Find out what makes interviewing today WAY different than interviewing a few years ago (and why that's a good thing), the 7 most important things to keep in mind as you prepare for and conduct your interview, what to do if the interview starts to go a little bit off the rails, and how to conduct yourself in the eventual follow-up interview (because you're for sure gonna crush the first one.)Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Hi, this is Stephanie Moss, partner with Thinking Ahead Search, and welcome to the Talent Tree. Today, I wanna talk to you a little bit about interviewing and today's climate. Interviewing today is dramatically different than it has ever been. So interviewing today, it's super wonky. Couple things though that make it great.
Number one, because so many of the interviews are happening either via phone call or Zoom call or something else, the appetite for hiring managers to spend time with a potential candidate has gone way up. They don't have to drive 45 minutes there. They don't have to commit to being there for an hour and a half, then drive another 45 minutes back.
It's literally, all right, give me two minutes to dial up Zoom. We're on the call. 30, 45 minutes later, I hang up. I can move on to the next thing. So the appetite has gone up considerably.
Another good thing is, again, even though the Zoom and some of that isn't as good as the face-to-face, if you do it right and with a lot of patience and practice, it can really help you get to know an organization at a slightly different level. Watch how well they're adapting to all these changes.
It's a great indicator of how they handle change, the way they embrace it, and what kind of technologies they're ultimately interested in investing in when it's necessary. Again, today's environment is different. Zoom is different. I think by now everybody's got at least five to eight outfits that from the waist up look professional. Waist down, shorts, yoga pants, whatever it wants to be.
It's definitely different, but let me assure you, it's still very effective. Now, here's some very basic interview etiquette. Super simple and yet it's amazing to me how often folks forget these basic things. And by the way, this is etiquette for both hiring managers and folks being interviewed. Now, let me be clear. I'm not a career counselor. I'm not a career coach. I am an executive recruiter.
I get paid to bring the right people to the right organizations at the right time. That is my job. However, a big part of that is working with folks because most of the folks that I work with don't interview all the time. It's to coach, train, and teach them how to execute an effective interview. So here they are, six simple things to remember. First and foremost, be on time.
Of course, the right answer is be there early, but be there on time. It is just simply a sign and a show of respect. Number two, be well-dressed. Now look, if you're interviewing for a job that it would be super weird for you to be in a suit, then don't wear a suit. But you know what well-dressed looks like. Whether we like it or not, first impressions make a difference.
So you got to be well-dressed. Number three, be prepared. Show that you've done some homework on the company and who you're going to be talking with. You have to be prepared. You just do. And the way that you prepare is you go through the background information you need on who you're going to meet with the company, the position. Educate yourself first.
And then the way you show the interviewer that you're prepared is by forming strategic and thoughtful questions around the research that you've done prior to being there. Another way to be prepared is knowing answers to common interview questions. Let's face it, most interviews, absolutely, you may get a curveball here and there, but
But most of the time, we kind of know what we're going to be asked. So have you thought through a clear, concise way to answer those questions? Number four, ask thoughtful questions. Not just the standard interview questions. And again, this is for candidates and for clients. Ask good, thoughtful questions. Five, be clear with your interest. If you are interested in learning more, be clear.
Hi, I'm interested in learning more. Thank you for your time. I'd like to learn more. Simple as that. If you're not interested, just as simple, thank you for your time. You've given me a lot to think about. And then lastly, close for the next step. Hey, thank you so much for your time. I am absolutely interested in learning more. What's the next step? Where do we go from here? Close.
In some ways, interviewing is kind of like dating. There's some psychology around it that mirrors those two things. People want to hire people that want the job. Don't get me wrong. There's a time and a place to play hard to get. If you're my daughter, it's going to be for a very long time. Otherwise, we need to make sure that as the interview comes to a close,
that you take the lead and express your interests directly and clearly. Hey, Tom, thank you so much for your time today. I have certainly learned a lot in talking with you. And based on what you shared with me were your critical needs in your next hire, I hope I've outlined how I could meet those needs. I absolutely look forward to the next step in the process. By the way, what would that be?
