Hire Power: Unlocking Your Interview Potential
7 min read
TLDR: Prepare thoroughly: research the organisation, get clear on what you offer, practice answers, ask insightful questions. Be confident, professional, and authentic. Follow up post-interview. Remember, it's a two-way bridge connecting your skills to their needs.
I’ve interviewed quite a few people over the years. A well-planned and executed interview can be a fantastic, exciting experience and the start of something truly rewarding - a job that you love, in an organisation where you feel valued with people who become more than just 9-5 co-workers. Why wouldn’t you want to put your all into a process where you’re going to be spending 30%+ of your waking hours?
However, considering it’s such a critical gateway to one of the key aspects of our lives, I’ve sometimes been amazed at the lack of application shown by candidates which is both a waste of time for the interviewee as well as the employing organisation.
Is job-hunting a lottery? Sure getting into an interview process can be a fairly arbitrary process but there are steps you can take and thereafter, it’s all you.
Here’s my detailed recommended approach for getting the job you’ll love.
Before you Interview
Optimise your CV and LinkedIn profile. Most potential employers don't know you, so these are your first impressions. Be honest, consistent, and emphasise your accomplishments rather than listing role responsibilities. The latter is the greatest issue I see in CVs - 50% of the valuable real estate is taken up telling me what an Account Manager is, what a Financial Analyst is tasked with doing or what areas a Brand Marketeer role covers - remember that organisations hire someone who has achieved things, not someone who knows what their job description covered, so be explicit and let your key achievements stand out.
Leverage your network. For senior roles especially, having an advocate can be crucial. Even if your contact doesn't know the hiring manager directly, a professional recommendation can set you apart from other applicants. Put yourself in the shoes of the hiring manager - you might have 200 applicants for a role and yet here you have a message from someone of relative seniority talking to you about someone who’s just applied for the role, letting you know how highly they think of them. Why wouldn’t that pique your interest?
Preparing for a First Interview
Great - you’ve made the shortlist. Acing the first interview is critical - so don’t hold back in your preparation thinking you can bring out the big guns in round 2 or 3 - you may not get there. An initial interview is nearly always with the hiring manager, among others, and is designed to answer a fundamental question: “Can this person do the role?”
1. Make Time - if you’re given an option on timing, make sure that you’re giving yourself a more than adequate amount of time to prepare (see below for what to cover). Interviewing is generally a stressful process in any case without the added pressure of trying to fit preparation into too-small a window in your diary.
2. Develop a Structured Plan - Think of your preparation as a bow-tie - One side is your research into the company or organisation that you’re applying to; the other side is how you will sell your experiences, skills and answers to anticipated questions; the knot in the middle is where both elements meet - the Job Description. Let’s go into more detail on each here.
Research the organisation. The degree you need to do this will be dependent on the role you’re going for, the seniority and how much information is actually available to you (larger, publically-listed companies for example are significantly easier than small, privately-owned ventures). Here however is a potential list of areas to explore:
Company history and structure
Leadership and key figures (global and local if applicable)
Location and size
Mission, Vision, and Values
Financial performance - Topline figures and trends (If your role is in finance/commercial/senior then you will likely need to go a lot deeper and broader than these, but I would recommend a basic grasp of such metrics for any role)
Products/services offered, market position and performance
Key competitors brands/services and how are they performing
The interviewers’ career backgrounds. Do you know anyone that could advocate directly for you? Is there anyone else further up in the organisation that you know or knows people you know?
Complete a SWOT analysis on the organisation. This will help in the development of planned answers to many standard, anticipated questions (see below)
Public presence (retail, web, social media, press).
Industry trends and reports
Employee reviews (e.g., Glassdoor)
Research You
Have a 30 second summary of who you are, where you come from, what interests you have that sits outside of the career space. You’re there to sell who YOU are as much as WHAT you’ve achieved, so practise and get comfortable talking about yourself. Try and be as original as you can so that you’re memorable in this aspect of the interview, as in all others.
List all of your key achievements, with greater focus on the more recent ones and those that have greater relevance for the role at hand. Identify from each achievement all of the skills and competencies that are exampled within.
Create a separate list of your skills and competencies with multiple examples for each. This dual approach prepares you for interview questions from various start points. Such preparation leads to confidence, both in how you answer but also in how you carry yourself through the entire process - This is key to making the optimal impression.
Prepare for a range of ‘standard’ interview questions. These include “What are your strengths and developmental areas?”, “Why do you want this role?”, “Where do you want to be in 3/5 years’ time?”, “Why are you looking to leave your current role?”, “What do you bring to this role” and “How do you like to be managed”? The chances of these questions or variants on them coming up in any interview are very high, so have great answers. One specific - make sure you have a strong answer to the ‘developmental areas/weaknesses’ question and one that isn’t about being a perfectionist or working too hard - these are too cliched. Be authentic and appropriately vulnerable without setting off alarms.
Prepare for some non-standard interview questions. These are less likely to be asked but much more likely to be ‘stress’ questions. Examples include “Tell me about a time when you failed”, “How would I know you’re stressed?” and “What didn’t you like about your last company/manager"?”. One that I heard recently was “How many golf balls can you fit in a standard car?” These are all difficult questions, designed to test your level of preparedness, maturity, problem-solving and communication skills. It’s not necessarily about having the right answer, it’s about your composure in response and the logic behind the answer given.
Again, this aspect of preparation is designed to give you maximum confidence going into the process. Of course, not every question can be anticipated, but better to be able to answer some confidently and fully and then trust yourself to be able to think on your feet for any others that come your way.
Use the STAR approach in responding to situational-based questions. Talk to the Situation or context, the specific Task and responsibility you had, the Action you took and why and the subsequent Result, giving as much measurable detail as possible.
Research the Role
Analyse the job description. Evaluate the skills, attributes and experience being asked for - generally the higher up the list they are, the more important they are to the recruiting organisation. Map each into three of your best examples that you can talk to if asked. Why three? Well, you don’t want to repeat the same one or two examples for all questions asked, so having different examples gives the impression of breadth of experience.
Practise, practise, practise…
The Interview Itself
Dress appropriately for the company culture - if going through a recruiter, ask them what’s most suitable, especially if it’s been a while since you’ve been on the interview circuit.
If in-person, arrive early - 10-15 mins before the allotted interview time. Be courteous to the person greeting you - receptionists/greeters may have an input into the first-impression feedback!
Ensure your tech is working fully for virtual interviews. Ensure that you will have no interruptions. Make sure that your lighting is correct, that you’ve blurred your background if required, that you look at the camera as often as you can and that the camera is as close to eye-level as you can make it. Think of the framing of you in the camera as like a passport picture (but with a smile!)
Bring copies of your resume and any other relevant documents, including a notebook and pen.
Accept offered refreshments - not only will it sometimes buy you valuable thinking time, it also helps avoid ‘dry mouth’ due to nerves.
Be confident - your planning and preparation should give you every reason to feel so, but tell yourself beforehand that you’ve given your all for this, nobody knows you like you do and that if you don’t get it, you’ll have no regrets as you gave it your best shot. Smile and relax.
Reframe nerves as excitement at the potential.
Maintain good posture and eye contact.
Link answers to create a cohesive narrative - to create a more expansive story. Linking answers to aspects such as company culture, vision and values can be especially powerful.
Ask Great Questions
Never say that the interviewer has answered all of your questions already, or even worse, that you don’t have any. Remember, that an interview process is two-way - it’s just as important for you that you establish that this is going to be a happy workplace as it is for the employer to establish that you’re the best candidate. Have a list of 10-20, rank them and take them in with you with a pen to record key responses. Start at the top on those that have not already been covered in the interview and be sensitive to time - ask permission to ask more than a couple if time is against you. Good inteviewers will not have scheduled meetings either side and so will usually be more than happy to run over time if there’s value in doing so. Here are a few suggestions:
- How did the role vacancy come about (a must-ask question if you don’t already know)
- What are the key deliverables within the first 3-6 months?
- What are the biggest challenges facing the team/department right now?"
- What could I expect to experience in terms of personal development opportunities?
- What are the three things you love most and three things you’d change about the organisation if you could?
- Ask them to describe the culture, but understand that nobody hiring is likely to give anything other than a positive answer. Rather, if you know your Personal Values, ask questions that talk to them, without ever necessarily labelling them as such.
- Asking the interviewer(s) for their own view on a question they have already asked you can be really powerful. Not only does this give the potential for them to give an answer that reaffirms your own, but if it’s very different, you have a live opportunity to clarify.
Gauge the room before asking whether the interviewer has any feedback for you or has any immediate concerns about your ability to do the role. On rare occasions this can put them on the defensive and make them feel uncomfortable. Personally, I see no downside to this as it’s unlikely to be your dream role and environment if such as response is apparent. On the plus side, it’s an opportunity for you to clarify any misunderstadings, expand on anything that was incomplete or explain further on rationale.
Ask what the next steps in the process are.
Avoid premature discussions about salary or flexibility unless initiated by the interviewer. Hopefully, you’ve already established that your expectations are in the ballpark of that being offered but avoid raising specific expectations at this juncture. If asked, then don’t avoid the question, but follow up by asking whether what you’re looking for is within scope. Initiating yourself is likely to raise questions about commitment before they’ve decided that they want you on board.
Afterwards
Express gratitude for their time and the opportunity to meet and discuss
Follow up with a thank-you note after the interview
Subsequent Interviews
Later interviews often focus on cultural fit. Refresh your initial preparation and research the professional background of new interviewers.
For presentations, clarify the brief early. Plan, prepare, and practise extensively. Anticipate and address potential questions proactively in your presentation - it shows you’re thinking about likely objections and creates a perception of trust and stability.
Prepare new questions and revisit key ones with new interviewers to gauge consistency across the organisation.
The Offer
Congatulations - your hard work has paid off. Now is the time to negotiate - especially now whilst there is equitable negotiating power.
Know your worth - your work history, market remuneration reports ( a great source of impartial information), the organisation’s declared banding for the role (if available) and any other relevant information you may have on similar roles.
Consider all the variables - base salary is important but there are so many other potential criteria of possible value:
Performance related bonus
Paid time off
Business equity
Health care insurance
Car leasing or allowance
Share allocation or options
Memberships
Contracted days/hours
Personal development opportunities
Locational and workhour flexibility.
Wellness programs
Additional leave days - eg birthday, charity work
Not all may be on the table, but those that are can be incorporated into a negotiated offer.
By following the above steps, you'll walk into your interview feeling confident and well-prepared. Remember, the goal isn't just to get through the interview, but to present yourself as a well-informed, thoughtful candidate who would be an asset to the organisation. Your preparation should enable you to have a meaningful conversation about the role, the company, and your potential contribution.
Good luck! If you’d like a more tailored discussion as to how I might help you with your interview planning and technique, please contact me here.
