How to Ace an Interview in 2020
Five fresh takes on tried-and-true tactics to help you shine in your next interview
Congrats! You did your research, submitted a job application, crossed your fingers, and finally received a callback. Now what?
On the brink of an interview, many professionals will turn to close friends, family, and the internet for timely advice. Seeking advice is especially helpful if you’re new to the game or just a bit rusty. Many well-intentioned advice-givers might offer some tried and true methods, but not all advice is created equal (and not all advice from your parents will help you make a lasting impression).
While textbook tactics have certainly worked in decades past, the new 20's call for a more nuanced and thoughtful approach if you want to stand out. Below are five ways to do just that.
#1 Ask meaningful questions early
Far too often, interviewees wait until the last step in the process to ask all of their essential questions. Be sure to ask telling questions early. Some of the most important questions you can ask early are about the actual process:
What does a typical recruitment cycle look like for this role?
What would be required of me throughout the process?
Who would I be expected to meet along the way?
How long does the process typically take from an initial conversation to an employment offer?
Seek to understand what you’re getting into before you invest any of your precious time continuing to engage. Learning about the recruitment process will tell you a lot about what the company values. While every organization is different, a few process attributes may point to companies operating healthier, more sustainable cultures:
- The company has a dedicated talent acquisition person. Even small organizations should have someone dedicated full-time or part-time to talent acquisition and other HR responsibilities.
- The company boasts a multi-step process. Seek companies that offer a multi-step, multi-dimensional process, with different stakeholders involved along the way.
- The company allows you to interact with one or more people in the role. Look for opportunities to meet with someone in the existing position or function for which you are interviewing.
- The company is committed to performing reference and background checks. Companies that skip over these steps are likely just aiming to fill seats.
While fewer steps in a recruiting process may sound ideal as an applicant, beware of any organization that indicates they provide offers after a single interview. A single-step recruitment process does not give either party nearly enough time to get to know each other. Would you ever marry someone after a single date?
While accepting a job is not on the same level as marital commitment, you must remember that any job you take on is a commitment of sorts, whether that be many months, if not a few years, of your life. Taking on a new job prematurely could have negative consequences.
#2 Schedule to meet when YOU are at your best
Many interviewees will bend their schedules to accommodate the hiring manager. While it’s important to demonstrate your commitment and flexibility, you know yourself better than anyone else.
Quickly assess your daily and weekly energy levels. Think through your tendencies and routines to understand when you might be at your best. Are you a morning person? What is your energy like different days of the week?
Work with the recruiter to schedule around when you might perform most optimally. Keep in mind that regardless of when you might be at peak performance, many studies show that interviews scheduled mid-morning and earlier in the week tend to be viewed more favorably. Below are a few general tips to keep in mind:
- Avoid Monday and Friday interviews. If possible, aim to schedule mid-week. Likely, both you and the interviewer will not be fully invested on Mondays or Fridays.
- Aim for a mid-morning time slot. If it suits your biorhythm, aim to interview between the ideal times of 10:00 AM and 11:30 AM. This way, you’re meeting after any morning rush but still ahead of the lunch hour.
- Give yourself enough time to prepare. You may be eager to get your foot in the door but be realistic with timeframes. Agreeing to interview the next day after a recruiter phone screen may not give you adequate time to prepare.
- Avoid the urge to “squeeze” an interview into an existing, hectic schedule. Find a solid block of time that works for you that’s free of front-end or back-end constraints. Ideally, plan to arrive 20–30 minutes before and give yourself an hour after for overflow and transition.
#3 Prepare for a conversation
Others might encourage you to prepare by simply practicing answers to expected questions. Most anybody can research common interview questions and prepare stock answers. But this is like trying to memorize content to prepare for an essay-based exam: while you may luck out and remember some of the material, your responses will come off as inauthentic. This is not a winning formula for acing a test, nor acing an interview.
Ditch practicing in front of a mirror and, instead, focus your energy on preparing for the conversation. Solid interviewing is all about creating a balanced dialogue between you and the hiring manager. To best engage in a conversation, you will need to showcase your career through storytelling and be prepared to ask thoughtful and relevant questions.
First, prepare your story
Your career is a story and one you should be ready to tell in an interview. Interviewing well is all about storytelling and knowing anecdotes, not answers, down pat. These anecdotes are the smaller stories that make up your bigger career story.
Like any story, your career has a beginning, middle, and end (well, the end is really just where you are in the here and now). More importantly, your career has an arc. Think about where you are now and the unique elements that have aligned at this moment to prepare you for the next step. This moment is your arc.
If your career is a story, imagine that your next job is the sequel and work back from there, helping the interviewer best understand how the bridge is made between the two. Be authentic and transparent; your story is not a mystery, nor one that should have any cliffhangers.
Keep in mind that while your career story is a sort of choose-your-own-adventure-esque tale, each choice along the way should have an explanation. Think through all the major junction points, or decision points, throughout your career to date. How would you explain the journey and the twists and turns along the way? How would you describe or defend any of your career decisions to a stranger?
What did you decide to study and why?
What advanced coursework or degrees did you decide to pursue later (or not pursue)?
What company and job choices have you made thus far? Why?