That's a super easy, super direct, super clear way to close an interview. But maybe above all, listen, listen. Most interviewers will tell you what they want, how they want it, what it's going to take if you listen to their answers to your thoughtful, strategic questions. Now, look, I will be honest. I haven't been on a job interview in literally years.
I hope I never have to go on one ever again. And I know if I do, I'm going to be nervous. Even doing this as a professional career for almost 20 years, I'd be nervous. I totally get it. When we're nervous, it's hard for us to be good listeners, but you've got to find a way to get there anyway. When you really can listen, feel free to take notes.
But when you are very tuned in to what the other person is saying, nine times out of 10, it's going to give you the answers that you need to help decide if you're a right fit. And it's also going to give you the ammunition you need to convince that person that you're the right fit. These are all very basic things that everyone should know.
And yet, let's be honest, we don't interview full-time for a living, so they're easy to forget. Now, on occasion, things can go off the rails.
Every now and then we hear from candidates who go into a situation where they're so excited it almost filters into nervousness, or the same way, the clients are so excited about the candidate that they're getting ready to meet that their nervousness comes out instead of excitement. And sometimes it can happen where the interview gets a little sidetracked.
So here's what you do in that situation to pull it back on the rails. A couple of thoughts, and these are critically important. You have to remember, the folks you're talking with, they're just human too. I've actually had candidates say, and this was brilliant, the hiring manager loved it, hang on, hiring manager, let me slow down for a second.
I'm very excited to meet with you, and I'm very excited of this opportunity, and I think some of my excitement has made me a little nervous. Can we start over? It's that simple. He just said, hey, I'm nervous because I'm excited. Can we start over? The hiring manager loved it. He loved that he could own that, admit it, and they did. Needless to say, fast forward, dot, dot, dot, they got the job.
They're there. They're happy. Clients. I actually had this happen where I had a client who was so excited to meet with a banker. They met for lunch. and he actually had several martinis over lunch because he was so nervous and excited to be meeting with this person.
Thankfully, after about the two-thirds of the way through the second one, I think their conscience kicked in and they realized, oh, this is probably not the impression I want to be making, and they did something very similar. Hey, you know what? Let me push my drink to the side. Obviously, we're very excited that you're interested in our organization. Let me start over on a couple different things.
It's very simple. It's very easy. When you do just kind of open it up and say, hey, let's just start over. It really lets the other person's guard down. And even though some people say like, oh, you can never take away a first impression. I don't necessarily buy into that. I think it can be difficult to overcome a first impression and people will look for evidence.
to enforce that first impression. But when you bring humanity to it, most people let their guard down. And instead of looking for reasons to enforce the first impression, they will actually look for reasons to see you as you truly want to be represented. Now so far, we've only been talking about a first interview, but what if you get another? Let's talk about some key steps in a second interview.
This is of course what takes place after you've had your initial interview. Now you're coming back for a second one. Usually it's a little bit deeper dive. It can be a little bit less formal because it's kind of like your second date. So here are a couple things that are critical during that time. First and foremost,
If you are meeting with anybody you have not already met with, even though it's your second interview, it's their first interview. So you need to be very smart and mindful of treating it like it's a first interview. They don't know you. They've obviously or probably heard good things. They know you're interested and they are interested in you. But be smart.
You need to make a very strong first impression with them. And I think it's also okay to ask some of the same questions you asked in the first interview. Hey, I was talking with such and such last week. He mentioned this. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
This is actually going to serve you incredibly well because you'll be able to see, hey, is there consistency in the organization with their answers or are there some discrepancies to which you'd want to find out for sure? Now, let's say you're actually meeting with the same person and it truly is a second interview.
While usually this can be a little bit more of an informal meeting, this is where oftentimes I see candidates get a little bit too relaxed too soon. I'll use a dating analogy. Second date, you guys had a good first date, second date comes up. You want to be smart. You still want to play the part to a certain degree, if you will.
The second date isn't where you reveal, oh, hey, by the way, I'm so glad we're meeting again. Here's all my baggage. It's just not going to work. You want to be smart, but again, it is the time when you can kind of be a little bit more relaxed. What is critical is that you ask good questions that show you heard what was said in the first one and you're following up.
Hope this helps and good luck on your interview.