How to Actually Nail the Interview (Take it From a Former Recruiter)
Katelyn Richards
I help facilitate healing for those ready to release the things holding them back | Splankna Practitioner | Forever champion of independent careerists ??
The most important part of any interview probably isn’t what you think. Because it happens once the interviewing portion is actually over. It’s the part where the interviewer asks you, “Now what questions do YOU have?”
Why is this part oh so crucial? Because up to this point in the interview, everything has been mostly transactional. The interviewer has asked you questions and you have answered them. And to be honest, it’s been more of an inquisition than a conversation, am I right?
But, the post-interview Q&A? Now this is your chance to really work magic. This is where you make it about establishing a real human to human connection.
So how do you do this?
You use human psychology to your advantage, that’s how. You make it all about?them. The interviewer. And here’s why:
According to Scientific America, a study conducted by Harvard researchers shows that when people talk about themselves in triggers the reward center of the brain. Which means the more time your interviewer spends talking about themselves, the bigger the win for you.
Here are three ways to do this:
?? Ask the interviewer to share their story.
“You’ve been at Pinterest for six years. Why did you want to work for them and what’s kept you there?”
?? Ask them about their experience with the company.
“I know that at The Muse employees are evaluated on their achievements instead of hours worked. Can you tell me how you’ve seen this play out in your experience?”
?? Ask them what they are currently working on.
“As a Software Engineer at Zillow, what’s your favorite project that you’re working on and why?”
It’s simple math, really.
Doing your homework on the interviewer + prepping intentional & thoughtful questions = nailing the interview.
Take it from a former recruiter.
Want to know more about several fabulous & FREE resources that help your prepare for interviews?
Download my Guide to the Top 12 Free Tools Every Job Seeker Needs !
Integrated Logistics Support
2 年Thanks Katelyn
Certified Career Coach for Job Seekers of all Career stages. Creating a Personalized Job Search just for YOU! Resumes/LinkedIn Profile/Networking/Interview Skills/Career Exploration/Salary Negotiations/Job Search Skills.
2 年Great advice! You definitely do not want to say, "Oh I think you covered everything...." Or even worse, "what is the salary for this position?"
Training and Development | Training Specialist | Curriculum Development | Public Speaker | Facilitation | Career Counselor | Inspiring people to discover and leverage their "PIE"! Do you want PIE?
2 年These are great examples, Katelyn. I tell my jobseekers to not ask, "What do you like about working here?" because it doesn't require as much thought and perspective as the questions you list . . . not to mention, most people experience peaks and valleys during their time with a company, so you don't want an answer that comes from the valley.
Project Manager I Border collie energy I Planning I Budgeting I Leading I Teaching I
2 年You bring up some good points. I would coach individuals to be willing to be agile when this part of the interview happens. I often have about 12 questions ready to go. But depending on what happened in the first part of the interview, I am flexible. No sense asking what will be expected from me in the first 30 days if it was already answered. I do my research and will ask if the interviewer can elaborate on what I found in the transcript of the year end wrap-up.