Quinn’s Top Five Best Practices for Your Best Interview
Congratulations!
You secured an interview. Now what?
Landing the interview is a great first step, but adequately preparing for your interview will be crucial to your success. The following tips are my top five best practices for your best interview.
First:
Research the company/firm
Before your interview, you should research relevant information about the company. You will want to know what the company does, who its clients or customers are, what its values are, where the role you are interviewing for fits into the structure of the company, and any other information that you value in an employer. This information can also help you develop questions to ask the interviewer (see #5).
Secondly:
Research the interviewer
It is helpful to understand your interviewers background and role, so it is a good idea to research your interviewer on their firm or company’s website or on LinkedIn is helpful. As an attorney, I looked to see what type of law my interviewers practiced as well as how long they had been in the firm and what type of clients they worked with. I also looked to see if they had any personal interests listed because it was important for me that I shared some interests with my coworkers. Look for commonalities in your interests (professional and personal). Look for the interviewer’s bio page on their company/firm website or at their LinkedIn page.
Thirdly:
Practice your answers to common interview questions
Tell us about yourself. Your answer to this question is often the interviewer’s first impression of you and gives them the opportunity to ask you follow-up questions. If you have done your research on your interviewer, you may be able to include interests, past work experiences, or educational experiences that you know your interviewer can relate to.
Tell us about your strengths/weaknesses. For strengths, be prepared to explain why your chosen strength will make you a great candidate for the role. For weaknesses, choose a real weakness, not just a strength disguised as a weakness (i.e., I work too hard, I am a perfectionist), and make sure it is not a weakness that would prevent you from succeeding in the role.
Don’t just tell the interviewers your weakness but explain what you are doing to improve or combat it.
Why do you want to work for [company name]? Be prepared to tell the interviewer what stands out to you about the company. Is it their mission? The type of projects you would work on? The culture?
Tell us about a time when… The point of situational questions is for interviewers to understand how you approach certain situations that may arise in the role you are interviewing for, particularly, how you approach conflict or workplace dynamics. Research common situational questions for your industry and think of some anecdotes from your work, educational, or life experience that could apply to a number of situational questions.
Technical questions: Whether or not you will be asked technical questions will vary from industry to industry. If there are any technical skills listed in the job description, be prepared to demonstrate that you have them or to explain how you will gain them.
Fourthly:
Be yourself
If you have received an interview, it is likely the interviewers already know that you are qualified for the job. An interview is often used to help interviewers understand whether the candidate will be a good fit for the company and for the role. Avoid being overly formal or scripted in interviews.
Be professional, of course, but being too formal or scripted may come off as disinterested, inauthentic, or not confident. Instead, answer questions honestly, authentically, and with confidence.
Finally:
Prepare a list of questions
The number of questions that you get to ask an interviewer will vary from interview to interview. It is possible that an interviewer will spend the entirety of your interview asking you questions, but it is more likely that you will be given time to ask any of your questions. I have even been in an interview where the only two questions I was asked were, “Can you please tell us about yourself?” and “Do you have any questions for us?”
Walk into your interview with several pre-drafted questions and pay attention throughout the interview for any other questions that might arise.
