Plenty folks have been asking me for career advice recently. I couldn't sleep while thinking about this so I'm writing some of it down. This post will share a bit of my perspective for the interview component of the job search. I am not a hiring or placement professional, nor do I claim any expertise in this realm. My perspective on this topic is shaped through observations made over a few years while having been on both sides of the table for something like 800 interviews, give or take 10%. When reading, please bear in mind that it's often said that I'm considered to be a tough interviewer/judge/grader and these are my personal thoughts while being tired and grumpy ;)
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As an interviewer, the primary purpose of chatting to evaluate a candidate's suitability for the advertised position. This is done by addressing three key questions during the course of the interview:
- Are you competent for this role?
- Why you specifically?
- Do we get along and will you fit in?
As an interviewee, I need to make sure those three marks are hit during the course of the interview. I also need to determine if I understand what the true requirements for the role are, whether I am really capable of doing it, whether I even want to do it, and how the potential experience aligns with my personal objectives for development and/or advancement.
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Some other tips:
- You got the interview, yippee! When you receive an offer to participate in a screening interview, it's quite likely that you've already been deemed 'good enough' for the job based on your on-paper qualifications. The screening interview is to ensure what's on paper matches what's in the 'real' package. Please have confidence knowing this to be the case! :) the selection interview that follows is to then pick the most suitable candidate (read: not necessarily most qualified). Hmmm... sometimes, at smaller organizations, these are merged and dealt with in the same interview.
- Do your research. Please. Extensively, if time permits. There are a host of fantastic resources (free!!) to help you get a deep understanding of the organization and/or role. Personally, as an interviewer, and with many others I've spoken to, if we feel that you have not done at least some of your due diligence, you will not receive our blessings for selection (with very few exceptions). Mainly, this is because it shows a disrespect for the organization and our time. There is an amplified sentiment for this in the case of professional services companies (law, accounting, tax, consulting, engineering, architecture) and roles that are not primarily internal-facing.
- Practice with many different people who have varying levels of experience and knowledge. Engage with friends, family, pets (holler at my cat Niu Niu for listening to me ramble about stuff), randos in coffee shops, whoever! This will better reflect the diversity of interviewers you are likely to encounter. No do-overs during practice if you made it all awkward; things happen in real interviews too.
- Related to practice, it's a particularly uncomfortable and valuable exercise to record yourself answering questions for several interviews, watching the interaction, shuddering, and adjusting until you get it right. For me, it was a special kind of torture that bred a ton of humility and mad respect for performers :)
- Having a list of references to provide is a good start, but it's even better to prepare the people who are your references (please!). They are most likely busy people so you should be doing the legwork on this. Please help them be aware of why you are applying right now, what you have applied for, anticipated timelines, expectation of time commitment or availability for them, and so on; provide enough, but not too much information. Remember to thank your references regardless of your job search results!
- Interviewing doesn't have to be stressful and rejection is not necessarily bad. If you think of interviewing like the dating that comes before entering a relationship, wouldn't you want to figure out all the compatibility juju before getting into something serious? It's a two-way dialogue that needs to happen (read: it's not all about you!!). Fairness, respect, and honesty are super important. The terms & conditions have to be right for both parties.
- Comparing yourself to others is a very toxic behaviour and all kinds of nasty unhealthy for your mind and spirit. Try to avoid this :) focus on doing your best!
- Related to the above comparison of interviewing to dating, have fun with the journey!
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Note: I think that my tips are generally applicable, but it is definitely focused on the demographic of people who are earlier (<10 cumulative years) into their career. Beyond that [super arbitrary threshold I made up at midnight], there really needs to be a very deliberate and clear conversation about value creation (i.e. outcomes which result in material impact to the organization achieving its mission).
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There are a ton of great resources out there on this topic so I won't drain it. Had fun writing this down to get it out of my brain :) thanks for reading and goodnight!