Taking an inventory of the decisions you have made to date, as well as the why behind those decisions, will best prepare you for telling your story and answering questions throughout the interview.
Remember, in your career story, you are both the protagonist and the antagonist.
Like all true protagonists, there are many other key players along the way that play critical roles in helping make each part of the journey possible. There is no Batman without Robin, no Frodo without Sam, no Steve Jobs without Steve Wozniak. Make sure you’re prepared to incorporate those who have been influential in growing or shaping your career into your story to help it make sense.
Also, there are no antagonists in your career story other than your own professional demons and shortcomings. Do not blame others for setbacks and failures. Instead, own these failures and be prepared to explain the “why” behind them (and your growth since).
Showcasing your career through storytelling isn’t easy. It takes preparation and practice. Outside of interview prep, remember to practice this storytelling regularly through channels like networking.
Next, prepare your questions
Never underestimate the importance of researching the company, role, and interviewer before your interview.
Spend the bulk of your time learning about the company. While much of this research can be done on the company website, invest more time perusing other outlets. Look for recent articles or publications. Check out social sites like Glassdoor and LinkedIn. Research the market and competitors. Look at current employees and their career trajectories. Pay attention to news and recent press releases. Did this company recently experience a merger or acquisition? Did they recently launch a new product? What has been posted about lately on LinkedIn?
Being in the interviewer seat many times, there is nothing worse than interviewing someone who clearly knows nothing about your company. Spending even a minimum of 30 minutes on this type of research will help you get a leg up. Challenge yourself to come up with one or two key questions about the company and its trajectory based on what you learn and you’re golden.
Also, go the extra mile and spend time researching your interviewer. This is not to impress your interviewer with useless facts you uncovered about their career. Do your research to understand 1) where the person interviewing you is coming from and 2) to build connections through any overlaps you may share.
Lastly, prepare your body and your mind
If you have prepared your story and your questions, the only thing left to do is prepare yourself. Do whatever you need to do the day prior or the morning of to best prepare your body and mind. Rest and relax, exercise, meditate–whatever works for you. Plan everything out to ensure your mind is clear and to avoid prepping at the last minute.
#4 Show up early for YOU
Don’t just show up on time, show up early, and do this first and foremost for yourself.
Showing up early is not about demonstrating your kickass punctuality for the hiring manager. Most hiring managers will arrive on time, or even late, and likely won’t even realize how early you arrive. In this talent market, candidates who show up late still get job offers.
Arriving 20 minutes before your scheduled time is the sweet spot. Showing up just ten minutes before may not be sufficient enough, whereas showing up 30 minutes or more might be overkill. Showing up early allows you to:
- Give yourself buffer time. Show up early to give yourself some breathing room. If you are concerned about finding the building (or parking, if applicable), plan to arrive even earlier, say 45 minutes. Also, do your research beforehand to find a local coffee shop or other location you can work from if you happen to arrive too early.
- Make a connection. Take a minute or two to connect with your greeter and anyone else you run into. If you make a good enough impression with whoever greets you, they may pass along the experience to someone in a decision-making role.
- Acclimate to your environment. Take a moment to feel out the space. This will not only help you to feel more comfortable before jumping into the interview seat, but it will help you get a sense of the culture. Too often, interviewees show up and forget to take stock of the environment. Is this somewhere you could see yourself working?
- Freshen up. Locate the washroom and take a few minutes to check your appearance, paying particular attention to your hair, face, teeth, breath, and clothing.
#5 Be fully present in the room
In the past, it was recommended to always bring your resume and take notes. However, these simple actions tend to create more friction between you and the interviewer. Instead, leave your resume at home (likely no one will read it on paper anyway). And while bringing a notebook is helpful for anything critical that comes up, steer clear of taking heavy notes. Instead, focus on being fully present in the room.
If you read the advice from earlier, you should be ready to treat the interview like a conversation as much as possible. Follow some of these best practices to remain present in the room:
- Smile and maintain eye contact. Smiling can go a long way in making both you and the interviewer feel more comfortable. Smiling, coupled with eye contact, can also help build a better connection with the person across the table.
- Share anecdotes and ask questions. Keep the conversation alive. Ask questions throughout. Demonstrate a genuine interest in your interviewer and the data they’re sharing with you. If you feel like you’re being grilled or that your questions are being dodged, it may not be the right fit.
- Demonstrate courteousness. Use please and thank you. If you have a drink, use a coaster. Pick up after yourself when leaving the room.
Following these tactics will help you interview like a boss in 2020. But there’s one final piece of advice you should follow that stands the test of time.
If you follow any advice from your parents on interviewing, send a thank you note after your interview. In 2020, it will likely be universally acceptable to not send anything following your interview. Skipping a note will in most cases not cost you the job.
But sending some form of thank you will set you apart from 95% of other applicants, even if your note is just a couple sentences long and sent through LinkedIn. If you want to stand out, send a formal email and put thought into it, reflecting on some of what was discussed.
Remember that competition is hot right now. Even if you don’t get the job, know that following these steps will at least ensure you’re making a positive impression, and that’s what counts the most in the long-run.
How will you stand out in your next interview?
