The 10 Commandments for Interviewing in 2017

Ok, so you have an interview with that medical device company you have been courting, congratulations! 

Or… perhaps you have been called for an interview, and the specifics of the company are lost in a sea of online application submissions as you actively search for your next role. 

Either way, preparation for the interview is critical… the goal is clear… NAIL IT. If the company doesn’t want to hire you, there’s no decision on your part anyway. 

In our decades years of search, our firm has been responsible for over 100,000 interviews. That is a TON of preparation and pointers. Many of the rules of engagement haven’t changed, but some nuances are new. Even if you are a tenured professional with good experience interviewing, it never hurts to refresh on the basics. 

With that said, let’s discuss our top ten commandments of preparation for an in-person interview.

1- Thou Shall RESEARCH THE OPPORTUNITY

Research the products, history, and leadership team, what we refer to as the four pillars of the company: Product, Market, Leadership, and Mission. You can get questions to ask on each of those here.

You need to know everything you can about these areas, and what you don’t know, have well thought out questions.  Write them down and pull out your list, this is a sign you have done your homework.

If you have a position description, or at the minimum the top problems this role is looking to solve, write down why you are part of the solution, and be prepared to defend it. This exercise gets the examples flowing for conversation. 

2- Thou Shall MARKET YOURSELF

Getting the meeting is a big step, but now it’s time to show the client why you are the best hire. 

Bring copies of your resume, enough to offer one to every person on the itinerary. Consider additional items based on the type of role. You can bring a more formal copy of the “Why Me?” Working document that you put together in your homework preparation, or something more targeted as noted below.

• Sales- Documentation associated with achievements. Examples- “Brag book”-a compilation of ranking sheets, letters of reference, and emails of congratulations or acknowledgment of achievement. Sales leadership positions should include top level metrics on any regional turnaround numbers and revenue stats. A draft of 30/60/90 day business plans are good for talking points, and allow the client to see how you would think and behave if given the position. 
• Engineering/R&D- Diagrams or pictures of products you have designed. Engineers are logical, tangible thinkers and these examples make for a great "show and tell".
•  Quality- Sample of your writing/documentation skills. If you have a non-proprietary sample of a design control or quality system you can share, all the better.
• Regulatory- A list of approvals, and/or, associated projects that may not have made it to the finish line.
• Clinical- A addendum list of trials, enrollment size, and the end result. This creates easy talking points.
• Business development- Deal sheet- M&A activity- List of deals you were involved with and in what capacity. 
• Marketing- Because this is your area of expertise, you will most likely have to give a presentation at some point in the interview process. If given a topic, create a power point that targets the given topic. Keep your eye on the ball, clear focus on the topic, and why YOU are the best fit for the job.

3- Thou Shall DRESS THE PART 

Please, Ladies and Gentlemen, dress professionally. Whether fair or not, we are all judged visually. 

What would one wear to an important meeting in this part of the country? In my opinion, outside Silicon Valley, a suit is still the best choice. In the bay area, a suit may be overkill for an individual contributor role, but don’t stray too far from professional. I have never had a hiring manager say, “I don’t want to hire this guy; he was overdressed.” I have had comments like, "I can't picture him meeting our Chairman of the Board, he was relaxed and too casual" and "She looked like she had come straight from school instead of another company".

You don’t have to break the bank, but what you wear should be an investment towards your “Marketing Me” campaign. 

Women

A suit with pants or a skirt (knee length) are both fine, no pantyhose is OK, but stay away from open toed shoes, and go with the pumps for the first meeting. The interview is not the forum to wear the “I still got it!” stilettos.  Test your shoes this way. If you have to walk swiftly up and down stairs for the facility tour, are you going to risk breaking a leg? Do not chew gum, bring mints instead. Additionally, stay away from bright lipstick, nail polish, cleavage, or heavy perfume. We don’t want ANY distractions from your candidacy for the position at hand. 

Men 

If fashion isn’t your strength... bring your wife, daughter, or favorite metrosexual shopping with you.  The client must be able to visualize you in a board meeting or visiting with their number one customer. You don’t have to have a thousand dollar outfit to be clean, wrinkle-free and professional. Shoes shouldn’t be scuffed or too worn. Cologne is ok but don’t bathe in it. Your tie can be a bold color and fashionable, but stay away from silly themes (Santa Claus?? Yes, had it happen...) Again, you want to be taken seriously and want zero distractions from your qualifications. 

