I originally wrote this article with an engineering tech background in mind but the fact is most of the material still applies and the mistakes made could apply to anyone in any field.
So you managed to snag an interview…….. that’s pretty much 85% of finding a job. Congrat! Now you’re onto the interview stage. Interviews can be nerve racking. You are given limited time to give a good impression, so even the most minor mistakes could cause someone else to edge you out of the offer. Now obviously when it comes to interviewing technical or otherwise it helps to come up with the right number, code, or fact given a question. These are “gimme questions” they are the baseline that the hiring decision is based on and you should spend a bulk of your time preparing on getting the right answer every time. Regardless of field there are there are plenty of blogs devoted to that content. BUT even if you ace the numbers/coding/ facts portion missing the points below could derail your dreams of an offer if you ignore them (I’ve seen it MANY times!). I have sat in and conducted technical interviews at a top tech company and yes we’re looking for the right quantitative answer but there are a few other signals we’re looking for too.
1. First, be succinct in your answers. We have a list of questions we’d like to get through. Do not take 5 minutes of a 30 minute interview to introduce yourself and describe your current job. 15-30 second elevator pitch will do. Usually we’re interviewing you to work on our team and noone wants to work with a Long winded Larry.
2. Processes have a beginning, middle, and end. Occasionally they fork but there should be a logic. If someone ask you to describe your “process” for doing something think: first I’d do this, second, third….end. This is not the time to describe your people management skills or tell a story. We’re looking to see if you have an engineering mindset and can break down problems into small pieces.
3. Don’t assume I know what you’re talking about. For example: If you use a specific tool and don’t know if it industry standard or not, it’s okay to ask “Are you familiar with x”. You won’t insult your interviewer. It shows you are assessing your audience and adjusting the messaging as such. +1 on communications skills. In my opinion you should do this on any tool that isn’t listed on the job description or is not Microsoft Office
4. If you’re interviewing remotely (which should be most of us right now), make your space distraction free. This one can be tough especially during the pandemic, but this is the time to put yourself first and give the interview your best shot. That means cleaning up all of your laundry off the floor (at least what’s in view of the camera) and if necessary locking everyone else out the house. Not only can it be distracting to you, it can be viewed poorly by the interviewer that you didn’t make proper arrangements for your interview. We like knowing that you have high interest in the job and although I would say most would give some concessions give the circumstances, not everyone is going to be forgiving when it comes to things like that. If you have a chaotic/noisy homelife your manager can find that out after you’ve accepted the offer. 😬
