Interview tips and tricks
How to nail an interview and land your dream job
Interviews, in general, suck. They both feel like they're taking forever, and are also over in the blink of an eye. You spend hours and days prepping, working out their likely questions and practicing your perfect answers, only for them to go in a totally different direction and make all of your prep feel worthless. And the pressure is intense!!! Odds are you're only interviewing because you actually want the job, so the pressure to make sure you present yourself in the best possible light is massive. Nobody wants to underperform and miss out on their dream role just because they forgot their sales numbers for last year or didn't have the perfect answer for what biscuit represents them the most. Having interviewed a LOT over the past couple of years, here are some do's and don't's which might help you stand out from the crowd and land you an offer that you won't want to refuse. Prepare This sounds really obvious, but it's shocking how many people don't do any prep. I'm not talking about preparing hour long presentations or doing the tasks they've asked you to complete - no, I mean looking up some information on the company and the people you will be speaking with. Do a quick google for the company and read up on any news they've recently released. What is the company talking about? What have they released or achieved lately? What scandals have they been involved in? What do employees say about them on GlassDoor? Go in armed with an awareness of what's going on in their world and you've got instant nuggets to throw in to show them that you really do know what they care about. Connect on LinkedIn If possible, find out who you are going to be speaking with and connect with them on LinkedIn. Have a look at their profile and personal history, which will do two things: firstly, you'll be able to find little snippets of knowledge out about them which you can drop into the chat. A quick "what made you leave Capita last year?" shows you are interested with them as a person and have taken an interest in them. Personal relationships are everything, so them feeling like you care is a big thing. Secondly, it flags to them that you've looked. It's one thing looking, but for them to know this shows that you are proactive and preparing, and sets you a step above those who aren't. Some people might also pop a note to them in the process, a quick "Looking forward to speaking with you later in the week" can go a long way. Questions from you There will almost always be a section at the end for you to ask questions of them, and these questions can show a huge amount about who you are. Definitely avoid asking the practical things, like "how much annual leave do I get?", or "what day is payday?". You'll find out about those later, and they're not actually going to tell you much about the position and why you should consider it. Interviews are two-way processes - you're interviewing them too, so take the chance to explore who they are. Maybe ask them about some of the key challenges they're facing, or where they see their focus being for the next 18 months and how this role fits into that. Ask them about things which give you not only information, but the chance to show off how you're a great fit for them and to bring up things you've prepped but haven't spoken about yet. And don't get scared of asking them questions as people, too. Why did they join the company themselves, and why have they stayed? What are their biggest frustrations? What happens if their strategy isn't achieved? People hire people based on connections as much as experience, so make those connections right from the start. The money chat I get it - you're British, and it feels uncouth to be talking about money. But, unless you're some sort of weird philanthropist, you're going to be paid for your work and deserve to be paid well, so you'll have to be ready to talk about the numbers. They may well ask for a salary you had in mind. If you've been able to get this in advance, even if just in a wide band, that really helps and you can position yourself accordingly. Do your sums in advance and know what the barest minimum is that you could accept, but never start there. Nobody got a great salary by starting low and asking for more - ask for more and then negotiate from there. If the salary you're asking for isn't at least a little embarrasing to say aloud then you're probably not asking for enough. Remember that cost and value are two very different things. Yes, you might be costing them more than they hoped for, but the value you are bringing means you're worth the increase many times over. Besides, you're not arguing about the actual number you're asking for - you're negotiating simply for the difference between what they offered and what you want, which is likely a fraction of the total number. That makes it a lot easier to swallow for them. Next steps Leave with a clear idea of what comes next. It's not good enough for them to vaguely say they'll get back to you soon - ask them to clarify when they'll get back to you and what that contact will tell you. Those timelines might slip, but it shows that you're not messing around and expect to be treated like a professional. Be subtle about it, but make sure they know that you're speaking with other people at the moment and are at advanced stages with some. Even if you're not, never let them know that they're the only game in town - it makes you look desperate, and hands them all the power in negotiations. Besides, it's human nature to want what we can't have, so showing that you're in demand can never work against you. It's also good to follow up with an email to the people involved in the interview. Thank them for their time, reinforce some of the good points you made, and use this as a chance to address anything which, on reflection, you might have missed or not nailed. Post-offer Once they've made you an offer, EVERYTHING changes. Before then, you wanted them more than they wanted you: now the shoe is on the other foot. NEVER accept the first offer instantly. Even if it blows you away, keep a straight face, thank them, and ask if it's negotiable. They might say no, in which case you've lost nothing, but if they say yes then you've got the chance to bump things up a little. It's rare that they'll have fully maxxed out their available budget, so adding another percentage or two on is something they might just do. If nothing else, it shows how switched on you are right from the start. Unless there are other time pressures, thank them for the offer and let them know you'll get back to them. Take some time - even if it's only an hour - and let them sweat a little, especially if you're negotiating for more money. But then, when you go back to them, be clear about your acceptance and about how excited you are to be joining them. Oh, and get a very clear timeline agreed before you quit your current job. It's amazing how many times things don't quite line up - nobody wants to have gaps in pay between roles if they can avoid it. Landing a new job is never easy, but it's almost always worth it. Follow these tips and you might just be able to start the next part of your career, and be one step closer to world domination. And if you've got any tips of your own, leave them below!