Standing out at Interview

I am going to try to stay away from the good old generic Interview advice that you have almost certainly read many times before. You know the stuff – clean shoes, ironed shirt & a tidy haircut. Not to say this isn’t good advice but I’d like to give you some real gems

To get started prepare, prepare & prepare some more. You really can’t do too much and it’s that one gem that you come out with during interview that will make you stand out from the crowd and secure that elusive offer.

Give yourself time to prepare properly

You will require at least a couple of days to prepare before attending any kind of face-2-face interview. Don’t be pressured into moving too quickly and manage the timescales carefully with your recruiter ensuring you have dedicated time to prepare before your interview.

Research the company in detail

You would be amazed how many candidates forget this most basic advice. Think about the following at a minimum-

• Read the complete website for the company you are meeting with and makes notes on key personnel, projects and news that is included on their website. Writing things down tends to help you retain information and there is nothing wrong with refereeing to your notes during interview.
• Google online newsfeeds and get the inside news on what tenders, projects or bids may be taking place within the company. Knowledge really has the power to impress at interview and an interesting article is a great way to open up a conversation at the start of the interview.
• Try to get access to things like Hoovers or other online information portals where you can find out detailed information about the company. Again a good recruiter can often help here.
• Try to obtain copies of the companies’ annual & quarterly reports. If it’s a PLC these are easy to find online and again will really help you stand out during interview.
• Get yourself on linkedin and see if you know any existing members of staff that work there. Maybe an old colleague or school friend, this inside information can give you a real advantage. They may even act as a reference for you and an internal reference from an existing employee is worth its weight in gold.

Research the interview process

Again if you are working with a top-notch recruiter, he or she will have this information readily available for you. Make sure you know –

• What will happen at every stage?
• What tests will you be asked to complete?
• Will you need to complete a psychometric profile or similar?
• Will your interview be a 1-on-1 or panel type interview?
• Will you be asked to perform any white board tasks or role-plays?
• Do you know anyone who has interviewed with this company in the past who may give you some invaluable pointers?
• How long will the interview take? You don’t want to run out of time and rush the interview.
• How long will you have to wait for feedback?
• What will make up the subsequent stages?
• Who will be interviewing you? Try to get everyone’s name and role?

Research every interviewer

Linkedin is worth its weight in gold here. Maybe you went to the same school or university, or maybe you have worked for the same company at some point during your career. This is where we are looking for commonalities, what information can you discover that will help you to build bridges with your interviewer and give you things in common to speak about? You may even find you have a common hobby, great for breaking the ice at the start of an interview.

Take examples of your work with you to interview

Very few candidates prepare to this degree so imagine how you will stand out by taking a few cracking examples of your most impressive pieces of previous work with you to interview? Think about codes samples, design portfolios, presentations etc etc. Take it on your IPAD, a USB memory stick or email over to your interviewer prior to meeting with them. Trust me real examples of your work will speak a million words!

Go armed

With fresh ideas and concepts that will impress your interviewer. At times like this there is no such thing as a bad idea. If you know enough about the company or products they produce, start brain storming what ideas you could bring to the company. These “out of the box” ideas really can clinch it for you. I even knew one web designer who reviewed their whole website, suggested a complete re-design and finally presented all his findings to the interviewer and left it with him as a cracking presentation. Surprise surprise he got the job.

Attitude

• Don’t be defensive – Interviews can go either way; it may be nice and easy or it could be tough and rigid. You have to be prepared for either. Recruiters and hiring authorities are going to ask you some tough questions: questions about your background, education, employment history, and work ethic. They are looking to see if you’re a good fit, so don’t take it personally. Show off your “exceptional communication skills” that you have prominently displayed on your resume. Be savvy but not elusive, you don’t want them to think you have something to hide. Don’t get frustrated or flustered, if they ask you a question you don’t like, repeat it back to them to see if they will clarify it. Try to answer it as best you can, but don’t get mad and say “Why are you asking me that?” They’re trying to figure out your personality, and how you react to challenges and stressful situations. Show them you are in control.
• Don’t be arrogant – Job seekers today are shooting themselves in the foot; they are coming across as way too cocky, too loquacious, too inflated, and unprofessional. Before I explain the arrogance and cocky thing, let me say this…, when you are in a job interview, turn your mobile phone off! I cannot believe how many of my manager and HR friends have told me that they have had candidates answer their phones or send text messages while in an interview. Keep it classy folks, turn it off! There is a fine line between cockiness and confidence. Try not to act as if you know it all and have never, ever made a mistake. Don’t pretend that you are the best human being to ever walk on this earth. Some folks go to interviews and proclaim that they’ve never messed up or needed to be taught. They act as if they are doing the interviewer a favor. Remember, you are the one looking for work. Don’t exaggerate your accomplishments or embellish your achievements. Overstating your duties and responsibilities comes across as unbelievable. When you come across as unbelievable, guess what? No one believes you!
• Be confident – There is a difference between cocky and confident. Confidence is when you are comfortable explaining your value and what you have accomplished without putting anyone down, being dismissive, or rude. Confidence is knowing what you are good at, have a willingness to learn, and the ability to contribute and fit into the team without any unnecessary drama. Oh, and confidence is being prepared, stating the facts and not trying to sell a bill of goods, or bluff your way through an interview.
• Be a bit old school – Call me old fashioned, but I still advise all my candidates to send a brief email to the interviewers after interview. Firstly to thank them for their time but most importantly to reconfirm their interest in the role. Never forget this is about standing out from the crowd and remaining memorable!

“Stuarts interview preparation was impressive. How easy was it for me to stand out from the crowd with just a couple of good pointers when preparing for my final panel interview. Stuart even grilled me the day before to ensure I could cope with difficult questions. Thanks again Caerusa Consulting”
Jonathan – Cloud Solutions Architect – Aug 4 2013

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