So You're Nervous About Your Next Interview...
Some ideas and tips that might help you prepare and ease your mind ahead of your next job interview.
Like you, I'm spending my days white-knuckling through the avalanche of doom and/or gloom, meerkatting for something more positive. In a bit of anecdotal good news, my recent job seeking clients have skewed toward interview preparation and storytelling more than application materials. Whether it's their first interview or them trying to get over the hump of being the second-best candidate in a final round, the stakes are higher, thus the desire for support. There have been some recurring themes and tips I'd like to share.
No one wants to waste time
It's easy to have a downward confidence spiral after weeks or months of not getting traction. Here's a quick reminder that you are not your job search, your layoff, or your career hiatus. You've got your skills, experience, and perspective, and you're sharing that with someone that might know you quite yet. Take a deep breath and let's have a moment for pragmatism. Whether you're confident in the decision or not, you've made it to the interview. That choice has been made. Now you have the problem of making to the next step. Focus on that rather than trying to second guess how you got this far.
Remember your Pitch
One of the old adages of public speaking is that you should "Tell them what you want to tell them, tell them, then remind them of what you just told them." An interview isn't too dissimilar. From the first "tell me about yourself" to the later work stories and examples, you're trying to weave together one coherent idea: that you should be moved to the next step.
I'm not trying to compound one stressful situation with another here. The reason I bring up public speaking is because in those scenarios you're generally trying to share one general idea, one message, even if it's broken into different parts. So is the interview. The issue many people run into is that they either haven't worked out that one idea or they forget it in the moment. With either you're left scrambling to find a through-line on the fly, which is tricky in the best of situations.
This overall pitch doesn't have to be complicated and it's probably best if it isn't. At its simplest, the theme can be as easy as answering these two questions:
- Why are you excited for this role/company?
- At a high level, why are you the right candidate?
That's it. That's your starting point. Your "tell me about yourself" response should speak to those two questions, as should the stories you choose, the examples you give, and even the questions you ask.
Example:
"When I was young I had a coffee stand, not a lemonade stand. I apparently knew sales was right for me then, and in the years since I've only become more excited in working for Starbucks as I've gained experience in everything from consumer goods to SAAS."
This sort of "hook" establishes rapport, expresses excitement, and sets the stage for talking about your experiences through the interview.
Read this past piece about cover letters for more on how to create your pitch. That same "homework" applies here.
Some for them, some for you
Speaking of questions, have some. Don't forget you're trying to learn about this role and company as well. Along the same lines of making sure both parties have their needs met, in your answers make sure you're including how you can help solve their problem, make their lives easier or better. It's great that you may be charming and talented, but don't forget to apply that to the work that needs to be done. Don't imply you can do the job, make it explicit (while also being charming and talented).
Example: "I noticed some pretty big salary updates in your 990s from 2023 to 2024. Can you tell me more about the process HR went through to make those changes?" This indicates real research and an inquisitiveness that goes beyond the usual.
Goldilocks your responses
Whether you use STAR, PAR, CAR, AIR, or any of the other widely known acronyms, having a structure to your answers can be great (and you can easily template-ize post-it notes as reminders around your monitor for virtual interviews). Regardless of method, try to mind your answer length. For people early in career the tendency is to use too many words to sound smart, for those with more experience, many opt for answers that are too short, assuming the other person knows what they know. You don't need to do a full brain dump, but you do need to go beyond surface level. That can be tricky, so know it's fine to simply ask if they want or need more elaboration.
Additionally, it's ok to include some flavor to your response, even if it's for the question itself. You may have thoughts or opinions based on your experience that are a peek into your individual perspective. Don't be afraid to share that and think a bit out loud. You may be leaving out a lot of relevant insight about you for the sake of efficiency or because you're trying to give an "ideal" answer.
Example: "Is this actually a marketing problem? This might be more of a portfolio issue so I'd probably want to explore that first but then I would..." This reaches the question but also shares bigger picture thinking.
Try to have fun
I know you're nervous, but try to think of an interview as a fact-finding mission or research. It's fun to learn new things and it's fun to be explore an interest, so lean into that framing or anything else that's less nerve-wracking.
Remind yourself of all the great things you've done in your career, the hard problems you've solved, the challenges you've overcome. Be excited to share those with someone that hasn't heard about them yet. Your excitement will shine through.
You've got this.
If you need help preparing for an interview or other aspect of your job search, please reach out or set up an intro call. I'm here to help.