Why is Interview Prep so important? Interviews lead to a job offer.
Interviews should be a conversation, not a test. You should not participate in an interview by only answering questions and waiting for the next one.
Candidates should have a peer mindset during an interview. You belong there, and your resume has already qualified you. Personalize the questions you ask to learn if thePy’re a good fit for you and to stand out from other candidates.
ALWAYS ask for an interview prep call and information by email.
Ask the person scheduling your interview (usually the recruiter) but it is always a good idea to ask your referral or any employees you know too!
Ask the person scheduling your interview (usually the recruiter) but it is always a good idea to ask your referral or any employees you know too!
‘When are you available for a quick prep call to tell me more about the interviewer, or any topics they want to discuss at this stage? I appreciate your time and any links or information you can send over email would be great. ”
An average interview prep call is 10-15 minutes, (sometimes 30). If they can only share in an email that’s okay but ask for the call. Why? On a call, they can explain things that typically wouldn’t be sent in an email. For example, the interviewer’s personality, interview style, feedback about what previous candidates were lacking, etc.
Research and make notes about the company, recent news, relevant blog posts, careers page, social handles, hiring surges or layoffs (you can find that on LinkedIn), and leadership changes, do a LinkedIn post search and see what their employees say about them, and of course, review the profile of your interviewer(s). If they have been with the company for over 2 years, what career growth have they experienced, and ask how has their team supported it? If they’ve been there less than a year, ask them what the onboarding program was like and what investments have they seen the company make in employee experience, or if the team dynamics are as they were described during the interview process.
Now, focus on YOU!
You should have a core set of career examples in your interview prep kit. As you move through your career you add more and for each interview, you tailor them to the next audience. One example could answer multiple questions and be appropriate for different interviewers. The key is adapting how you tell that story for each audience. And yes, they are stories. They help the person visualize working with you and your success with their team. Don’t forget to prep for follow-up questions too!
You should have a core set of career examples in your interview prep kit. As you move through your career you add more and for each interview, you tailor them to the next audience. One example could answer multiple questions and be appropriate for different interviewers. The key is adapting how you tell that story for each audience. And yes, they are stories. They help the person visualize working with you and your success with their team. Don’t forget to prep for follow-up questions too!
Here is template of how to use the STAR method to draft your career examples for interview prep.
Practice builds confidence. Confidence is a skill.
Work with a coach who personalizes their advice and adapts their strategies for you. Practice with your coach and get comfortable taking the initiative to ask questions or follow-ups.
Work with a coach who personalizes their advice and adapts their strategies for you. Practice with your coach and get comfortable taking the initiative to ask questions or follow-ups.
Our next Interview prep blog will break down how to prepare for different interviewers and help you understand how to adapt your career examples for each of them. Here is a starter about the recruiter and hiring manager.
We provide our clients with our Allora Interview prep worksheet and other tools so they have everything they need. Our clients also have access to our entire team’s network for introductions and referrals!
Read about how our #interviewcoaching helped our clients land new jobs, promotions, and salary increases on our testimonials page here!
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