6 Questions to Ask Yourself before Every Interview

Over the past 15 years I have been party to the outcomes of many hundreds of interviews and, given the ratios involved in the average interview process, the majority of these outcomes have (sadly) been negative.

Whether you are interviewing for your first job out of school, or are 20 years into your career, how you prepare will be absolutely critical to your success. As the old saying goes, 'By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail'.

So, prior to attending an interview, candidates should be asking themselves a number of key questions:

What do I know about the company?

Given the availability of information these days it is an expectation that you will have thoroughly researched the company you are interviewing with and are able to demonstrate this knowledge during the interview. Depending on the size of the company and its public profile, the amount of available information will vary. However you should ideally have an understanding of: a) how long they have been in existence b) their size in terms of employee numbers, revenue and geographical reach c) the industry they are in, core product offerings and key competitors d) key management personnel e) current strategy and financial performance as well as economic factors and industry challenges affecting these.

What do I know about the interviewer and the team I would be working for?

This information is not always easily available; however a combination of Google and social media such as LinkedIn will often generate useful results. Also, ask the person who arranged the interview or anyone within your own network who works for the company to provide some additional insight. Key things to note include: a) How long have they been with the company and in their current role? b) Who else have they hired recently and where have they come from? c) How big is the team that you would be joining? d) Where would you fit into the hierarchy of the team (junior with a learning curve ahead of you, or a senior member who will be expected to perform immediately and provide leadership to the team)?

What do I know about the role and why does it exist?

If you have a job description, read it carefully. These can vary greatly in terms of detail and content but at their most basic should give information about the main duties of the role and a wish list of required experience and qualifications for candidates. If you do not fulfil all the criteria, ask yourself how your overall skill-set will compensate for this. As for why the role exists, this will be an important question. Is it a replacement role, or additional headcount as a result of growth or a change in strategy? Is someone doing the role at the moment, or is this a newly-created position? This is not always obvious from a job description or job advertisement so once again you will need to ask your interview arranger if they have any insight into this, otherwise ensure that you are asking these questions outright during the interview.

Why do I want to work for this company and in this particular role?

It is essential that you have fully thought through your own motivations before attending an interview and are absolutely clear on the reasons why you are there. If you are already employed then you’ll need to be able to articulate the reasons why you are looking to leave your current employer (push factors) and why you feel that your ambitions will be better served in the new company (pull factors). Focus on positive specifics such as ‘the company is the clear leader in a particular market’ or the ‘company has a network of international offices which may help me realise an ambition to work overseas if I am successful in the future’, rather than more negative factors such as ‘looking for a pay rise’ or ‘better work-life balance’.

What do they already know about me and what will their likely concerns be?

Try and put yourself in the mind of your interviewers. Having decided to give up a chunk of their time to interview you for the role, it is safe to assume that they will have seen something from your CV, industry profile or heard something from a referee which makes them feel that you could be a credible candidate for the position. Of course, it is likely that they will interview a number of other candidates before making their decision on who to hire so it is paramount that you understand where your weaknesses are and how you will counteract any questioning of them. Prepare for the interview with this in mind and tailor your answers to address these specific concerns. For example, maybe you feel that you are lacking a few years of experience relative to the job description (e.g. you have 5 years and they are asking for 7), so make reference to how quickly you have developed in your current role and highlight the areas where you have really punched above your weight. Also, just as you will have researched online information about your interviewers, it is also highly likely that they will have done the same to you. Ensure that any publicly available information including your social media presence is up to date, accurate and accompanied by a recent and professional-looking profile photograph.

Why am I the right candidate for this role?

On the flip-side of the above, before you walk into the interview room you will need to have a solid understanding of why you are the right candidate for this particular role. Again this will boil down to being able to articulate specific, measurable achievements and ambitions as well as your unique proposition value (what sets you apart from your peers) as a candidate.

Have I left anything out? Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences!