Tips for A/B testing your interviews

This is part two in a series on interviewing. Read the first part,”Always be interviewing,” here.

We instinctively do this in other areas of our lives already.

Meeting new people, dating, telling jokes, hanging out with childhood friends, or talking with our boss - we adjust our behavior accordingly all the time. We calibrate how we interact with others based on context.

When it comes to interviewing, we tend to be a little more formal; a bit more polished and organized than in most settings. But it’s surprising to think how little we do to optimize our behavior in that context. Most of us overlook a lot of details in the process that could be improved, if we just spent a little more time tweaking them.

Hence why you should be A/B testing your interviews.

Things you can A/B test while interviewing:

Your story. Nearly every interviewer asks one of two questions: “Tell me about yourself” and “why do you want to work at our company?”

You will be A/B testing these responses for as long as you live. Data points to consider tweaking:

How far back in your narrative are you going to go? When is it appropriate to talk about college? Which of your “biggest achievement” stories makes most sense in this context? (Your answer will rarely be the same from company to company.) Remind yourself that this is a new audience, so resist your instinct to skip ahead. Keep your story fresh and see it through to the end, like a Broadway star performing her hundredth show as if for the very first time. (And if you are bored with your own answers already, it’s high time to recalibrate.)

How much of the “why our company” question are you actually dedicating to answering “why not your current company”? These are generally linked, even if one is not asked outright. It may take some soul-searching and a few tries to get this answer right.

Some less self-reflective areas to test:

Your enthusiasm. We know we’re supposed to be enthusiastic when interviewing, but how much is too much? How little is too little? Ratchet it up, tone it down, and observe the reaction. Related: watch and adjust tenor, body language, and wardrobe.

Your opening chit chat. There is no one-size-fits-all model for building rapport in a minute, but try you must. If talking about the weather isn’t warming up your interviewers, cut it. Test discussing current events (but be wary of politics), referring to a recent piece of industry news, or if you must, commenting on office decor (safer than commenting on your interviewers’ clothing). Whatever helps get you through your early interview jitters - just be a real person.Try different topics, but don’t try too hard.

Of course, this all takes time. But Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will your career be.

So take the interview, tweak the interview. You will learn something valuable in the process.

What do you A/B test in your interviews? Leave a note or a tweet.