Chapter 14

Preparing to Nail Your Interview

In This Chapter

arrow Knowing what employers are looking for during the interview process

arrow Preparing to answer likely questions and impress the interviewers

arrow Developing and selling your professional image to your future employer

Job interviews combine the fear of public speaking, test-taking with an audience, and being judged by others — all while feeling as if the outcome will determine your career success or failure. To say that an interview can be stressful is an understatement! Many educated, well-qualified candidates come apart during the interview process, and many others feel a great deal of stress even if they perform well.

remember.eps Although every interview is at least a little stressful, the key is to maintain perspective — no interview will make or break your entire future. Preparing can reduce your stress and improve the results you see.

In this chapter, I examine the purpose of the job interview and what employers are trying to get out of it. I fill you in on the types of interviews and how to prepare for them. More important, I explain what you should get out of the interview and how to market yourself at the functional and professional levels. Equipped with this information, you’ll be prepared for the interview and be able to perform to your maximum potential to achieve the job you’re seeking.

Understanding Why Interviews Are Important

The interview is the focal point of any hiring process. The popular image displays it as a tense showdown where the hopeful candidate pleads his story to the skeptical panel of interviewers who ask tough questions, but are ultimately won over to the candidate’s side and offer him the position.

That sometimes happens in real life, but more often, the scene is less dramatic. In reality, a good interview performs the following functions:

  • Allows the interviewers to associate a person with the résumé and to form an impression of the candidate.
  • Provides the interviewers an opportunity to ask questions of the candidate and judge the responses.
  • Gives the candidate an impression of the company via the interviewers and their questions.
  • Provides the candidate an opportunity to see if this is the company and position he really wants.
  • Provides the company and person with an opportunity to see if there is a culture fit for each party.
  • Provides the candidate an opportunity to ask questions of the interviewers to gain additional information not provided in the job posting.

Essentially, interviews provide both parties — interviewer and candidate — an opportunity to ask questions, exchange information, and form impressions of each other. A great deal of information is exchanged, and impressions are formed during interviews. In the following sections, I give you the tools you need to make the most of the interview.

Identifying what interviewers want to hear

Interviewers want to determine if you can functionally perform the duties of the position and if you have the personal skills to fit well in the environment and culture. At the functional level, interviewers want assurance that if they hire you, you’ll be able to do what the position requires. From a personal skills perspective, interviewers want to determine if you’ll fit well in the work environment or if you’ll cause conflict and turbulence.

tip.eps When you’re interviewing for a job, make sure to do the following:

  • Reaffirm how what is on your résumé qualifies you to perform the duties of the position. Citing examples of work experience and training are powerful tools.
  • Display your professional side of communication skills, teamwork, and commitment. Employers don’t want to hire someone they suspect will become a problem employee.

    remember.eps It generally costs about $150,000 to $200,000 to fire a person, so companies want to make sure they’re making the right choice.

  • Discuss how you’ll serve in the position to bring improvement and business value to the company. These messages resonate well with professional positions and show your initiative and commitment to make a positive impact on the company.
  • Showcase your most notable achievements and challenges you have overcome to display your work ethic and commitment. Employers want to hire people who are problem solvers, so this is an opportunity to bring your successes to their attention.
  • Explain why you want the position, and display the nobler motives of seeking professional development and career growth instead of focusing only on monetary gain and amassing power, titles, and so on.

warning.eps Here are some examples of what not to do during an interview:

  • Speak poorly about previous and current coworkers or employers. It’s okay to indicate that you aren’t satisfied in your present position, but complaining about every boss you’ve ever had suggests that perhaps you are the problem and not the boss.
  • Avoid revealing confidential information. During the interview never divulge details about what your current company is doing that is not in the public domain.
  • Lie or misrepresent your skills, work history, training, or education. If you don’t have experience in an area, state that when asked, but talk about how you’ll work to learn new skills and procedures or fix a shortcoming. It’s okay to not know everything — just be sure you can describe a plan to learn the skills you need.
  • Display hostile, contrary, disrespectful, or otherwise unprofessional behavior during the interview or when describing your previous experiences. You may be functionally qualified for a job, but if the interviewers believe you’re going to bring turmoil to the workplace, they’ll hire someone else.
  • Delve into irrelevant personal issues, problems, conflicts, or excuses about why you haven’t succeeded in the past or why you’re looking for a new position. Check your relevant employment laws regarding disclosure of personal information. Generally, interviewers cannot ask personal questions to disqualify a person, but if you volunteer negative information, they may consider that (even unintentionally) during the selection process.

Knowing the types of interviews and tips for each

The hiring process may have zero, one, or multiple interviews depending on the position, company policies, and staffing availability of the interviewers. Hiring practices vary between and even within companies, but following are the most common forms of interviews you’ll encounter.

Technical versus nontechnical

A technical interview is based on specific, technical questions, and may involve scenario-based problems for you to solve or include hands-on exercises. A technical interview is used to determine if you can functionally perform the tasks of the position, and it may serve as a way to validate your ability to perform the tasks you claim to have in your résumé. You must be able to dive deep on all technical aspects of projects listed in your résumé and be able to answer deep technical questions if you claim to be an expert on a specific technology.

A nontechnical interview is a high-level, often introductory conversation to allow the interviewers and candidate to get to know each other, exchange information, and form impressions. These interviews are often lower stress, but you should still focus on clear communications and presenting yourself in a professional manner.

The hiring process will likely involve at least one nontechnical interview, and it may or may not include a technical interview. A common technique is to include both elements in an interview, starting with nontechnical portions followed by a technical question-and-answer session.

Panel versus individual

Panel interviews include a group of interviewers asking questions, typically with one person acting as the leader or facilitator. These interviews can be intimidating for the candidate, but they allow a team of interviewers to ask questions across different areas and form impressions. Each interviewer provides input for the selection process.

Individual or one-on-one interviews involve the candidate meeting with only one interviewer. Obviously the impression you make on that single interviewer is critical. If there is a personality conflict, the impact could be negative for you.

Phone versus in-person

Phone interviews are increasingly becoming the norm, at least for initial interviews. Nonverbal communication techniques are not a factor, so focus on speaking clearly when responding to questions. Make sure you’re in a quiet location with a good, static-free phone connection during a phone interview.

In-person interviews are more traditional and increasingly may not occur at all or may occur later in the interview process. Use both verbal and nonverbal communication techniques when you interview in person. Professional attire and punctuality for the meeting are also factors that influence the interviewers, so be prepared.

tip.eps Studies show a great deal of communication is nonverbal: body language, posture, hand gestures, eye contact, and intonation of the words you use. Also, don’t cross your arms defensively, don’t play with paper or the phone, and always make eye contact. In many cases, nonverbal communication is more important than verbal. If the concept of nonverbal communication is new to you, consider studying nonverbal commination in greater detail because it’s important to the relationships you form with coworkers.

Preparing for the Interview

Interviews are a big deal when trying to land a new position, but they don’t require superhuman skills, nor should they be a source of undue stress. Like most activities, a reasonable amount of preparation will increase your effectiveness and reduce stress for the big event.

How to prepare and what to study

Being ready for an interview sends a clear signal to potential employers that you’re serious about the position and you’re a professional. Few things will get you rejected faster than an obvious lack of preparation or an obvious “I don’t really care” attitude. Preparation for the interview generally involves the following:

  • Understanding the nature and requirements of the position: Be sure you’ve reviewed the job posting details so you understand what the duties entail, education and certifications required, any travel and relocation requirements, and position status (contract, temporary, full-time employee, and so on).

    tip.eps For technical positions, be prepared for a white-boarding session. These are getting more and more popular. Practice white-boarding big data architects or spot solutions.

  • Nature and history of the company or organization you may be joining and the status and direction of the overall industry: Search the company’s website for official information, but also search for news articles on recent, relevant stories. Inquire within your network about the company and what working there is like — this can generate a great deal of useful information. Finally, what is the industry direction for the company and the position you’re applying for? Are you going into a new, strong, and growing area? Or is it a more tenured stable position? Or is the company potentially something that may not have a great future?

    tip.eps Try out the company’s technology. Most companies that are cloud or SaaS based allow you to try the product or service for free. So actually use the product of services. For example, for Amazon Web Services or a company that uses AWS, start up an EMR Redshift or Redshift cluster and load some data.

  • How your previous work experience, education, training, personality, work habits, and lifestyle make you either a good fit or perhaps not a good fit for this position: This is perhaps the most important area to study: How do you fit well into this position? Come to the interview with facts and examples you can describe to show how and why this is a good fit for you.
  • Administrative details of the interview and position: This entails the who, what, when, and why for the interview and the relative position of the interview in the overall hiring process. You want to make sure you’re on time for the interview, you’ve met the overall hiring criteria (so far), and you’re ready for the next steps in the process.

tip.eps Go on some practice interviews. Interviewing itself is a skill. Practice makes perfect. Interview with a couple companies (or for a couple positions) that you aren’t really interested in. If you’re new to the working world or you haven’t interviewed in a few years, this is important.

Preparing for the interview falls under the realm of due diligence. Professionals who are serious about the position will prepare, and that preparation will be recognized by the interviewers. Those who don’t adequately prepare will likely end up wasting the time of everyone involved.

tip.eps Be on time to the interview and ready to focus on the interview itself. Not knowing where the interview is conducted and being late, calling on a cellphone in a noisy environment, or otherwise showing that the interview is not your primary focus will at best set a disorganized or confused tone and at worst signal that you don’t care about your future or the interviewers’ time. Whether that is “fair” or not is irrelevant — it’s a question of perception, and perception shapes hiring decisions.

Knowing what questions to ask the interviewers

Good interviews have questions going both ways, not just from the interviewer to interviewee. Remember: The interview isn’t just a chance for the interviewers to determine if they want to hire you — it’s also an opportunity for you to determine if this is the company you want to work for. Selecting the company you work for is a big decision, and the responsibility is on you to determine if this company is a good fit for your needs based on total compensation, the work itself, the opportunity for growth, the organizational culture and mission, and work-life balance.

Just as the interviewers have prepared questions and follow-up questions for you to answer, you should prepare questions for your potential employer. You should already know what values are important to you and what you want out of this position; use your questions to confirm if the employer meets those requirements. You should also have conducted some research on your prospective employer, and that will likely generate more questions. Your list of questions may include the following:

  • “What is a typical day like for the person holding this position?” Much of this information should be captured in the job posting, but often the key information is obtained by those you’ll be working with if they’re conducting the interview.
  • “How will I be measured?” It’s important to know what their expectations for you are. You want to gear your performance to these success measures.
  • “What are the greatest challenges in this position?” This is where you glean information about the work environment you may be entering.
  • “Describe the growth potential of this position and how it may change in five years.” This question helps determine if it is a “dead-end” job or if it has growth potential.
  • “Describe work-life balance in this position and company.” It is important to have accurate expectations regarding the hours worked, weekend and evening responsibilities, vacation, travel, working from home, and so on before you commit to a new position.
  • “Who will I be working with, and are they part of the interview process?” This may provide a glimpse of your potential coworkers and boss. While you’re forming opinions of them, they’re doing the same with you.

Ask intelligent questions to gain information and show you care enough about the potential opportunity to do some preparatory research. Asking a question about what a well-known company does when the information is easily obtainable doesn’t reflect well upon you. However, asking about the challenges of the company given recent industry or market shifts shows that you’ve done your homework and you’re thinking seriously about the position.

warning.eps Should you ask a potentially sensitive question if your potential employer has been in the news for something negative? For example, if the company has announced job cuts, or has been accused of an illegal or unethical behavior, or has a reputation of being a difficult place to work, do you probe into these areas? The answer is, probably yes, but be very careful about how you do it:

  • Consider whether the news is relevant to you and your position. Asking about announced job cuts is relevant because it impacts your job security. However, an affair scandal involving the company’s founder probably isn’t relevant to your position.
  • Understand that the interviewer may not have all the answers or be at liberty to discuss sensitive material. Don’t be surprised if you get an incomplete answer.
  • If you ask the question, do so in a professional, respectful manner. Performing research on an employer and asking a relevant, sensitive question does reflect well on you, but it can backfire if you come off as overly negative or judgmental.

Telling Your Story

By the time you’ve gotten to the interview, the interviewers have at least skimmed your résumé. They generally know your background and what you say you’ve done, but it’s likely a blur among several other résumés. Your task is to become the voice (and face, if in person) of the résumé to bring it to life for the interviewers. Résumés are necessary to get an interview, but most likely how you respond during the interview determines whether you get the position. Your ability to tell your professional story and articulate how you’ll perform the duties of the position in a skillful, effective, and professional manner based on your previous experience is what’s most important.

Describing your professional journey

A dirty little secret in interviewing is that while the interviewers have likely skimmed over your résumé, they really haven’t studied it. Most likely, they’ve read it quickly for education, past work experience, and keywords, but that’s the extent of their review. At the extreme end, they just read your résumé ten minutes before the interview while getting coffee during an otherwise busy morning.

Don’t be discouraged — it isn’t personal. But it means that you have to sell yourself for the position instead of using the résumé to sell you. This is a great opportunity to talk about yourself with someone who is familiar with you but doesn’t know you in detail!

tip.eps Guide the interviewers down your professional path so they get to know you as a person, but also so they see how you’ve professionally grown into the position you are in today. Describe your education, but more important, describe your professional growth in the positions you’ve held. Don’t reread the résumé line by line to the interviewers; instead, talk about what you’ve done before and how it prepares you for the position you’re seeking. The goal of this (brief) discussion is to paint a picture of how you’ve grown professionally into the person you are now and how that makes you a good fit for the position.

remember.eps Don’t forget to mention key successes, major awards, and publications. Let them know that others have found your work worth recognizing.

Showing why you’re a good fit

Being a good fit for the position is critical, yet so many people miss the point. It isn’t enough to be a brilliant technical mind if you have to manage people and can’t effectively communicate. By the same token, you can be an excellent salesperson, but if you’re also required to design technical components, you need strong engineering skills. The key is to describe how and why (backed up with examples) you’ll be the best person possible for the duties of the position.

Use examples in your past, including transferable skills, to show that you can step into the new position and quickly bring business value. You must impress upon the interviewers that

  • You have the quantitative skills to perform the duties of the position at a very high level (in other words, you can do the job).
  • You have the hard skills (ones that can be taught and measured) and soft skills (ones that have to do with personality, like getting along with people) to perform the duties of the position. Specifically, you can get along with your coworkers and management chain effectively and not be a problem employee.
  • You want and will value the position; it’s not a stepping stone, and you’ll give your full energies to being successful.

Many good people are naturally humble and refrain from selling themselves during an interview. That’s a shame because these people lose out on great positions and promotions. Remember: It’s okay to talk about your hard-earned accomplishments and relate how they provide business value during your interview process. No one can promote yourself as well as you can, so during the interview you must be an advocate for yourself and what you can provide for the prospective employer!

tip.eps Employers don’t want to hire toxic people in their organizations if they can avoid it. During your interview, give your interviewers every reason to believe that you’ll get along well with other coworkers in an appropriate, professional manner. More important, after you’re hired, make sure you do get along with other employees in a supportive, professional manner! Research and real-world experience show that productivity and job satisfaction are increased when people work well together; team unity and getting along with others benefits both the company and the people involved. Interviewers know this and will make their selections accordingly.

Unlocking Success in a Behavioral Interview

A common form of interview is the behavioral interview. In a behavioral interview, you’re asked about situations you experienced previously and how you resolved the situation. Unlike a standard interview, where you have to explain what you would do in a given theoretical situation or answer a question about yourself, a behavioral interview is based on what you have done in the past and why.

Examples of behavioral interview questions include the following:

  • Describe a situation you faced where you had multiple projects with limited resources and timelines. How did you manage the workload?
  • Have you ever faced a personality conflict with a coworker and how did you respond?
  • Describe a situation where you were faced with a difficult or stressful decision and how you made and implemented your decision.

Behavioral interviews are designed to give employers a chance to see how you’ve responded to situations in the past with the assumption that your past actions will determine how you’ll respond in the future.

Getting ready for probing questions

Interviewers will ask probing questions to find out why you took the action you did, what factors you considered, what (if anything) you would do differently, and if so, why. There may not be a “wrong” answer, but there certainly are better answers than others.

Here are some examples of probing questions:

  • Do you operate within professional norms and include your management chain and team when appropriate? If not, why not, and was that the best course of action in that situation?
  • Are you a self-starter with initiative, or do you rely more on a structured environment and a more dictatorial hierarchy?
  • Were you able to accomplish your mission amid a climate of bickering and petty politics? If not, was there a valid reason why not and how did you recover?

Expect your responses to generate follow-up questions and comments from your interviewers — that’s natural. If you can explain why you performed a certain way, your logic and problem solving will be what interviewers positively remember even if they may not have taken the same course of action themselves.

Turning probing questions into opportunities

When responding to a probing question about a situation you wish you had handled more effectively, did you openly admit your mistake and discuss how you learned from it? There is nothing wrong with admitting a mistake or something you could have done better; in fact, that trait shows professionalism, maturity, and honesty. Unless you grossly acted unprofessionally or illegally in a situation you’re describing, the interviewers are more focused on your logic and reasoning than the specific outcome.

Use probing questions as a way to tell more of your story, show yourself as both a real person and as a dedicated professional, and underscore how you work with the company’s best interests in mind. This is an opportunity to showcase the best qualities you have, your growth potential, and how you can serve as an asset to the potential employer.

Feel free to inquire if a scenario you’re being asked about is common in the position you’re seeking. For example, if you notice a series of questions about how you work in chaotic environments or under tight timelines with few resources, you would be justified in asking if that’s the environment you’re entering. Interviewers often ask questions that reflect their current work environment and challenges; you can use that to glean more information about the position.

tip.eps Have you ever said something but it came out wrong or had the exact opposite effect you intended? Don’t worry — that happens to everyone and as the stress builds (such as during an interview) so does the likelihood of making that mistake. If you say something silly; the best response is to fix it with a follow-up explanation or correction with humility and confidence. Interviewers know interviewees are under pressure and will respect the person who responds with, “I didn’t explain myself clearly on that point — let me rephrase it” instead of trying to defend a poor response.

Unlocking the Key Aspects to a Good Case Interview

Another common form of interview is the case interview. In a case interview, you’re given a specific problem or scenario that you must solve during the interview. Instead of recounting how you solved a problem in the past, or how you might solve a problem in the future, you’re expected to solve a given problem in the interview.

Here are some examples of case interview questions:

  • You have a new team of employees that must provide operational support for the help desk. The previous team was a contracting firm that was terminated because of poor performance. How do you proceed?
  • You’re in charge of the budget for a large IT services hosting company. Your technical folks are requesting new hardware for an aging infrastructure, but their request exceeds your budget. How do you support your technical folks while maintaining your budget?

Case interviews are designed to give employers a chance to see how you solve problems based on scenarios defined by the interviewers. Interviewers are less concerned about your final answer; they want to understand how you think and solve problems.

Structuring problems

During the case interview, you’re likely permitted to ask questions to gain more information about the scenario. This is intended to determine how you identify the core problems amid a wide description of symptoms. Asking good questions and identifying the core problem(s) is critical in the real work environment, so be sure to ask similar questions during the interview. The important takeaway is to understand that the scenario may have different layers to it that you must uncover as you identify the problem.

Exhibiting analytics and reasoning skills

The nature of the position and the type of scenario will influence the analytical and reasoning skills you use; be sure to match the right methods to the given situation. For example, if you’re working with a people issue, your soft skills are most helpful. Conversely, if you’re working on a finance or engineering problem, you need to use your hard skills to solve the problem.

The interviewers will be interested in the logic and methods you use to solve the problem more than they’ll care about the final answer, so be able to justify your decision making as you go. Even if you select the “wrong” method, if you can still logically articulate why you did so, you’ll gain partial credit and the respect of the interviewers.

Showcasing business skills and industry awareness

Displaying excellent awareness of the industry, market trends, and the required business skills makes you a much more attractive candidate than someone who only knows the raw technical aspects of the position. Leaders can articulate the direction of their industry and describe their actions in terms of business value, which managers easily understand. These are skills many people lack and are an opportunity for you to stand out over your competition.

As you work through the case interview (or even a behavioral interview), take care to speak in terms of showing the business value of your actions and how they’re in line with the direction of your industry.

Displaying good presentation skills

Poor presentation skills, apparent lack of confidence, or obvious disorganization have prevented many people from achieving their maximum potential. Especially during an interview, be sure to communicate clearly as you articulate your answers to questions.

tip.eps Consider these factors when presenting and communicating during an interview:

  • Slow down, organize your thoughts into a few key points, and then present them in a relaxed manner to your interviewers. Interviewers will have more respect for a well-reasoned argument than stream-of-consciousness responses blurted out in a hurried, unfocused manner.
  • Don’t be afraid to ask for clarity. You can ask the interviewer to repeat or rephrase the question if you don’t understand it. It’s better to ask then to answer a question he didn’t ask.
  • Emphasize the logic behind your decisions and how they’re supportive of business value for the company. If you can show how you applied logic and why it was geared to benefit the company, it’s difficult for the interviewers to not see you in a positive light.
  • Consider using a whiteboard if possible to add a visual element to your presentation. For example, if you whiteboard an architectural diagram of a computer system you managed as you talk about how you designed that system in your last job, you’re showing that you know the technical side but can present to an audience; this is a double-win for you.

    warning.eps Only do this if you’ve presented with a whiteboard before and you’re totally comfortable with it — you don’t want your first time through to be in a job interview!

  • Don’t be afraid of questions. In fact you should encourage questions and dialog with your interviewers. This is your chance to take control and show your initiative and confidence. Don’t be afraid to seize the opportunity!

tip.eps Many people are afraid of public speaking, but verbal communication is important — even in this age of emails and text messages. You don’t have to be a professional speaker, but if you can’t get your points across, you should consider working on this skill outside the interview process. Many classes and public speaking clubs are available — they can be a way of turning a weakness into a strength.

Showing Motivation and Excitement

Put yourself in the shoes of the interviewers. Given two roughly equal candidates, would you hire the person with energy and enthusiasm, or would you hire the unmotivated and uninspired “dud”? Taken even further, interviewers are more likely to “take a chance” on a less-qualified candidate if that person is eager to learn and clearly will commit himself to the new company and position.

tip.eps Don’t be afraid to mention something you’re passionate about — reading, writing, a hobby. It demonstrates that you have a curiosity for things.

Despite the weight that résumés, work experience, education, and certifications carry, showing motivation and energy to want a position during the interview process is a key advantage. In this section, I show you how to capitalize on this advantage.

Displaying your initiative

Performing research on the company, its industry, and potential challenges displays that you care enough about the position to do your homework on it. Take action to show the potential employer that you’ve already considered the requirements of the position and you’re prepared to meet those requirements.

One example of displaying initiative is how you’ve prepared to obtain any technical or professional certifications required by the position. Many jobs require certifications or specific skillsets. When you can show that you’ve already obtained those certifications or skillsets (or at least have a plan to obtain them), it’s a clear indicator that you’re serious about the position.

Making it easy to hire you

Employers want to quickly hire people who are ready to work and won’t cause problems once they’re past the probationary period for the company. Having any necessary technical or professional certifications is a great start, but attitude and presentation are important, too. For example

  • Indicate when you could start for the company, if hired. As a courtesy, give you current employer two weeks’ notice. If you don’t, your future employer will question your integrity and professionalism.

    Note: Two weeks’ notice is standard in the United States, but if you live in a place where that time period is traditionally longer, it’s important to follow the norm in your area.

  • remember.eps Don’t badmouth your current employer or coworkers. If you do, the interviewers will wonder if you’ll be talking negatively about them next.
  • Be upfront about any special considerations. If you have any special circumstances that would impact coming to the new employer such as having to move a great distance or nondisclosure agreements (NDAs), mention them now, but also identify your solutions. This tells the interviewers that you’re upfront and honest, but you also have solutions to any issues.
  • Be upbeat, pleasant, and professional in all your interactions with the interviewers and their staff. Be nice to everyone you deal with, not just the interviewers you speak with directly. Don’t give anyone a reason to question your professionalism, integrity, or motivations.

Simply following good citizenship rules you learned as a kid is a good start. It’s amazing how many people sabotage themselves out of good employment opportunities.

Telling them you want this position

Stating that you would want this position does not make you look desperate; it makes you look confident. Of course, the context of how you state you want the job is the key. Here’s an example of the wrong way versus the right way to state you want the job.

Wrong way: “Since I was fired from my last job, I’ve had a tough time finding anything else. I really need this to pay my mortgage.”

This denotes desperation and commitment to a paycheck (just a job) rather than commitment to the position (a career). At best, if you’re hired, you’ll likely be offered a lower salary because you’re perceived as desperate.

Right way: “I’ve taken some time to evaluate where I want to go next with my career. This position is a great fit for what I want to do next with my life, and I’d like to the opportunity to show you what I can do.”

This indicates that you’re thoughtful about your professional development and you realize the position must benefit both you and the employer.

remember.eps Let the interviewers know that this is a position you want for purposes of professional development and personal growth and that you’re excited for the opportunity. Those are the good impressions you want the interviewers to be remembering you by as they work through the selection process.

Ending on a high note

Finishing the interview isn’t difficult if you’ve been confident, energized, and professional. Even if you didn’t answer every question correctly or you had some missteps, you can still improve your chances by doing the following:

  • Respect the scheduled ending time. Certainly answer questions and be sure to get your key questions answered, but don’t drag out an interview unnecessarily.
  • Don’t bring up any mistakes you made or areas where you lack skills unless you have a strong rebuttal to reframe those areas as positives. Even then, I don’t recommend it.
  • Don’t ask if you have the job or apply negative pressure on the interviewers.
  • Ask what the next steps are in the selection process and when you may hear more information. The interviewers likely have more interviews to conduct, and they may not be the final selecting authority. If there are further steps or background investigations, find out what you need to do for these steps. If there are restrictions on how the company may contact you, such as not calling your current employer’s office phone, let them know that information.
  • Recap why you want the position and why it would be beneficial to both parties that you’re hired.
  • Thank them for their time and the opportunity to interview with them.

You should finish the interview by displaying your profession, confidence, and tempered eagerness for the position.

tip.eps I know of a candidate who was not fully technically qualified for an entry-level position, but he flatly stated, “This is my dream job. I know I’m a little lacking on the skills, but I’m willing to study on my own time to come up to speed.” His statement and enthusiasm were sincere, and he had a background that indicated he could learn the technical aspect, so the interviewers took a chance on this person. The candidate proved to be a highly valued member of the team, and it was his enthusiasm that allowed him to stand out among other candidates.