So you've landed an interview.
Way to go!
You have your foot in the door, so now you
need to perform and communicate so that you can seal the deal.
And you probably already know all of the basic interview
advice, like show up early, dress for success,
and send a thank-you note.
But then how can you level up your skills
to get a second interview from the employer?
Well, today, we're going to share 7 advanced tips that
can take your interviewing skills to the next level.
And be sure to stick around to the end, where
I'll share a bonus tip on how to use your first interview to set
you up for success throughout the entire hiring process.
All right, let's get started.
Tip 1: Know your audience.
In the research phase, make it your goal
to know your audience.
Now, it can be easy to gloss over the research
stage of interview prep, but maybe you're
just unsure of what to look for.
Now, keep in mind, the obvious goal of your research
is to gain enough relevant information
so that you seem well educated and up
to speed with the company.
But let's try to look at it in a different way.
When researching, seek out information
that helps you determine how you can best
appeal to the company, job position, and the interviewer.
For example, rather than just scanning over
the history of the company or recent news releases,
try to identify, what problems does this company have,
and how can I present myself as the solution to these issues?
And the same with the job description
- this isn't just information on your potential daily duties.
It's literally the answer key to the test.
How can you emphasize that you have the qualities that are
listed in the job description?
Go beyond this, and consider additional qualities
you have that are critical to be successful in the role.
The employer may not even know that they need these skills
from a candidate until you explain why they're important.
And, at the very least, spend at least 30 minutes researching.
You'll be amazed at how much information you
can find in such a short amount of time, and what you discover
may entice you to research even more.
Finally, don't overlook the importance of researching
your interviewer.
Check out their professional social media profile
to investigate whether you share any common history
or values that you can reference.
If you're speaking with a recruiter or a member of HR,
keep an eye out for any references
to behavioral-based interviewing within their bios.
Now, this means that they may choose
to focus on questions about your past behavior
or ask for responses to hypothetical situations.
Now, there's a whole strategy on how
to succeed in behavioral interviews
that we have another video on right here.
Just remember that these types of questions
require thought-provoking, prepared, and researched
responses, so you may want to prepare for them in advance.
Researching with the intent of learning
how to appeal to your audience gives you
the best chance of connecting with your interviewer.
Plus, if you reference the knowledge
that you've gained during this process,
you prove that you're professional, prepared,
and enthusiastic about the opportunity at hand.
Now, before I move on, if you've watched this far,
give us a like, subscribe to our channel,
and hit the notification bell.
Tip 2: Understand the fundamentals of body language.
The words that we choose provide a fraction of the information
that people look for during an interview.
Your body language and the way that you
carry yourself significantly contribute
to the overall impression someone will make of you.
It's truly valuable to learn and leverage
the fundamentals of strategic body language,
if not as valuable as your credentials and experience.
Now, we have a whole video about this,
which you can check out here.
But here are 3 quick takeaways: Perfect your handshake.
This is the only time you're likely to touch
your interviewer, and it carries a lot
of weight in how they perceive your confidence
and professionalism.
Try to match the strength of the interviewer's grip,
and otherwise default to a natural but firm handshake.
Keep eye contact throughout, and end the handshake
after 2 seconds.
Now, we know times are different than they used to be,
and we can't necessarily do virtual handshakes.
But we can find ways to interact with our interviewer
and show our personality.
When you log on for a virtual interview,
be sure to call them by their name,
project your voice with energy, and have a few topics in mind.
An example of this may sound like, "Hey there, Sally!
It's great to virtually meet you.
Thanks for taking the time to speak with me today,"
all while smiling and connecting with your interviewer.
If you have multiple people that you're speaking with,
say hello, introduce yourself, and let
the interviewers take the lead.
Mirror your interviewer.
As humans, we naturally trust people who behave similarly
to us, so mirroring can help build rapport by intentionally
creating a sense of sameness.
And this could be as simple as seeing your interviewer tilting
their head, and you following suit right after.
Now, tread carefully here, because we can easily
overdo this in a way that is clearly disingenuous.
Take some time observing your interviewer's demeanor,
and then adopt it.
Beyond gestures, you can aim to mirror your interviewer
by considering their general behavior.
Are they chatty, strictly business, soft-spoken?
Whatever it is, try to match your energy level to theirs,
without being obvious, of course.
Create an open posture.
Show that you're attentive and engaged
by keeping your arms uncrossed and leaning forward
slightly at the hip, as if you're leaning
into the conversation itself.
And this all applies to virtual interviewing as well,
with the additional note that, since you're on screen,
stillness is even more important.
So try hard to avoid fidgeting, swaying in your seat,
or touching your face.
Tip 3: Practice your personal pitch.
One prompt that you can 100% count
on being asked in an interview is, tell me about yourself.
And this is when you provide your professional elevator
pitch.
We have a lot to say on this topic, which you can
learn about in this video here.
But to quickly summarize, I recommend the following.
Explain your history by starting with your present role.
Where are you now?
And this can include your current title, company,
and primary contributions.
Then explain your past.
How did you get here, and where did your interest in this field
come from?
Finally, touch on your future.
What future goals or ambitions do you bring to the role today?
The present, past, future format allows
for a seamless transition to discussing the role at hand.
When talking about your past and present,
focus on explaining your key accomplishments,
not your daily duties.
The goal is to seem like someone who is actively
contributing to a company, not just following directions.
And numbers or metrics are always
helpful to make your impact concrete.
Finally, tailor this pitch for every interview.
Make sure that you're referencing
your specific research about the company or role
when discussing your interest.
Tip 4: Let the employer lead the conversation around salary.
Always let the employer bring up salary first.
And keep in mind that recruiters are
trained to get you to reveal a target number,
but ultimately, they already know how much budget
is allocated for the role.
If you're asked for salary range in the early round,
deflect the question back to the interviewer
by saying something like, "Since I'm
in the process of learning about the role,
I'm continuing to evaluate my salary expectations.
What salary have you set aside for the right candidate?"
If the recruiter for some reason encourages you to share first
in an early interview, try to provide a wide enough range,
with the bottom number still being something
that you would consider taking.
Remember, the recruiter's goal is
to see if you're within budget, not to set your actual offer
salary.
As you progress in the rounds, you
can get more specific about what number
you're seeking if the employer asks.
But remember that negotiation doesn't actually
begin unless you have an offer in hand.
Once you have that offer, you move
from being a replaceable candidate
to their number-one hire.
You have the power.
But until you have that offer, I recommend not discussing salary
unless the employer discusses it first.
For a full video on how to approach the topic of salary
during the job interview process, check this out.
Tip 5: Refine your "why's."
There are 2 key why questions that you
should prepare for and keep in mind throughout the interview.
First is, why should we hire you?
And the second is, why do you want to work here?
You may be asked these questions directly, or you may not.
But these are the central issues that a potential employer
is evaluating during the hiring process.
Take some time to think both of these answers
through until you can succinctly explain why you're the best
candidate for the role and how this company ties
into your long-term goals.
If you can convince the employer of these things,
you'll demonstrate that you're not only qualified,
but you're also incredibly enthusiastic and motivated
to produce great work.
When it comes to the actual interview,
look for ways to conclude your responses on other topics
by tying into either why you're confident about your candidacy,
or why you're excited about the opportunity.
This will provide impact to your statements
and reinforce your message to the interviewer.
For example, when asked, "Tell me about something
you're proud of in your current role,"
there's a big difference between saying, "I'm proud of the fact
that I was able to increase sales by 50% this quarter,"
and "I'm very proud of the fact that I
was able to increase sales by 50% this quarter,
and I'm excited by this role's goal of increasing sales
by 80% in the next year.
The challenge of that increased quota motivates me,
and my past speaks to the fact that I'm
capable and eager to rise to the occasion."
See, tying in your why's creates big impact.
Tip 6: Get ready to answer the question that you're afraid of.
Whether it's a possible weakness in your application
or questions about salary, everybody
has a topic that they're especially
worried about encountering in an interview.
And sometimes, we may want to cross our fingers
and hope that we won't be asked, or we
might want to provide a slightly evasive response in the moment.
But my advice here is to combat your anxiety
by confronting it head on.
Expect that you will be asked that question,
and prepare for it.
For example, if you were let go from your last position,
focus on preparing for that to be discussed,
and find a way to frame it in an honest but positive light.
The goal here isn't to memorize an answer.
It's to create a few mental bullet
points that are going to help you confidently
navigate the issue.
