Right, so I’m now done with interviews and waiting to hear the results. You’d think I’d be patient about it, that I’d be all zen, but I’m really not. I want to know. I want to know now. It’s like a huge shift in my future and I want the answers to reveal themselves. Alakazam!
I was asked recently about interviewing tips. I’ve done a lot of interviewing in my time and I’m of the general opinion that if you can get the interview, you can get the job – I’ve only had two interviews that didn’t turn into jobs, so maybe I’m doing something right. I had a family member that was a hiring manager, and they gave me a lot of tips on what hiring managers look for. So that, combined with my experience in sitting on the other side of the table hoping no one noticed my nerves, is what is making me write up this post. I am not an expert in any way, shape, or form, I only know what’s worked for me and what I’ve been told in feedback. I know a lot of folks in HR read here, so please jump in with suggestions or clarifications.
So. How to interview, Helen Style.
1) Don’t lie. At all. It’s true that most people embellish their CV (curriculum vitae, which is like a longer version of resumé used over here) or resumé (which, unless you’re Bill Gates or God, should typically be no more than 2 pages long) but in my experience a lot of potential employers will walk through your CV with you line by line. Lie on it and they’ll catch you. By all means, think creatively – if you can see that a scope of one of your roles grew, then make sure you list that, as it makes you seem flexible and dependable. But don’t make shit up – nothing shows you to be more unreliable than to be caught in a lie.
2) Believe in yourself. Maybe you’re like me, in that you struggle to believe in yourself sometimes. But show up with your back straight, your head high, and a smile on your face. They want you there for a reason. They are interested in you. Don’t feel insecure, they want to meet with you. And when you shake hands, be firm. Grasp the hand. Pump up and down (not a huge amount, you are not Arnie) twice. Then let go. Try to be confident, even if you don’t feel it.
3) Dress the part. In general, unless you’re going for something quirky, then you need to wear a suit. We’re not talking Prada here – my first business suit came from a used clothing shop. My second one came from Kohl’s. My current one came from Next. I’m not a big believer in splashing out big money on a suit for a first interview, if that’s what you’ll have to wear at work then wait until you get the role. You can’t go wrong with a simple black suit and simple heels. Men – a tie, cufflinks, and take off any jewelry apart from a watch and wedding ring. Ladies, wear very little perfume, keep makeup extremely light, wear very little jewelry. You want to be remembered for you, not as “the chick with too much rouge on”.
4) Don’t get flummoxed. There seems to be a new trend in interviewing, whereby managers throw out completely random shit in hopes of catching you out. I’ve had it twice now – once in being asked what the square root of 500 is, and once I was asked to explain analogue versus digital transmission. Managers do this to find out how you’ll react under pressure, how you’ll respond to being on the spot. Keep your cool. In case of a maths question, try to work it out. If you don’t know, admit it. Don’t make something up. The best method? “I’m not entirely sure what the answer is, but I’ll take a note on it and come back to you with a response.” Then write the question down. And come back to them with an answer, it shows you follow things up.
5) Why yes, you have fucked up. Managers tend to ask you when something you’ve done has failed. Don’t say you’ve never failed – a manager once told me if someone tells him they’ve never screwed something up then automatically they’re out of the running, as they’re almost certainly lying and they haven’t learned any important lessons. Surely you’ve made a mistake. I know I definitely have. I come clean, too – I use the example of a project I was brought onto that I simply couldn’t work with the customer, no matter how hard I tried. And then I explain how I won’t let that happen again (which hopefully it doesn’t because that’s one incredibly stressful situation).
6) Where are you going? They all ask where you see yourself in 5 years. I hate that question, I think they ask because they’re looking for ideas. I have a standard response: I don’t ever see myself as CEO. I don’t even want to be at that level. I do see myself continuing in this area, hopefully with greater responsibility and opportunity. And the truth is, I actually mean that.
If I don’t win the lottery first, of course.
7) What do you think you need to improve? Again, you need an example. No one’s perfect. I always use the fact that I need to work on delegating more. It’s true, although not maybe my biggest problem, but it shows I have flaws and that I acknowledge them (if only they knew how horrific I am at ironing, or dealing with the Swunt, or filing paperwork at home, or any number of fuck-ups I deal with on a regular basis).
8) What’s your greatest strength? They want to know what you’ll bring to the mix. I always say – and it’s because this is what I honestly believe – that I have very high energy and a willingness to learn and deliver. It’s a good thing to say because it shows you’re pro-active, while at the same time can help cover the fact that you’re not an expert at something but willing to work on it.
9) Follow-up. It’s divided on how to handle this one – I know in the States you were supposed to sit back and wait for them to come back to you. Not so over here – you send a thank you for having the opportunity to interview. You will probably phone them after a week to see if there are any questions you can help to answer. You have to seem like you are almost (emphasis on the almost) chasing the managers up, as it shows you’re keen on the position. They like that here, although I am not sure if in the States that’s the case.
10) Resumé /CV – print one out and take it with you. This shows you’re prepared. Your information should strive to answer the question “What?” to every line. What have you done? What did it benefit the company/business/orgnaization? What are the advantages? Try to be as clear as possible.
I’m definitely not an expert on this, so please chime in. I’m sure there’s more. Maybe there’s less. Your input appreciated!
-H.
Always a thank you letter. Usually a call about 4 or 5 days later and subsequent (no more than once a week) calls to check up. Interested, not desperate is the tone you are going for in the States.
As one who will be job searching in the next few weeks, I appreciate this. I always wonder how different people answer all these questions they shoot at you. I haven’t had much experience in the interviewing. A lot of different jobs that I have had have been because I knew the person hiring. Or they have been no- brainer jobs, or I have been an owner of the company lol. Interviewing makes me cringe.
I shall get this tattooed on a hidden part of my body, then hopefully I won’t keep getting fucking rejected. Ahem. No bitterness here, oh no, not me!
Anyway, after a recent interview two people told me about the follow-up thank you letter, which I thought was shocking. Those two people are American, and I thought that the British certainly wouldn’t go for such a bold attempt at ingratiating one’s self, but from what you said this is not the case! I will add that perhaps this varies from sector to sector, since neither myself nor my husband have come across this in Higher Ed jobs. Hell, what do I know, I’m the stupid cow who can’t get a job. Please see bitterness, referenced above.
WOW, thank you, Helen! Interesting and (for me) timely. Bookmark.
Thanks so much for those tips. I just get so nervous during interviews, I can never imagine why they would hire someone like me. I really need to change that attitude.
I work in the US, public sector. What do folks think about sending the thank-you via email? When I’m the one doing the hiring, its fine with me either way – mailed or emailed (but I expect one). I think it is totally ok to ask the person hiring what their interviewing/hiring time frame is, and when/how you may contact them to follow up or inquire. Personally, I’d rather the subsequent check-ins be via email, as I’m often not at my phone and neither are other people, so it ends up being a bit of phone tag just to say, “I’m just checking in on your process, still very interested in the job.” Curious what others think…
For very nervous people: excercise it with your partner. First it is a lot of fun, because he or she is allowed to ask really nasty questions, and second, you get a feed back to your looking, clothes, voice and appearance, and the sentences get fixed in your brain.
We did it with our son, he got the job /education in the company three years ago!
I’ve always been told that the thank you is a must. My two other key things are:
1) Resume. Make yourself sound great without exaggeration. It’s all in the verbage. I had a friend who was sending out resumes that actually said (and this is only one small bit) “Everyday duties included fetching material for the mechanics, delivering material and payroll to other jobs, helping to excavate, pour, and finish jobs.” When I redid his resume to read, among other things, “Responsibilities included acquiring all needed materials for job mechanics, assisting management by delivering materials and payroll to additional job sites, site excavation, and pouring and finishing concrete jobs,” he was floored. Best quote? “You made me sound awesome and you didn’t even lie!”
If you aren’t great at writing resumes, find a friend that is and have them help you. That’s how I learned.
2) Confidence. My last job was not a great place for me. I loved my job, and the folks I worked with, but it paid total shit and I took a lot of heat there from the execs, who never thought I was bringing in enough money. My manager, however, loved me. He always made me feel like a rockstar employee. When I began interviewing, I had a new found confidence. I knew I was shit-hot at my job, and that “I know I can handle whatever you throw at me” attitude helped me in extraordinary ways – including a 25% salary increase. Give yourself a pep talk before an interview. If you had a good employee review last year, ask to see it and read over it to remind yourself that you are an asset. Fake it until you make it. Do whatever you need to do to walk in like you own the room – like it’s their big ass loss if they don’t hire you.
And then send a thank you. Seriously.
Always send a thank you note immediately after the interview, preferably via post mail not email. And make a follow-up phone call checking in one week after sending the thank you note.
Do your research about both the hiring manager (if possible) and the company before the interview. Both show enthusiasm, preparation and initiative. Have at least two intelligent questions about the company and two about the position you are interviewing for ready to go.
I’m HR and have done more than my share of hiring. I currently supervise several of our corporate recruiters and will pinch hit if necessary. I interview people regularly – at least on a weekly basis.
My biggest tip:
If you are female, do not talk about your family. They legally can’t ask (in the US, anyway) so this means do not volunteer info about how many children you have, child care plans, etc. Regardless of how sexist it is you will be looked at differently and discussions will likely ensue amongst the decision makers about your commitment to the job and how many sick days you’ll likely be out – not to mention the speculations on travel (if applicable).
I know it’s not fair but it is what it is.
That’s great advice. I hate the ‘where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years’ question. Because my honest answer would be – “at home, playing with my kids”. Lately I’ve felt like I had to pretend that I wanted every job, because honestly I really didn’t – but I needed the money.
You cease to amaze me, Helen.
You really ARE my role model.
And, I guess part of a job would be proof-reading. *Ahem*
You know what I meant in my last comment, right?!
Suze, in answer to your question, as the HR manager/hiring authority at work, I love thank-yous via email. They’re polite, they’re convenient, and they tell me that candidates don’t just read The Onion.
I ask the 3-5 year “where do you see yourself” question in hopes that candidates will mention something about being self-motivated. I don’t want a person who wants a “lifer” job. Don’t lie and tell me that you’re going to be in my office, still doing the same job. You’re either lying or unmotivated–neither are very appealing.
It’s awful, but I concur with Amy’s comment above. It’s wonderful that you have a family, but please don’t compare disciplining your children to the professional work you would be asked to take on. Even student employees want to be treated like adults–not like your children.
As far as personal appearance, there are two things I look at: nails (not too long; how can you get anything done with mile-long nails?) and lipstick. Blot that lipstick, please. Last week I interviewed two candidates and all I can remember about them is the “Wet and Wild” shades they chose. Tone it down.
Be cheerful. After several bad experiences, I now refuse to hire qualified but grumpy people. It’s just not worth it.
My favorite candidates are the ones who willingly admit they’ve made mistakes, but then are able to itemize how they’ve resolved those problems and strengthened themselves professionally. Inevitably these folks also have a sense of humor. Goes a long way in this world.
Hey
Great tips! I think the follow up is really important (I hire people in UK and it does something for me – makes me think the candidate cares about the role and is polite!)
My big tip (cheesy or trite as it might sound) is GENUINELY to decide if you want the job, go for it and if you get to an interview go in there with the attitude ‘I’m going to be honest and tell you why I think I am right for this role, but this is also about me checking that I am right for the role’
I used to make the mistake of treating job interviews like I treated a date – for the love of God, a guy has asked me out. MUST DO ALL I CAN TO MAKE HIM LIKE ME. MUST CHANGE EVERY ASPECT OF MYSELF THAT IS NOT PERFECT’
It doesnt work when it comes to men, and it doesnt work when it comes to jobs I dont think. You cant become someone you are not to ‘fit’ the role and it’s important to understand if you truly will fit.
But then sell, sell, sell. Dont be coy, be proud of what you have achieved!!
H – you are a star! Good luck with chosing which role is right for you!