I have interviewed hundreds of people throughout my early career – most of those were college students, some were people applying for jobs at my employer, and some were through various external organizations I’m a part of. I have seen a range of interviewees, from the “too polished” person who was so inauthentic I didn’t know who I was really speaking with, to the person who literally didn’t know what he was applying for. Based on those experiences and understanding that it can be really challenging to “sell” yourself while trying to sound humble, I wanted to share my best advice for experience levels of all kinds as folks prepare for interviews in the coming months.

There are a couple of unique pieces of advice I give to interviewing candidates that you may not have heard before, so I’ve focused on them. When I’ve given these pieces of advice in the form of feedback to interviewing candidates, they have been most appreciative of these specific tips. 

In addition to those key pieces of advice, I’ve briefly listed the other tips you probably have heard before. I am a huge believer in interview preparation making an incredible difference in your success in the job/internship search process, so all of the pieces of advice are equally important. Please share this post with anyone you know in the job search or with college students you know looking for a summer opportunity next year.

Interview Advice With a Twist

1. Before the interview, review the resume you used in your application for the position (I hope it was tailored to this specific role!), print it out, and get ready to write on it. Next to each experience that you listed on that resume, write down the top two things you learned from that experience. When you think about what you learned or gained from each experience, you understand what is most important to bring up in the interview, and you can picture specific examples for the lessons you learned or skills you acquired. These can be something different than what’s listed on your resume under each position. I call those “contribution statements” since they should describe the value you brought to your team(s) or project(s). When I think about these lessons, I think about the stories you have from that role that really stuck with you and led you to change your perspective or behavior.
   
   I recommend printing your resume and writing it because this can be handy to actually have with you through your interview. This helps you see what information they already have about you (what’s typed on your resume) and what additional context or details you can add (what you hand-wrote on your resume). This helps my brain try to not focus on the resume pieces already shared, but bring them to life with the stories I have.
   
   Here are two examples from my previous experiences:

• Example 1: When I was an Orientation Leader at my alma mater, I learned just how important customer service (with a smile) was for every person because you never knew if it was someone’s first impression of your brand or not. When I think about that lesson, I picture one situation specifically about how I learned this (the hard way) and then how I spent the rest of my summer in that role working hard to ensure everyone’s impression of my school was a positive one.
• Example 2: When I was working with student leaders in my previous role, I learned that you can never assume anything about what a person is going through. You should always start a conversation with asking them about how they’re doing, do a little probing to see if there’s anything going on, and then have a conversation. This is helpful to meet others where they are, rather than assuming they’re mentally and emotionally in a great place to speak/work with you.

2. Get visual. After reviewing the role description of what you’re applying for, on one side of a paper, write 3-5 of the main skills or attributes that they’re looking for in this position. It could be anything from “marketing” or “team building” to “organization” or “facilitation”. (You can tell what’s most important based on how many times it’s used in the description, the title of the role, or what the deliverables are of the position. And if it’s not really clear before the interview, you can always ask during your interview.) Put each of those skills or attributes in a box. 
   
   On the other half of the page (still on the same side of the paper), write 3-5 of the most relevant experiences to the position you’re applying for (again, I hope you can easily pull these from your resume tailored to this job) in boxes just like you did on the other side of the page. Once you have 3-5 boxes on both sides of your paper, draw lines from each experience to each skill that you have, helping you understand which experiences are most important to discuss during your interview.
   
   It’s great to talk about more than one experience in your interview, so hopefully there’s more than one box leading to all the job’s skills/attributes. If there’s not, this exercise may help you consider where this role might cause you to grow a lot and you can do some research before the interview so that you’re prepared to answer questions about those skill gaps (i.e. what you might do to help you learn more about that area, what trainings you know of that can help you, etc.). 