And remember, you don't have to share all the personal details.
You control the narrative.
So if you're talking about a mistake that you made
or a conflict that you had, focus
on what you learned from the experience
and how it's helped you grow as a professional.
For a video that lists the top 10 trickiest interview
questions, along with recommended strategies
for responding to them, check this out.
Tip 7: Adapt your interview approach
to the stage of hiring that you're in.
The structure and focus of interviews
change as the hiring process progresses.
For example, first-round interviews
are typically a screener call with a recruiter,
while final interviews may be with a hiring manager
or with a group of senior employees.
Your approach should change accordingly.
For example, in early interviews,
whether it's a recruiter screener
call or a short interview conducted by a member of HR,
the interviewer aims to quickly narrow the pool of applicants.
Basically, early interviewers are looking for reasons
to eliminate.
And for these interviews, closely study the job posting,
and confirm your qualification by aligning yourself
to the description.
Use the same language as the job posting
when describing yourself.
The recruiter may literally be checking yes
or no next to each item, so try to be specific.
Now, there's no need to provide long responses or much nuance
here unless prompted.
But here's a Pro-tip: Phone screens are interviews.
Take screening seriously, and come
prepared to talk about why you want the specific role.
Don't just say, "I want to work for your company
because of the great culture I hear about,"
or just talk about why you don't like your current position.
Be prepared to discuss your experience in a concise way.
As the hiring process progresses,
the interviewers' goals change.
At a certain point, it's clear that you can do the work,
and there's nothing wrong with your application.
Instead, your interviewers are looking
for a distinguishing reason to say yes
to you instead of everyone else.
So if you just stick to aligning yourself perfectly
with the job description, you aren't really
giving them a sense of why you're particularly special.
At this stage, think critically about what
uniquely makes you the best fit for the position,
and highlight that.
Maybe you're going to add value in an area
that they didn't even know they needed.
Plus, at this point, it's typically
a hiring manager that you're speaking with,
meaning that you can get more technical and nuanced
with your answers.
Finally, as promised, here's a bonus tip
that you can use to your advantage
throughout the whole hiring process.
Use the screener call to help shape your approach
in future interviews.
Remember, recruiters benefit if you get hired.
So if they decide that you're a possible candidate,
their goal in the screener call is
to give you as much information as possible about what
the hiring manager wants.
This information contains the keys
on how to present yourself moving forward.
Take detailed notes on what the recruiter says, and consider
how you can implement that insight into future interviews.
And if you don't feel like they shared much beyond what
you already know, feel free to ask
them things like, "What does the hiring manager value
most in an applicant?"
or, "Is there a part of my background
that you feel would be particularly valued
in this role?"
Try to get their perspective on what's
most important to emphasize about yourself moving forward.
All right, let's quickly review the top 7 tips
to propel your interview skills.
1.
In the research phase, make your goal to know your audience.
And once you understand them, figure out
how to appeal to them.
2.
Understand the fundamentals of body language.
Perfect your handshake, mirror your interviewer,
and create an open, engaged posture.
3.
Practice your personal pitch.
After you explain what you do now and how you got here,
create a smooth transition by explaining
how your future career goals align
with this specific opportunity.
4.
Let the employer lead the conversation around salary.
Remember, until you have an offer in hand,
negotiation can't happen.
5.
Refine your "why's."
Be clear on why you're the best person for the job
and why you want to work for this company.
Even if you aren't directly asked these questions,
you can create impact to all of your responses
by concluding in a way that touches on a why.
6.
Get ready to answer the question that you're afraid of.
To reduce anxiety and be fully prepared,
assume that you will be asked that nerve-wracking interview
question, and prepare some mental bullet points.
7.
Adapt your interview approach to the stage of hiring you're in.
It's best to keep it succinct and directly
tied to the job description in a screener call.
As you advance, look for ways to distinguish yourself
from the pack.
And don't forget that bonus tip: Use the screener call
to your advantage.
Make it your goal to learn all you can
about what the company and the hiring manager
value so that you can tailor your personal pitch
accordingly.
If you found this helpful, please
hit the like button down below and subscribe to our channel.
For more interviewing tips, I recommend
checking out this playlist.
And for a video on 6 different ways to answer
"Tell me about yourself," be sure to check this out.
Thank you so much for watching, and we'll see you next time.
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