DRIVE YOUR CAREER: Interview Preparation

After careful consideration, you have decided to move forward to explore and opportunity. Next step is an onsite interview. 

Preparation is critical. Although the interview process is two sided, if the company doesn’t want to hire you, there’s no decision on your part to make. 

Over three decades of search, our firm has been responsible for over 100,000 interviews. 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. 

DO YOUR RESEARCH

Research the products, history, and leadership team, what we refer to as the four pillars of the company: Product, Market, Leadership, and Mission. 

What is the problem the client is looking to solve with this hire? Why are you the solution?

This exercise gets the examples flowing for conversation. Have questions ready that put yourself on the team. What will our greatest headwind be in the next 3 months? How will I work most effectively with you in this role?

MARKET YOURSELF

Resumes are only a piece of the puzzle. Today, be assured anything online will be reviewed prior to a meeting. That includes media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and google searches can provide a ton of information. Google yourself and think like an employer. Do I optimally represent myself?

There is value in having things to discuss at the meeting, as well as items to leave behind. Here are a few suggestions specific to functional areas.

• 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, however, stand guard at not telling them how to solve a problem if you don’t have all the information necessary to solve it. 
• Engineering/R&D- Website links, 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. 
• Finance- Summary of deal activity

DRESS THE PART

Dress professionally. Always. That is interpretive to the role you are going after and the region of the country, but not by much. The bay area is known to be more casual, but if you feel more in control wearing a business suit, do it. I have had more negative feedback from casual attire than business attire time and time again. 

Suits, slacks or skirts and business top with jackets are all safe options. Sensible shoes for touring the facility. There should be nothing distracting about your presentation, including too much cologne, chewing gum, bright lipstick, silly ties, etc. 

PREPARE FOR THE QUESTIONS

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.  Your recruiter may 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

BE PROMPT

Vince Lombardi said, “If you are five minutes early, you are already ten minutes late.” 

Don’t make the interview day the first time you find the company. Drive it beforehand. Give time for unexpected traffic. Arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled start time. 

ENGAGE WITH EVERYONE

From the receptionist, to the custodian, to the people who pass by, make a positive impression! People instantly judge others within 20 seconds without intention. You do not know what each person’s role may be and the impact on your opportunity. Make it a positive experience. 

Handshake 101. Make eye contact, smile, and for goodness sake, SHAKE A WOMAN’S HAND WITH THE SAME ASSERTION AS YOU WOULD A MAN. 

PARTICIPATE IN THE INTERVIEW

When you are brought into your interview, 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. 

If the client is looking to you to begin the conversation, get more specific direction. For example, “Thanks for the opportunity to meet today, Dan. I am impressed by what I have heard so far about the company and the opportunity. Can you share with me how this role interacts with yours? What is most critical in this role to your success?” 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. Keep on task, your time together is short, you do not want to go on a tangent.

Take notes as if you are in a meeting problem solving about a work-related challenge. They need to see you taking this conversation seriously.

COMPENSATION

I know the new laws about compensation, and I respect the importance of them. However, it is a huge waste of everyone’s time if we are far apart on compensation expectations on both sides. If asked, I recommend stating where you are today.  I don't suggest giving a number on what you expect in an offer, it isn't the forum nor stage of process. You aren’t going to accept an offer you don’t deem fair for your work, so don’t assume the client will lowball you to try and get you. We will chat more about negotiation in an upcoming article, but in general, be straight on compensation and everyone will get a better outcome.

CLOSE THE MEETING

In your voice, confirm with the team that you are interested and appreciate their time and consideration. A couple suggestions: 

“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?”  

“I have enjoyed seeing the organization and the challenges ahead, and I would love to be a part of the solution. Are there any other questions I haven’t answered for you?”

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.   You can reach out to connect via LinkedIn, although some individuals are reluctant to do this with interviewees until they are hired. 

Interview preparation can be the most important time spent as you explore the opportunity. Best case scenario, it is positive for both sides, and you go forward to next steps, possibly an offer. Alternatively, you have met a number of individuals in the market, and you may cross paths again in the future. Play the long game and ensure this time investment is well spent for all involved.