10 Lessons Learned from a Year of Mock Interviews
A year has passed since many desk-workers like those on Albert’s List were asked to work remotely for the time being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote work also affected the job search, meaning that professionals could hunt for their next opportunity from their home offices.
Albert’s List responded to remote work by transitioning to virtual events, among which included mock interviews with Cory Hiromoto of CareerShakers.com. Held most Mondays between 6–7 p.m., our mock interviews have attracted thousands of viewers and involved professionals in marketing, software engineering, sales, and business development.
As a testament to our work, many mock interviewees have gone on to receive job offers from employers. Cory leverages a combination of situational, behavioral, and fact-based questions that hiring managers use, then provides feedback. With so many varied answers and experiences, here are the top 10 lessons we’ve learned:
Lesson #10: Know Your Special Sauce
There are thousands of people who do the work that you do, but you do it differently. That’s what is considered to be your special sauce. As we interviewed people throughout the year, many individuals provided generic answers that didn’t really help them stand out. When hiring managers hear the same answer repeatedly, it makes hiring decisions far more difficult.
That’s why you need to provide your special sauce. Share your expertise, whether it’s your ability to connect with stakeholders and customers, work efficiently and effectively, or a unique understanding of the industry you want to enter. To improve upon this, work on your personal branding statement, or how you would like to be known.
Lesson #9: Nail the “Easy Questions”
We get it, the interview experience is very nerve-wracking. That said, you will still get “easy questions” during the interview process. These include walking the recruiter through your resume, talking about your basic strengths and weaknesses, and why you want to work for the company. By nailing these easy questions, you set yourself up for success in the rest of the interview as you build rapport with the hiring manager.
Want to know what the easy questions are? Simply look up basic interview questions on Google and write out your answers in advance of the interview.
Lesson #8: Always be Prepared for an Interview Situation
To you, an interaction with another professional might just be a conversation, but to the person, it’s just the beginning of an interview. Just as salespeople must “always be closing”, it’s likely that you’ll “always be interviewing” in the midst of a job search, especially if you find yourself at a networking event or hiring fair. While there may be no formalities, It’s always important to understand the context of your interaction.
Preparing yourself for interview situations is simple. It’s key to know your personal brand and what you are looking for so you are always having the conversations you want. Additionally, if you are in the right networking situations, an interview is always imminent so bring your best self to the table.
Lesson #7: Tell a Story, Not What You Did
Business is more than just results and to-do lists. There’s a reason why the company you work at takes on a certain project, conflicts happen, or approaches change — and this is what hiring managers want to know during the interview process. While anybody can write a blog post, put together some code, or deliver an income statement, companies want to know how you as an individual can navigate these situations.
Telling a story during an interview is important, but you shouldn’t ramble. Make sure your story consists of structure including the situation at hand, what you did to resolve the situation, actions you took and the results. Which, speaking of…
Lesson #6: Get to know the STAR Method
Ask any career coach and they’ll tell you about the STAR Method, a tried and true structure to answering situational interview questions. STAR stands for:
- Situation — What the problem was
- Task — What you needed to do to resolve the problem
- Action — Actions you took
- Result — What ended up happening
The STAR method is so powerful is because it adds structure to the interview process and prevents you from rambling. These questions are good anytime you get a question where you are asked to speak about a time you overcame a challenge or worked through a conflict.
Lesson #5: Self-Awareness is Key
Do you know why you are sitting in the interview chair today? If you do, great, but if you don’t, it’s time to do some work. Hiring managers want to know that when they speak to you that you understand why you are interviewing for the job today. Having a sense of self-awareness is key, whether you are a fresh new graduate or an experienced professional.
Discovering self-awareness is rooted in an understanding of who you are professionally, and the more you know about elements such as your strengths, weaknesses, and overall career journey, the more authentic you will appear to the hiring manager. Yes, it may seem very spiritual and out-of-the-ordinary from a career standpoint, but we assure you it’s a tangible element every hiring manager will seek when they speak to you. Get it right sooner so you don’t have to wonder why your interviews aren’t hitting the mark.
Lesson #4: Be Ready for the Curve Ball
Were you fired from your last job? Do your interviewers want to know about your penchant to be a hot head? All of these questions can come from left-field and you need to be prepared to answer them. Unfortunately, interviewing is also about mitigating your risk as a hire, especially since you won’t be able to show how you work before your first day.
If you don’t prepare yourself for answers to curveball questions, you will be caught flat-footed. Since rambling through an answer is not the preferred way to ace an interview, write down what you plan to say. There is a way to explain your potential deficiencies as advantages or things that people don’t need to worry about. While we won’t get into the specifics here, feel free to join Albert’s List or speak to a career coach and offer your prospective answers for feedback.
Lesson #3: Confidence is Key
You only have one chance to make a first impression, so make it a confident one. The right hiring managers and recruiters understand that job hunting is a stressful activity and will allow for some nervousness within the interview. That said, you also need to work on your confidence so that you stand out as the best candidate possible. There is no doubt that the job seekers within Albert’s List have gained confidence, especially as they not only interview with Cory, but also with anywhere from 20–30 others watching!
Gaining confidence is possible in several ways. First, write down your interview answers and memorize them so that you walk into the interview knowing what to say. Second, know what you want and be relentless (yet flexible) in pursuing those types of jobs and career outcomes. When you know what to do and how to get it, your chances of success are much higher, and thus your confidence.
Lesson #2: Make Sure You Know What You’re Applying For
In today’s job search, professionals are likely to send hundreds of applications to different jobs. While the “spray and pray” method is understandable, job seekers must also pay attention to where they have applied. Nothing can be more embarrassing than receiving a call-back from a recruiter, only to forget where you applied.
One Of the ways to stay organized with your job search is to create a spreadsheet of the places you have applied and updates that information every time you receive a phone call, move onto the next round, get rejected or get an offer. The onus of staying organized is on you.
Lesson #1: Stop Selling Yourself Short
We spend so much of our lives hearing from others that we should remain humble, then take that mentality into our job search and sell ourselves short during the job interview. We noticed that many of our mock interviewees spent time dancing around their accomplishments, rather than letting their work shine.
Undoubtedly, there’s a time and place to show off and the job interview is the exact place to do it. Don’t hold back on your accomplishments and capabilities, especially if you really want the job. You can expect your competition to be doing the same, and they’ll likely get the job over you.
Want to be mock interviewed? We’re continuing to do these mock interviews even after the COVID-19 pandemic. Check out one of our videos below, then send your resume and a job you want to apply for to albert@ajobslist.com, and we’ll have you on soon!