4- Thou Shall REHEARSE THE BASICS

There are a few questions you should assume you will be asked:

What was your greatest career accomplishment? What was your largest failure? How did it impact the success of the organization? Give me an example of how you lead a team. If your client employs a particular interview “style”, i.e. Behavioral Based Interviewing, STAR questions, etc. Prepare for them. Again, your recruiter will have this insight. If you need more tips on these specific interview styles, Google it, there are tons of examples. Here is one.. Behavioral Based Interview Question Examples

5- Thou Shall BE PROMPT

Arrive 15 minutes early. Don’t make the interview day the first time you find the company. Drive it beforehand. If the commute isn’t realistic on a daily basis, you need to know that right away.  Virtual opportunities are out there, but as a new employee, being in the office full-time is typically critical. Decide early in the process if the daily commute is intolerable because the location of the company is not a negotiation item. 

6- Thou shall make a POSITIVE IMPRESSION 

That means to everyone. The receptionist may be the CEO’s best friend and sounding board for all new hires, or his wife, or ahem... whatever. Make a positive impression! A warm smile, eye contact, and friendly greetings. People instantly judge others within 20 seconds without intention. Make it a positive experience. Men… SHAKE A WOMAN’S HAND WITH THE SAME ASSERTION AS YOU WOULD A MAN. If your handshake feels like a dead fish in a newspaper wrapper, it's time to step up your game. 

7- Thou Shall be an ACTIVE PARTICIPANT in the interview 

When you are brought into your interview, and you have used your killer smile and handshake, it's time to get down to business. Don’t ask about pictures, kids, travel, etc... It’s cliché and may start things on the wrong foot. I don’t want you to be a robot, but it is important that they see you first as a viable candidate for the position. You can decide if you will be “friends” after you are hired.

If the client is looking to you to begin the conversation, get more specific direction. For example, “Thanks for the opportunity to meet today, Mr. Trump. I am impressed by what I have heard so far about the company and the opportunity. In your opinion, what are the most critical qualifications you seek in the position?” If you ask this question to 7 different people, you will get 7 different answers, so this data allows you to frame your qualifications around the most important topics. You don’t want to use the 30-60 minute discussion going off on a tangent about things that are not at all relevant.

 8- Thou Shall TAKE NOTES 

Take notes as if you are in a meeting problem solving about a work-related challenge. That is EXACTLY what is happening in an interview! Note the most critical points of the position that are mentioned, and confirm you have addressed each in the interview sufficiently. 

9- Thou Shall ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

 In keeping our focus, the goal of this interview is that the client wants you. It doesn’t matter if you are sure if you want them yet. You will have time to ask questions and figure that part out, but ONLY if they want you. Ask questions that have a positive connotation, and leave out others for now. Use “we” not “you”; put yourself on the team. 

Ex. “What are OUR greatest challenges in this role for the first 30 days?” 

Do NOT ask about compensation, vacation, time off, or flex time. When asked about your expectations on salary, state simply WHERE YOU ARE AT TODAY. EX.  “I am at $125,000 today plus 20% bonus target.” If asked about what you need for the given position, don’t give a numeric answer.  State again where you are today, and that your primary motivation is a great career move, money is secondary to that. If you are pushed for a number, say something like… “Frankly, it really depends on the overall picture. That is why I am here, to find out more about the opportunity.” It shouldn’t go further than that. You don’t want to give a number that can raise concern because it is too high or too low at this juncture.

10- Thou shall CLOSE THE MEETING

Old school thought was “Ask for the position”. This is still appropriate in ALL sales interviews. 

In every interview, though, you must close in a direct, appropriate way. In the simplest form, “Tom, I have really enjoyed my day here at NewStent and I would love to work with you. Is there anything else I can share about my background that will make you confident in my candidacy for this role?”  Or, “Thank you for a very good day with you and your team. Before I leave, I just want to let you know how confident I am that I could be successful in the role and how much I would enjoy working with the team. What are the next steps?”  

If you can get business cards, do so, otherwise, get them from the receptionist on the way out. You want to send an emailed “thank you note” within 24 hours of your interview. 

Last Words of Advice

I know that preparation for an interview can be a big task, especially when you are juggling it on top of a full-time position. However, if you want to be a rock star in the industry, these interviews are a forum for you to showcase your skills, not just to a company, but to a panel of additional market players. This could be the first step to a dream career opportunity, and if it doesn’t work out, you never know… one day that person on the other side of the table may be interviewing with you instead.