A few interviewing tips

I was speaking to out an out of work friend this weekend who brought up the subject of interviewing. Unfortunately, he was upset and worried that he blew a job opportunity (one of few that had responded to him) because of his poor performance during the interview. So we started talking about interview “best practices” and I thought I would share some of the results of our conversation. In previous jobs, I’ve done A LOT of interviewing and quickly learned what made people successful in an interview versus what made people fail.

1. Be positive: This was always one of the biggest ones for me. A positive attitude says a lot about the type of person you are hiring. That means a smile, a positive outlook on previous employers, an excitement about the current opportunity. It’s a big turnoff when interviewees talk badly about previous employers. If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it at all…
2. Engage the interviewer: It sounds like a cliché, but the interview is also your chance to ask the interviewer questions and find out if the company seems right for you too. So engage the interviewer and ask them questions. And ask good questions (I always felt thoughtless or pointless questions were a turnoff). Ask questions that the interviewer would be interested in answering. “Do you have any challenging clients? What makes them challenging”. You need to figure out what the interview likes to talk about and try to hit that spot with a question.
3. Stand out: Just like with a resume, you want your interview to stand out. So don’t just talk about what you have done in the past. Talk about what you have done in the past and then explain how it relates to the current opportunity. This will help the interviewer associate you with the role.
4. Look and listen: Look the interviewer in the eye. Look interested (even if they start to bore you a little). Body language is huge. There are books written on what can be read from you body language. I will just say eye contact goes a long way! Listen to what the interviewer is saying. Be careful not to cut him/her off or step on their sentences when talking. And don’t fidget. There was once an interviewee I met with who wouldn’t stop clicking his pen. He didn’t even realize he was doing it! But it was completely distracting and I couldn’t focus on a word he said.
5. Don’t talk too much: Be to the point. After your point is made, wrap it up. If you start to leave your main point or tell tangential stories, you risk losing the attention of your interviewer. If their mind starts wandering, your interview might as well be over unless you can re-engage them. So stick to the point and then turn it back over to them (or throw a question back at them).

These are just a few tips to get you started. There are some other articles on JoblessJoe and plenty of resources if you search the web. If you have any tips of your own, please feel free to share them!