I have multiple interviews coming up over the next 10 days so today, my to-do list is all about interview prep. I have some helpful tips to help make sure I’m ready:
- First, I pull out the job description and make notes about how my experience/skill set fills all the posted requirements for the role. This also helps me put together my answer for the inevitable “tell me about yourself” question.
- Second, I search LinkedIn for the person/people I’m interviewing with so I know if we know anyone in common or if we have worked in the same place. Good for an icebreaker — and REALLY good to read their job descriptions and get an idea about their skill sets.
- Next, I generally do a Google search for business news regarding the company/industry. It’s always a good idea to know what’s going on with the company and their business. Google is just a start – you can also search on Glassdoor.com for info on the corporate culture.
- I have a list of behavioral interview questions I’ve collected from a book about interviewing skills as well as my outplacement coach’s website. These are all questions I know from experience I might be asked – or are questions appropriate to the role I’m interviewing for. I run through my list thinking how I would answer each for the role I’m up for — in some cases, I actually write out an answer and practice it so I can answer smoothly in the moment. Using the STAR method to frame my answers is very helpful here (Situation/Task/Action/Result). This bit of prep work has really allowed me to feel MUCH more comfortable in an interview.
- Frame up questions I want to ask through the interview. Remember, they aren’t just auditioning you – you’re auditioning them as well. So you should ask questions about culture, the team, processes, systems, etc. so you get an idea about whether this is a place you want to spend the next years of your career. I try to work my questions into the conversation of the interview so asking them feels less “forced.”
- Last – but sometimes not least – I like to read the last SEC statement or annual report for the company I’m interviewing with. You’d be surprised how much you can learn from those government filings and investor facing communications.
These are my best tips – do you have any good ones? I’d love to hear them in the comments!
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