Interview to impress

Love them or loathe them, interviews are an unavoidable and intimidating part of the hiring process. Though you can be sure to present your experiences, talk about your motivations, and ask questions about the position you’re applying for, the rest of the interview can feel … up in the air. So, how can you be prepared and confident enough to handle anything a hiring manager throws at you? Whether you’re dealing with unusual questions or trying to prove you’re a cultural fit, proper preparation goes a long way. So, get ready to put your best foot forward and impress any interviewer!

How to wow a CEO during your interview

Going into any interview is daunting, but when the interviewer is the company’s CEO, the pressure can feel even greater. So, what are the answers that CEOs are really looking for when interviewing potential candidates, and what questions are they asking? While your resume will land you an interview, the most successful candidates reveal their personalities, life-changing experiences, failures, and triumphs during the interview process. It’s less about getting the answer right, and more about sharing the journey that brought you to their door.?

Nailing an interview with a high-level executive is more about showing them who you are, why you’re there, and what you can do. But what does that mean? To find out, we spoke with founders Joti Balani , of Freshriver.ai , and Steve Shuhet , of Cresting Wave , to dig deeper into what CEOs are looking for during the interview process and the questions they ask to find it.?

Preparation equals performance

One of the most important steps happens before the interview even starts: preparation. Shuhet’s company, Cresting Wave, works on bringing new solutions to companies across all industries. When he’s hiring, he’s primarily looking for salespeople. Due to the vast amount of information available online, there’s no excuse for arriving unprepared for a job interview.?

“Coming prepared is very important to me. If you come and don't know about my company, or you don't know about what our initiatives are and what our challenges are, then to me, you've come unprepared,” says Shuhet. “It would be one thing if you couldn't get the information, it's another thing if you just didn't get the information.” Sometimes, lack of preparation is a dealbreaker.

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