Interviews are not about your resume.
They’re already aware of your experiences and skills.
Many students come to me asking what they’d done wrong in failed interviews where their skills were in line with what the company was looking for AND having passed technical tests. My first reaction is to ask them to explain in detail how they were approaching these opportunities, and one thing that usually stood out to me is how standardized and “robotic” of an approach these students were taking in each of these interviews.
The in-person interview is your chance to build a relationship with your interviewer and to show who you are outside of your resume. And on that note, here are a few tips in taking your interview game to the next level.
Stop regurgitating your resume, word for word.
By the time you’ve received your in-person interview, the interviewer has already taken a good look at your resume (that’s why you got the interview!). Therefore, there isn’t a need to go into the interview with the idea that you’ll be regurgitating what’s already listed there.
When asked about specific experiences and skills from your resume, you should describe in a detailed yet succinct manner, more about what isn’t stated on that single sheet of paper. Think of it like elaborating and expanding on those existing points. This was a candidate that I was interviewing for a graphic designer position:
“Tell me more about your experience in Photoshop at Company So-and-So.”
“Yeah, so um, I pretty much had experience in Photoshop there by creating flyers, some banners, and a lot of email content for the company and my own team.”
Their resume:
- Utilized Photoshop to create images for flyers, banners, marketing emails.
This was a literal example; verbatim, word-for-word. Yeah… not good.
In that same scenario, if your interviewer has to then reiterate the same question by asking you to, “provide more details,” you can consider that a strike in the overall interview. And no, this isn’t like baseball with the three strike rule. Trust me, it’s hard to come back from any kind of mark against you. Not only does this say that you’re possibly not as experienced in these skills as you say you are, but it also illustrates that you’re not critically thinking about the question at hand and/or able to communicate your past experiences in a way that says you understand this role and its requirements.
Open up your resume and study what you have under each experience. Now, expand on that with detailed sentences that describe each point and write them out on a separate file. Then, polish it and use it as a mental script. Don’t just memorize it; get to really know it. Those sentences will serve as rough ideas on how you should be approaching specific questions in regards to “elaborating” on certain experiences and how it pertains to your skills.
Small talk is just as important.
Opportunities for small talk aren’t always there in an interview. However when possible, it’s important to be able to distinguish yourself and find ways to show aspects of yourself that either expand on soft skills or show the interviewer that you’re truly invested in them. Not every interviewer will initially make it their priority to see who you are outside of your resume, but being able to proactively create those opportunities yourself will be another way in which you can really stand out from the pool of candidates.
Find ways to either add onto questions that will show some more character, or utilize those gaps between conversations to talk more about the interviewer. Something as simple as asking about how the interviewer’s day has been going can say a lot. In it’s simplest form, it shows that you’re genuinely trying to create some relationship with them. This relationship can bleed into the decision process and can indirectly give you a hidden edge in the process. After all, if the interviewer already likes who you are personally, then it’s an easier decision when you’re against someone else that has similar skills as you, but doesn’t have that same connection with the interviewer.
Overall, this is more of a subjective matter, and it largely depends on your interviewer’s style and schedule. For example, the interviewer might be on a busier-than-normal schedule that day because of other interviews, and he or she might not have time for much small talk. Furthermore and quite rarely, they might not be the type to care about you asking how their day went or any other small talk (signs of a shitty interviewer, by the way). After attempting small talk, if you feel as though they did not respond positively towards it, feel free to just focus on the main aspect of the interview and what their agenda is for you; at that point, you just have to play it by their rules.
Ask the right questions.
To add to the small talk, asking questions about the company itself is another way to show how just how invested you are in being a part of this company. After all, companies know that they’re not the only place that you’ve applied to and are interviewing for. Therefore, anything that makes them feel special is always a plus.
Here’s where you need to do your due diligence in researching the company and finding some deeper questions than, “What is the culture of the company like?” Admittedly, this is one of my go-to questions — and a great one at that! But while it shows that you’re curious, you’re probably not the only person to ask that by now. Add onto that and ask questions that are more in-depth or specific to the company; this will definitely impress the interviewer. Nice.
A specific example would be to look into the company’s blog if they have one, and find certain articles pertaining to milestones that the company has accomplished in its past. Ask about those milestones and how the company was able to strategically position themselves in order to reach those goals. Or, mention collaborations and business relationships that the company may share with another, and how all that is currently going. Ask about any new projects that the company has planned for this year, and make a connection to past projects that you found they’ve implemented. The ideas are limitless when you start looking for the right information on these company sites.
Final thoughts.
Think about it like this: More likely than not, there are at least a few other candidates of that same position you’ve applied for, that hold the exact same skills and level of expertise in the field that you do.
So at the end of the day, you can’t rely on your skills alone in landing you that perfect job. After all, that’s why there’s such a strong emphasis on cultural fit in many companies today. This is where the in-person interview gives you a chance to shine in those regards. It showcases your ability to not only answer questions about your resume and your overall experience, but for the interviewer to see what your personality is like and to what extent you’ve invested in this company and its position.
As a closing remark, I do want to mention that there is a fine line between doing all of the above as a well-prepped candidate, and coming off as a kiss-ass, in the interviewer’s eyes. I believe that the clear distinction lies within your true intentions. Don’t be fake about how excited you are. If you truly want this position, none of this should come from a place where you feel as though all of this is part of an act. Good luck, and happy interviewing.
