Article
September 2023
As a candidate, your primary objectives for job interviews are: (1) to demonstrate your fit for a role, and (2) to evaluate if a job aligns with your long-term career goals. Keeping these objectives in mind, here are 5 interviewing strategies to help you navigate the interview process and take you from job searching to job offer.
#1. Do Your Research
Researching the interviewer, role, and organization prior to an interview can help you assess if a job is compatible with your career goals and signal to hiring managers that you are a motivated candidate. Failure to research a role indicates to employers that you are unprepared, unmotivated, or disinterested in the job.
Key areas to research are:
- Company background and competitors
- Job description
- Industry trends
- Interviewers - review their LinkedIn profile to learn more about their position at the company and their prior experience that helped them obtain the role.
Thorough research can help with one of the other key interviewing strategies: asking great questions.
#2. Ask Great Questions
Interviews are a two-way discussion. When creating your questions for an interviewer, avoid the following mistakes:
- Asking “What’s In It For Me” questions in an initial interview. These are the types of inquiries about work from home, benefits, and PTO. While these questions are important, you shouldn't ask them until after you've determined whether the role is a good fit for you. Wait until after the initial interview to ask these.
- Seeking information that can be easily answered through a quick Google search.
- Refraining from asking any questions. Similar to lack of research, failing to ask questions demonstrates that you’re not prepared for the interview.
What to do instead:
- Ask the interviewer to define success criteria and “A” player deliverables at key milestones in the first 90 days to one year. Having an unclear vision of a role is a common recruiting mistake we see from employers that can lead to greater miscommunication down the line. Outline expectations early to ensure that you have an accurate picture of success.
#3. Articulate Why You Are the Right Candidate
During the interview, you should make a straightforward case as to why you are the best candidate for a role. Steer away from cliche answers such as being driven, hardworking, smart, or a team player – everyone says this. Discuss your competitive advantage over other qualified candidates by highlighting skills and experiences tailored to the position and quantifying results from former projects. Consider how your unique talents can be used to address key business issues the employer is facing.
#4. Communicate Your Passions
Find the alignment between your passion and the role. Ask yourself questions that address the root of what makes you excited about your work, such as "What project am I most proud of and why?”. Your answer to this question will identify key drivers that motivate you to excel at work, which you can then share with a hiring manager.
#5. Be Memorable
Interviews are an opportunity to connect with potential team members and leave a lasting impression. Making a good impression boils down to refining and articulating your personal brand. Your personal brand is the values, experiences, and skills that contribute to your unique voice and differentiate you from other applicants.
You can convey your personal brand in interviews by:
- Leveraging storytelling: Prior to an interview, outline stories that showcase the impact you’ve had in your previous roles. Ensure that these stories are relevant to the job you're applying for and stay mindful of your audience.
- Demonstrating authenticity: Illustrate how your values and the organization’s values overlap by sharing their personality, interests, and motivations for applying.
Leveraging these five interviewing strategies can help you secure your next role. For additional articles to ace your next interview, visit our insights library.