Interview Best Practices

• Make sure that you always have an updated resume. You never know when the right opportunity might land in your lap!

• Take that call with a recruiter! Worst-case scenario, it’s a 15-minute conversation for something that may not work at the time, but it makes that connection for the future.

• Be open: to advice, coaching, and to jobs you may not have thought about.

Make sure that your LinkedIn profile is updated. Especially if you are Open to Work, this will help recruiters as well as hiring managers to make sure that you are the right fit.

Fine-tune your resume. Content over creativity wins here. It doesn’t need to be the best-looking, most well-designed piece of paper, but it does need to highlight the RESULTS and IMPACT you’ve been able to make in your previous roles. Wherever possible, use data to SHOW what you were able to do. And proofread, proofread, proofread! Your resume alone will not get you the job, but we see plenty of applicants get passed up because they lack attention to detail.

Use a recruiter! We’re obviously biased here, but there are a lot of pros to working with a recruiter rather than just applying directly to the website where you hope your resume has enough keywords to make you stand out. Recruiters know the details of what’s NOT on the job description and you can get a lot more insight about the company and the role. You also have someone getting your foot in the door and advocating on your behalf.

Yes, prepare for your interviews. This doesn’t need to take hours, but show your interviewer that you’re actually interested in the opportunity. Look into the company ahead of time and prepare solid questions about the role, the company, the leadership, the product, etc. Highlight something that stood out to you in your research. Look up your interviewer’s LinkedIn profile and speak to their career path or ask what has made them successful at the company. 

It’s never. a waste of time because no matter how far along you get in the process, you are still growing personally and professionally.

• Find the company’s core values on its website. If they resonate with you, incorporate some of those themes into conversation during the interview.

• Have your specific sales numbers or achievements readily available to reference.

• Be prepared to answer “Why (Fill-in-the-blank: Company X)?” Know your reason for interviewing with the company.

• Have 5-7 questions prepared for your interviewer.

Speak positive affirmations – out loud and in front of a mirror works best no matter how awkward it feels. 

Ask if the interviewer has any hesitations on moving you to the next steps. Address any concerns head-on.

Send a thank-you email. Follow-up and follow-through are critical skills in any role and almost every hiring manager is looking for it. For us and a lot of our clients, it’s a deal-breaker if you don’t send a thank you email post-interview. Keep it brief and focused on thanking them for their time, reiterating the value you can provide, and asking for the next steps. It takes 5 minutes tops and makes all the difference.

• Have a sufficient job description ready to go. Candidates are always asking for this!

• Be sure to have a list of specifc questions that you are going over with every candidate.

Streamline your interview process. You can save your entire company time and money by creating a thoughtful interview process. Reduce it to the least amount of steps required to assess a candidate’s ability to succeed. And each interview should have a clear focus for the desired outcome. What does each interviewer need to assess? Is every candidate getting the same questions so you can objectively decide who should move to the next steps? Creating a thoughtful process will ensure quality hires and a great interview experience for both your team and your candidates. 

Absolutely! This is doubly important if you are hiring for a new position or haven’t hired for this specific role before. Don’t be afraid to grab a peer or even practice in the mirror. It’s important that you are comfortable so you can keep your focus on the candidate. 

Be conversational but maintain structure. Unstructured interviews may lead to wasted time and the need for additional (unnecessary) steps in the interview process.

• If your candidate hasn’t already asked you about the next steps – make sure you are clear on what the next steps should be for the candidate. They should have a clear picture of when they should hear back and/or what the next step in the process will be. 

• Make sure you thank them for their time.

• If it was a positive experience, a connection request on LinkedIn is a great way to build your network and let the candidate know you value them beyond the interview. 

Be mindful of candidate experience. Yes, you’re spending your valuable time interviewing candidates, but so are they. If you expect a candidate to have done research into the company, you should spend a few minutes looking over their resume and familiarizing yourself with their skillset and experience. Especially in a job market that’s in the candidate’s favor, showing your interest in them sets the tone for what their experience could be like working with you and the company. 

• Be open to candidates that may seem to be a little outside of the box. It never hurts to have that conversation to find out if they fit.

• Be flexible. Ideas for the role and candidate may change with time, as well as the ‘requirements’!

Yes, this will prove your interest in a qualified candidate, and showing your excitement can make a huge difference come offer time. We’ve seen candidates go with a company that expressed their excitement and interest over one that didn’t many times. Don’t lose out on quality talent on something easily avoidable. Reply to the thank you email or pick up the phone after an offer has been extended.