Five Keys to Acing the Job Interview

In my early years as a recruiter I had more than a few candidates who were very well-qualified for the jobs I sent them to interview for with various companies, yet did not make the first cut in the interview process. In talking to those candidates and the managers who interviewed them, I found five consistent areas where these candidates violated one or more of them and doomed their chances of moving forward in the interview process. Since that time I have learned to coach and reinforce to the candidates I submit for interviews the importance making sure that they perform well in these key areas.

1. Show up on time and know the name of the person you are there to visit. This seems like a no-brainer, but when people are traveling to an unfamiliar area and they do not know the traffic or the best route, they often underestimate how long it will take to get to their destination. When they get there, they are often so exasperated from the trip and focused on what they have learned about the job and the company that they forget the name of the person they are there to see. I tell them to allow twice as much time as they think it will take, and to write down the name of the person they are there to see. That way they are more relaxed and ready to produce their best effort in the interview.

2. Dress like you want the job. The workplace is decidedly more casual than it was a decade ago, but there are still organizations that adhere to a more formal dress code. You may see that everyone there is dressed casually, and you can dress casually as well…after you are hired. However, while you are still in the interview process, dress to impress. You can never go wrong by being dressed professionally.

3. Listen well and let the interview finish talking before you start talking. This is the number one complaint I have heard from hiring manager over the years I have in the recruiting business. It is natural to be excited and eager to share your thoughts with the interviewer, but if you start talking before the interviewer finishes his or her thoughts or questions, two thing are likely to happen. First, you might not fully understand what they are trying to say and there is a good chance you could reply to something that was not what they were saying. Second, you will irritate the interviewer and establish yourself as someone who does not listen well, and probably doom your chances of getting the job.

4. Have a list of questions written down in a notebook that you carry into the interview. The questions should focus on these topics.
A. The job: Why is it open? What are the unique challenges to the position?
B. The company: What is its competitive advantage? What is the company culture?
C. The industry: What is the interviewer’s opinion of the company’s place in the industry? What unique challenges does the industry face?

5. Close the sale! Whether you are interviewing for a sales job or not, you are selling yourself. Companies and hiring managers want to hire people who want the job and who want to join the organization. If you wait for them to ask you to take the job, you are at a decided disadvantage. You must let them know that you want it and that you think you are the best candidate for it. I typically tell my candidates to use a close such as this one. “I appreciate the opportunity to visit with you about this opportunity. Based on what I have learned about the job and the company before our time together today and what I have learned in our conversation, I think I am an excellent match for what you are seeking in the person to fill this position. I am very interested in this job and would very much like to move forward in the process. What can I do to make that happen?” Then stop talking and let them reply. By stating that you think you are a good fit for the job and that you want it, you have answered two of their three most pressing concerns. Those concerns are whether you can do the job, whether you want the job, and whether they want to work with you in the organization. If you did a good job in the interview prior to the end, you probably answered that third concern as well.

If you keep these five key elements of a successful job interview in mind, your chances of receiving an offer go up considerably.