Thermoforming Report

Interviewing: Good Reminders!

We all know that interviews are going to be part of finding a new opportunity. They are a given, happening multiple times throughout the hiring process, and are probably the most critical part of the hiring decision. Remember, your resumé helps get you an interview, but it’s the interviews that gets you the job!

So why are people typically not very good at it?!? 

Like most things, it is a skill, and unless you use it often, you tend to lose your edge. (Well, you really don’t hope to use it often, though… right?)

As a recruiter who connects great talent to great opportunities within great companies, sharing these good reminders on interviews is part of my job! So, with hiring on the upswing, I wanted to share my top interviewing tips for candidates!

[We’ll focus on candidates in this article and get into the client/company interviewing approach in our upcoming August blog post.]

The Setup and the Call

For phone and video interviews, the setup is more important than you think. First impressions really matter!

Choose the location and environment of your call very carefully. Being somewhere so that both you and your interviewer are not distracted is a very good thing. You really want to work to be heard and for the interviewers to hear you. Background noise can be tough to overcome – and very distracting!

Be prepared to take notes. It is important to jot down the questions you get asked, who you are meeting with and their titles, and their answers to your questions that occur at the end of the interview. The process tends to encompass several interviews, so this kind of information is very handy to have as you progress.

Technology is great, but there are times when problems happen. Do not hesitate to speak up if the signal is breaking up! It becomes very difficult to answer a question or learn a key piece of information if the call quality is not good. We all live with it and understand it when it happens so inject yourself as needed when problems arise.

Be ready for the call ahead of time, especially for a video call.  Get yourself settled and ready to go. There is nothing that will get you more anxious than scrambling a bit to get set up right before the call and something weird happens… and now you’re late. No, it wasn’t your fault, and it usually isn’t a big deal. BUT, now you are flustered, which isn’t a good way to start an interview! (Did I mention that first impressions really matter?)

Lastly, if the call doesn’t happen on time, don’t be overly concerned. We are all busy. But, if you’re on the call and the other party isn’t – and I can’t stress this enough – do not wait longer than 5-7 minutes! I’ve had a video call recently where both parties connected… but the calling program didn’t actually connect them together. Both were frustrated. Both felt like they were stood up. It is understandable to feel that way. However, it is very uncommon to be a no-show for an interview! Something has gone wrong. It happens. But do something about it… now.  Send an email to your contacts. If you have a backup phone number, call it. If you are working with Siena Group, call us! We block our calendars during all interviews for the sole purpose of being there if needed.

The Prep and the Conversation

There are no secrets to interviewing. As mentioned above, it is a learned skill. That learning process is all about preparation.  So, invest the necessary time to knock it out of the park when you get that interview! 

For this part, prepare yourself to talk about your scope and accountabilities and the results you’ve delivered in your various roles. Both of these – scope and results – are important, but those hard results are critical!  When coaching on refining resumes, I share that, “I need to know what you do for a living, but it is more important to know what you’ve done!” Well, this same principle also applies to the inevitable interview question, “Tell me about yourself”! 

No doubt, the variety of questions that can and will be asked during the interview will vary depending on your role and scope. The key reminder is that most good questions are open-ended and allow you as the candidate to highlight your successes.  When you get a generalized question – “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” is a good example – reply specifically and connect it to the opportunity. A general answer is ok, but the hiring manager needs to have a high level of confidence you will be successful and that means connecting your strengths to the actual needs and challenges facing whomever gets hired. So, the prep you do before the interview to understand the role and the company is essential for questions like these.

Here’s a big tip: be succinct.  Do not ramble! Share your highlight and result… and then be quiet. The interviewer has several key things they want to learn in the allotted time. If you are telling your life story, they don’t get to ask enough questions and therefore not enough information is communicated. It tends to generate a “no thanks” when it wraps up.

Remember, the interview is all about the hiring manager learning and feeling comfortable with your ability to do the job and do it well. It is about what you can do for them, not what they can do for you! Yes, you know they will be better with you on the team, but it is all about meeting their need, correcting their problem, delivering on their KPIs, and so on. 

Lastly, be energetic and excited! It translates over the phone and on video more than you realize. You don’t need to go crazy and jump up and down on the chair and make things awkward (does anyone remember Tom Cruise on Oprah 10 years or so ago?!? It was painfully awkward.) But, being flat or disinterested certainly needs to be avoided.

The Close

Any good salesperson will talk about the importance of the close. A strong finish is critical. Just ask American Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky’s latest gold medal, Olympic-record swim, who finished the women’s 1,500 meter freestyle final more than 10 seconds ahead of the silver medal finisher!

For interviews, a good close can be successfully accomplished in a number of ways. My coaching is all about being direct, restating your interest in the role and company, and asking to clarify anything that you may have shared that caused any doubt that you are a great fit for the role. It is simple, but effective because you may be able to immediately address a question that the interviewer had, and it could help you get to the next step!

The Onsite

You made it! The all-important onsite interview. This section could be an entire article in and of itself! There are a lot of people that can do the job well. The few who aligned the best were interviewed, and typically it comes down to one or two candidates who get invited to come to the plant.  And it usually boils down to fit, chemistry, and cultural alignment – the soft and squishy things. Yes, being able to tackle the key challenges remains number one in the minds of the hiring manager and key influencers of the decision.  But, how you connect with your team, your peers, and your leaders also makes a tremendous impact!

Two things I like to emphasize when coaching the onsite interview: (1) you are being interviewed the second you walk in the door and (2) the tour.  The first one is self-explanatory.  Every person you interact with is part of the interview.  Therefore, make great first impressions during your entire visit!

The second one is the only softball you will get during the entire process – the tour.  Your ability to observe, interact, and interface with your environment and the people in it is paramount.  And then you get the very common question, “What did you think?”, that’s the slow pitch softball that you need hit out of the park! 

Be specific. Highlight the great things you saw. Ask great questions based on things you feel like need to be addressed.  Be respectful but be honest and specific. The worst mistake you can make – a swing and a miss – is to be too general in your response to this question!

And then close well by asking that same question: “Can I clarify any concerns you may have that I’m a great fit for this awesome opportunity?!? I’d love to be part of the team!”

Prepare, practice, prepare some more… and then land that job!

As your Thermoforming Talent Partner, we represent clients AND candidates! We’re here to help in any and every way possible! We provide hiring strategies, priority candidate searches, job searches, client & candidate introductions, interview tips, résumé facelifts, resignation strategies, and much much more. LET’S STRENGTHEN YOUR SEARCH!