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The first rule of job interviewing
Be your authentic self and apply to job roles that match your experience and ambitions.
You want the company to hire you for who you are and your skills, experience and potential. But that does not mean you can just “wing it”. A job interview is a performance that can have a meaningful impact in your career and life and it requires your diligent preparation.
I have conducted hundreds of job interviews and know it is a flawed method, subject to the biases and perceptions of interviewers, who often do not perform the job they are hiring for. By being authentic and well-prepared, you can convince the hiring manager that you are the right fit for the job.
This guide provides advice on achieving those goals. It is primarily addressed to early-career professionals, but can be used a good reminder for more experienced interviewees.
Applying for jobs
Do your research and learn about the company business and its culture. Ideally, apply for jobs that match your qualifications and can provide a good learning experience, in companies you believe in.
While your basic resume should be a good representation of your professional experience and capabilities, tailor it to highlight certain experiences and skills. For example, if the job description lists a specific programming language or a software tool and you have that corresponding experience, make sure your resume include those keywords.
Applying for jobs using forms in company career pages might be part of a job hunt, but is a long shot. Networking and referrals significantly increase your changes of landing an interview. Find someone who knows someone who can refer you, request informational interviews.
Interview basics
You got an interview. That means your resume was deemed compatible with the job and you are one of the handful of candidates being considered. If odds were against you before, they are now in your favor (everyone in the room want you to be hired and end the search for candidates). Shift into a positive mindset.
If you know who is going to interview, spend the time to study their profile on LinkedIn.
Show up on time and dress professionally. If you are interviewing with a tech startup in Silicon Valley for an engineering role, jeans and T-shirt might be ok. If it is a sales job, dress as you would visiting a client. If it is a video interview, find a good background and lighting and make sure you have a solid Internet connection.
Be yourself, but showcase the nice, positive and high-energy side of yourself. Bring a pen and a notebook, it is ok to have notes, but don’t depend on them. Silence your cellphone. The interviewers are more experienced and they want to go through their script, so they will usually conduct the meeting.
Prepare for each interview and perform the part
By the time you sit down to interview, you must know the job description, the company business, the profile of your interviewers. Be prepared to showcase your attributes that match the requirements during the interview conversation. Nervous and prepared wins over calm and clueless.
Rehearse your part and practice a mock interview with a friend or mentor with experience in hiring. It is a small investment that has the biggest impact on the outcome of your interview. Just do it.
Job interviewing is an art and most interviewer will ask predictable questions.
- Talk about yourself – Practice a concise, meaningful, fluid, memorable speech typically delivered early in the interview. Highlight the experiences and skills that are relevant to the company/job. Read body language and be prepared to answer questions or go one layer deeper. Finish by declaring your interest in the role and why you decided to apply for it.
- Factual questions – Answer factual questions truthfully and confidently. For example: “I am good with spreadsheets. I have done this and that <relevant anecdote>. While I have not played with macros or built pivot tables, I am a faster learner, so I feel ready to take the challenges of this role.”
- Behavioral questions – Usually take one of two forms: (1) “Suppose you are faced with this situation… how would you handle it?” or (2) “Tell me about a situation where you were faced with this situation… how did you handle it?” The “situation” is relevant to the company culture. Conflict, objections, collaboration, priorities are common subject of those questions. Have a collection of 5-6 anecdotes that can be adapted on the fly to answer those questions meaningfully. For more, including the “STAR” (Situation, Task, Action, Results) framework, see this article.
- Role-specific Knowledge – Interviewers might ask factual or behavioral questions that are specific to the skills or experience needed for the job. Handle those questions as above, truthfully and confidently.
- Ask questions and close the deal – If you have concerns, ask the question (you will usually be given the opportunity to ask questions towards the end of the interview). Listen to and acknowledge the answer. Don’t waste the opportunity to ask questions. For example: “As I take this role, what is the main success criteria and what are my opportunities to learn and grow my career?”. Before giving up the microphone, make sure to “close the deal”: State your continuing interest, repeat the reason why you believe you are the best candidate for the job.
After the interview
After the interview, you might send an email to the interviewers thanking then for their time and again expressing your interest on the job and confidence about performing it. Depending on the interview results and other candidates, you might get a final answer within minutes or weeks. Regardless of the answer, always be professional.
Embrace the concept that interview panels are trying to do a good job. Trust the method, give it your best, be yourself, and believe the process is good identifying a good match. If you take that attitude, preparing for an interview becomes a lot easier and more natural.
It is likely you will get a few “No” answers before you get a job, particularly if you have not prepared properly. It might hurt your ego for a day or so, but it should be seen as an opportunity to learn and succeed in the right future opportunity
Follow-up Action
It is your responsibility as a candidate, to prepare and perform to maximize what you communicate to interviewers in the short interaction.
Don’t skip steps. Spend some time browsing available roles so you understand them. Get a referral if you know an insider. Prepare for interviews the same way you prepare for anything important in your career.
Take the time to share this post with a mentor and practice a mock interview. Also take the time to share with a friends who might be considering applying for jobs.
About the author
Marcio is a technology veteran both in large corporate and startups. He has conducted interviews and hired hundreds of people along his 35-year career. Marcio provides career coaching, including preparations for interviewing or setting up for success in a new leadership role.
Marcio Saito 
