. If you have a coordination contact(usually the recruiter), you can share your note with them and they can forward it to the team. If you have specific people you want to follow up with and you have their email contact, that’s OK too. In your thank you note thank them for their time, and you can also include specific topics that stood out to you. 
Next is following up on timing. Depending on the size of the company, number of panelists, and other candidates interviewing, it could take anywhere from a few days, weeks, to upwards of a month to receive your results. Clarify with your point-of-contact what to expect in your wrap up calls. Based on their timing you can plan your follow ups. Be sure to share any deadlines of your own, notice period, vacations, etc. 
Ready to start negotiating your offers? My final blog in the series explores the common mistakes to avoid when negotiating a job offer.
Looking for an interview coach to help you research, prepare and practice for your interviews?
Book a free consultation with me or one of our Allora coaches today!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Posts

Share: