bonus
Talent Trade Tidbit - How To Prepare For A First Interview: Before, During, and After
Executive recruiters Chris Spagnola and Jonathan McIntosh share helpful tips on how to prepare for a successful first interview, and how to best navigate post-interview etiquette.
Transcript
Hi, I am Jonathan McIntosh, partner and recruiter with Thinking Ahead Executive Search.
Speaker:And I'm Chris Spagnola, partner Recruiter with Thinking Ahead.
Speaker:Executive Search.
Speaker:Congratulations, you've landed a first interview.
Speaker:We believe that the outcome of your interview is greatly dependent on the preparation that goes into it.
Speaker:With that in mind, here are a few tips to help prepare you for your big day.
Speaker:Number one, and this may seem like a really obvious tip, but you wanna make sure that you do some research on the organization or company.
Speaker:Make sure that you know the name and title of everyone that you're meeting with that day.
Speaker:And as you think through the organization or company, don't just think about the job and how you would fit with that specific job.
Speaker:Think about the broader mission and brand of the organization and how you really connect with it at a heart level.
Speaker:I. So you learning about the company.
Speaker:Also, make sure you spend some time to revisit yourself and your own accomplishments.
Speaker:Sometimes your long-term memory is suspect when you're nervous, and so people forget the things that they think they know really well.
Speaker:In advance of the interview, make sure you go back through the position description, even if you think you know the position description.
Speaker:Well go back through the position description and very carefully map your experience onto the position description item by item.
Speaker:Think through your key accomplishments.
Speaker:What goals have you hit or exceeded?
Speaker:Have you increased revenue for your company or organization?
Speaker:Have you impacted the bottom line?
Speaker:Quantify those achievements, qualify them.
Speaker:Be ready to talk about them.
Speaker:Practice them so that you can share them succinctly.
Speaker:But informatively with the interviewer, that's what they wanna hear about.
Speaker:Thirdly, we'd say make sure you prepare strong questions to ask the interview team.
Speaker:You wanna make sure you prepare your questions before you go in for the interview.
Speaker:There will be some questions that come up during conversation naturally, of course, but definitely take some time to think through.
Speaker:What do you need to know about this position, about the organization to determine?
Speaker:Do you wanna move forward to a next step if you're invited back for a second interview?
Speaker:I also like to encourage people to really think through, what's a good question that I can ask that will open up dialogue with the person I'm sitting across from that'll help me learn more about the organization and the job itself.
Speaker:Lastly, we always get asked, what should I wear to my interview?
Speaker:And when in doubt we say, err on the side of professional and conservative.
Speaker:The interviewer should be concentrating on what you're saying to them and not what you're wearing.
Speaker:I. Now let's talk about the interview itself.
Speaker:Here's some common sense reminders that we think help day of.
Speaker:Number one, it may go without saying, but know where you're going.
Speaker:Make sure you know the location of the company, who you're gonna meet with, how you need to get through specific security steps, and leave enough time for your commute.
Speaker:More along that line of common sense reminders.
Speaker:Smile during the interview.
Speaker:Have great eye contact with people that you meet or that you're talking with.
Speaker:And have a firm handshake.
Speaker:We would say slow down, take a deep breath, breathe, and make sure you're listening during the interview.
Speaker:Sometimes when people get excited or nervous, they speak too much and sometimes interrupt the interviewer.
Speaker:And more than once, we've seen a qualified candidate not get a second interview because they kept interrupting the person doing the interviewing.
Speaker:So we all have different communication styles.
Speaker:Some of us are more verbose and some of us are very succinct in our answers.
Speaker:We have something we like to refer to as more of an interview style in your communication.
Speaker:So that may mean that you have to moderate your natural tendencies, but you wanna make sure that you are giving enough information so there's enough detail to answer that specific question that they've asked you, but you're succinct enough so that they can move on to the next question.
Speaker:They have a handful of questions they're trying to work through with you in a span of an hour, and they also wanna give you time to ask questions at the end of the interview.
Speaker:Yeah, make sure that you're specific in the way that you answer the question.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:We've had clients tell us before, well, they never really answered the question that I asked them, and we know there's a communication issue at that point, so make sure that for any question that's asked of you, you're providing an answer that is specific to that question.
Speaker:Sidebar comment, especially in speaking about your former or current employer, make sure you don't go negative, be truthful, but never go negative about somebody you've worked with or for.
Speaker:As the interview moves towards the close, restate your enthusiasm and your desire to take next steps in the process.
Speaker:In sales parlance, this is the close.
Speaker:You wanna make sure that they know that you're enthusiastic about it and that you really do want to take the next step in the process.
Speaker:And part of that is, is seeing if you can uncover any lingering objections or concerns that the interviewer might have.
Speaker:So as they're closing the interview, one thing we like to suggest that people ask in your own words is, do you have any lingering questions about my experience that we haven't addressed yet?
Speaker:And that gives the interviewer a chance to address it right there.
Speaker:And you can bring clarification.
Speaker:Now, of course you're gonna wanna do your best, but at the end of the day, whether the client organization likes you or responds to what you're saying or not, that's completely outside of your control.
Speaker:So go into the interview with an energy where you've really let the outcome go.
Speaker:It's never helpful to have a desperate or clingy vibe about you.
Speaker:The most important thing in the interview is to just be yourself.
Speaker:You're gonna be the one that's doing the job.
Speaker:You're gonna be the one that's working with the person in front of you, so be yourself.
Speaker:That's the most important thing that we can share with you.
Speaker:Now, let's talk about what to do post interview.
Speaker:Pretty soon after the end of the year interview, you're either gonna wanna have a conversation with your recruiter or get a loan and jot down some thoughts while they're still fresh.
Speaker:Ask yourself, did I find out anything new about the job?
Speaker:Or was anything clarified that I didn't know before?
Speaker:And ask yourself honestly, based on what I know about the job now, do I still feel like I can do the job?
Speaker:How has this interview and the information that you've learned affected your enthusiasm for the job?
Speaker:Also ask yourself, are there any lingering questions that I have?
Speaker:What else do I still need to learn about this opportunity before I'm ready to accept an offer?
Speaker:Yeah, we'd say it's very important for you to be as honest with yourself and with your recruiter during this post-interview process as possible.
Speaker:One other thing that we always encourage you to do is send a thank you note after your interview.
Speaker:Most people do this now by email and you wanna do it within 24 hours of your interview.
Speaker:The note can be short and sweet.
Speaker:You really wanna make sure you've got correct grammar and spelling, including the name of your interviewer.
Speaker:Good luck with your interview.
