So, you’ve made it through the hard part and now it’s time to speak with the hiring manager. It’s important to prepare for this properly so that you are positioning yourself in the best light. Some of these steps may seem rudimentary but understanding them and keeping it simple will put you a step up on your competition.
Finding a quiet room with a strong signal. Using a landline is preferred but if you are using a headset, make sure that the connection is there so that it doesn’t sound as if you are on speaker or in a wind tunnel. You also want to interview in a quiet environment, so you and the hiring manager can freely communicate. Screaming children and barking dogs can cause an undesired distraction.
- Do some research on the company. Most interviewers would find it positive to know that you have already taken an interest in them and their company rather than just showing up and nothing more.
- Have a one-minute commercial about yourself. The interviewer only knows you by your resume at this point and having a brief introduction can help them understand your personality and goals. It is important not to carry on and have the introduction take too much of allotted time though, so keeping this around a minute is generally appreciated.
- Have the job description and your resume in front of you. This can be used to highlight some accomplishments where you added value that correlate to that specific role. This also allows you to ask intelligent questions regarding the work environment, responsibilities, and expectations.
- Understand the questions and use checkback phrases. Most of the time when a candidate answers a question incorrectly, it’s not because they don’t know the right answer, it’s because they didn’t understand the question. It’s human nature to hear some keywords and automatically associate it with our process regardless of what the question was actually about. Asking “is that what you were looking for?” can stop you from going down the wrong direction.
- Ask closing questions. After you are finished, ask what the next steps are. This is going to be your first glimpse at the buying signs of the interviewer and they may tip their hand as to how they think it went. If they are asking about when you can be onsite and additional details, this is a great sign for you.
Interviewers can tell if a candidate was properly prepared for their interview. Follow these tips and both you and the interviewer will appreciate that you did.