5 Ways to Stand Out in Your Next Job Interview

5 Ways to Stand Out in Your Next Job Interview

So, I have been in Talent Acquisition and HR for a long time and people are always asking, what can or should I do to stand out in my interview? My answer, that is a very subjective question because every hiring manager has different things they like or dislike. There is no right or wrong answer to this question (because hiring managers are all over the place these days). I will list five of my favorite things that people should do, say or come prepared to discuss during an interview.

These are in no particular order nor do they mean they are the top 5 things of all-time AKA the All-Star List. However, I do feel that these things are important.

1.Tell an accurate story about yourself. Make sure that you represent who you are. To stand out in an interview, tell the story of who you are, this should be a story the hiring manager won’t forget. Many hiring managers will say, “Tell me about yourself”. Yes this is a very open ended question and can be difficult to answer. Don’t get caught up sharing too many details, focus on telling them who you really are. I.E. personality traits that tie you to the job, what the company values, and what your strengths are.

Be confident in how you represent yourself. Be clear and simple. Practice telling your story in front of the mirror or a family member or friend before your interview. Also, make sure you don’t ramble, keep your answers brief but with enough information that the interviewer will remember YOU.

?? 2. Allow yourself to be vulnerable. During a job interview it is okay to be vulnerable. No one is perfect and being vulnerable is authentic and can demonstrate to the interviewer that you aren’t going to show up to work pretending everything is always awesome. Remember, to make a good impression, you need to make yourself relatable by balancing the stories you tell about your achievements with a couple instances of challenges or failures.?

Own up to your mistakes, and when you allow your weaknesses to show, you’ll surprise and stand out to the interviewer. However, if you do this, make sure you follow up with what you learned during those mistakes and how they’ve shaped who you are today.

3. Research the company you're interviewing with! Okay folks, nothing makes me more frustrated when a candidate I am interviewing for a position on my team or anywhere in the company, has not done ANY research on my company.

What drives the company decisions and vision? The culture; at least it should. Candidates should be able to tell the hiring manager what you have learned about the company culture, what drives success, what the product does or doesn’t do and a little about the history of the organization. This shows you have done your research and due diligence on the company you are hoping to land a job with.

This isn’t something I would brush under the rug, if you have not done research then to me that is a big turn off. Organizations and hiring managers want to hire people that are passionate about the company top to bottom.

?? 4. The power of body language. It has been studied that up to 70% of communication between people can be nonverbal. During a job interview, the way you present yourself can signal relevant and impactful cues to a hiring manager. This can include — arriving on time, being polite and preparing concise responses.

Body language is usually subconscious, but if you make an effort to recognize these cues, you may be able to more effectively project confidence to those around you. Here are some tips to help.

- Be on time

- Be responsive

- Use eye contact?

- Evaluate your body language, posture, jiggling in your seat, leg tapping. These can be distracting and give the wrong vibe.

- Consider mirroring your interviewer’s body language as your conversation flows.

- Take deep breaths

Remember to stay calm and pay attention to your surroundings and how your body language may be affecting the overall experience for those in the room you are meeting with. It makes a difference so pay attention to the non-verbal communication and you will be fine.

?? 5. Pose thoughtful questions to your hiring manager. Last but certainly not least is, please have a good set of questions for everyone you meet with during the interview process. This is another one that gets me when I interview people (I am often the final interview) and we get to the end of the interview when I ask them if they have any questions. The dagger comes when I hear, “Nope, everyone has pretty much answered all my questions.” Seriously? Ugh….

Ask questions, there is always something else you can ask, even if you are asking some of the same questions you asked in the first or second interview. If you feel like you know everything you need to know in order to be able to make a decision then turn the discussion to culture. After all, company culture is the most important thing inside any organization IMHO. Here are a few examples of questions you can ask to learn more about the culture.

- How would your team members describe their relationships with one another at work?

- How do people give each other feedback on this team?

- How often do you see and hear from the senior leaders of the business?

- How do you measure success on your team?

Simply put, ASK QUESTIONS.

Here are a few other nuggets that might be good to consider…(just outside the top five)

-Wear bold colors/Dress to impress

-Arrive early for your interview

-Showcase your strengths and areas for improvement

-Describe your accomplishments

-Ask unique questions

-Engage in casual conversation

Of course these are some of my opinions and there are lots of ways to make great impressions during your next job interview. Remember to breathe, be intentional about your experience and what you want out of the interview but don’t forget to think about the five tips above and you should be well on your way to getting the job you want.