3. First date strategy. Here’s how I view a first date: this is an equal chance for you both to find out if you like each other. This isn’t just a chance for you to see if you’re going to get the job, this is a chance for you to find out if you’ll like the job and the company/organization. Both are equally important here, even though your brain is probably focusing more on what they think of you and if you’ll get the job. Also, this doesn’t mean you’re going to marry the company or organization. An interview is just that. It’s great practice for other interviews, and it’s a chance for you to learn more about organizations and network. Have fun. Don’t stress yourself out too much. This should be a pleasant conversation between you and other people. If it’s not pleasant, then that might be a great indicator that you don’t mesh with the company and it’s time for you to say “Thank you, next.”
4. Show off your self-awareness. That’s where most positions start. This is the number one thing I look for whenever I interview any person. In order for an employer to know how to help, develop, or train you, you need to know where you’re at. You can show off your self-awareness by doing some homework beforehand with interview questions. You can even ask a friend or someone who knows you well for help in analyzing yourself. (Note: This can be hard, but the more you know yourself, the easier life becomes for you and all the people you interact with.)

Some of my favorite interview questions that show self-awareness:

• Describe a time when you needed to work cooperatively with someone who did not share the same ideas as you? Describe the situation, the actions you took, and the outcome.
• Can you describe a team when you made a significant contribution to a team while utilizing their strengths?
• Can you describe a time when you adjusted to a teammate’s working style or personality to achieve an objective?
• What accomplishment in your life are you most proud of that’s not found on your resume? Or what’s a fact about you that we can’t learn from your resume?
• What’s the toughest feedback you’ve ever received? How did you respond and integrate it into your life?
• Describe a time when you had to stand up for yourself or something that others didn’t agree with. 
• What did you learn about yourself during the pandemic?
• How do you handle stressful moments? What support do you need in those moments?

Tried and True Interview Advice I Stand Behind

• In situational and behavioral based interviews, understand what interviewing/selection committees are looking for by researching the STAR Method and practicing a few questions out loud and/or written down. Remember to focus your answers on your contribution (the “A”) and to not forget to describe how the situation turned out (the “R”).
• Do a quick Google search to find popular 2022 interview questions. Pick 15(ish) questions and write down answers to them (or use the list I included above to get you started). You don’t need to read your answers in the interview. The point of this exercise is to get your brain ready to answer a question in the format of an interview and to process what topics you want to discuss.
• Dress up! It’s truly always better to be overdressed in an interview than to be underdressed (including virtual ones). And if you are interviewing for a field-based or plant-based role, you can always ask what the attire expectation is so that you’re not violating any safety protocol.
• Values matter. Do your research on the company/organization before the interview to learn what matters most to them. It’s important that your employer’s values align with your own. Do your homework beforehand so you’re not shocked when you get there.
• Bring three to five questions to ask. Showcase your strategic or big-picture thinking by asking questions about long-term vision or strategy of the company. Don’t stop at “What are you looking for in this role?” – you can do better, I promise.
• LinkedIn is your friend. Create a profile if you don’t have one, look up the people in your interview the day before, and check out the posts of the company/organization you’re interviewing with. This research can help you formulate questions to ask and connect the dots between your role and the people who are interviewing you.
• Keep your introduction concise – no more than 2-3 minutes. Always introduce yourself with your name (so they know how to pronounce it), share the most relevant experience you have, and state why you’re interested in the position. It’s worth it to practice this out loud.
• Pause and breathe. It’s always better to sit and gather your thoughts after being asked a question so you can consider your main points. Too many people start talking, don’t know where to start, don’t know where to end, and take the interviewer on a journey to another continent that we never signed up for. It’s respectable when someone pauses. Do it.
• Don’t be late. Seriously. Be 15-minutes early for in-person interviews (and even earlier if you don’t know where you’re going!) and 5-minutes early for virtual interviews. You can never get that first impression back.
• Find a way to pump yourself up. I always jam out to some Shania Twain and Keith Urban and it helps me feel less anxious and more excited. I also give myself pep talks in the mirror. No shame. It might be a call with a friend, a walk beforehand, or a jam session of your own. Whatever it is, own it.
• Follow-up with a thank-you note. I’m usually an advocate for handwritten notes, but I think in these times, many people aren’t going into an office on a regular basis. If you can get an address from each person who interviews you, send a handwritten note the day of or the next day to them. If you can’t get anything other than a general office address, I’d send an email thanking each of the interviewers for their time. Make sure you share what you learned from the interview, what you connected with each person about, and how you think this role is a good fit for you. And if you have follow-up questions, this is a good time to do this as well.

Best of luck to you in all of your interviews to come!

Want to learn more about a successful interview? Contact Elizabeth here to chat.