The Single Most Important Aspect Of Candidate Interview Preparation

Lots of seasoned professionals are sharing interview tips on various platforms like LinkedIn, Medium, Youtube, blogs, and articles in major publications. I see some really great tips for preparing examples to behavioral based interview questions, websites to practice/brush up on specific industry skills, classes or videos to help learn/deepen specific software skills. There is a huge trend in "learning how to interview over video" this last year of covid19 and global lockdown. Career coaching has sprung up around the world in the last year as a viable consulting service (I think most coaches can certainly help you prepare for interviews, and possibly even hone your job search - I'm very leery of anyone giving resume advice if they have not been a corporate recruiter in the last 10 years using an ATS and trained in their country's legal requirements for hiring practices).

But I have to say how shocked I am on how little emphasis there is on what I consider the single most important part of the interview - personal connection. I have seen a few people discuss how many hours they put into prepping for an interview (which is great), but very few of them mention what I see as the most crucial part of prepping: getting to know your interviewers.

EVERY company I have recruited for in the last decade includes the full interview loop with the final confirmation and schedule sent to the candidate (usually sent by a Recruiting Coordinator or the Recruiter). It includes the name and usually the title of all the interviewers. Even if there is a last minute change (ie illness), candidates are usually given an updated schedule the day of their interviews. This information is the most important piece of the puzzle. Candidates should invest time and energy preparing to meet people. At the end of the interview loop, the single biggest question every interviewer needs to answer in the post-interview fed: "Can you see yourself working with this person?" I can honestly say that this insight has often been the lynchpin as to whether a candidate is hired or not. 

This isn't about looking for a cookie cutter team member; the important insights interviewers are looking for:

Can I learn from this person? 

This applies to every candidate. Despite what a lot of people believe, new grads actually bring a lot to the table in this area. They often have great insight into theories from their professors/teachers, and that often includes newer trends in the industry that can be leveraged. For experienced candidates, this is often one of the most important facets of hiring someone externally: each new hire brings their own experiences - good and bad- and can help make a team and organization more efficient or better by leveraging that experience. It may also include hiring a specialist to help with specific needs that no one on the team has expertise with. But having the knowledge isn't worth diddly if the team doesn't feel like the candidate will be open to sharing information and collaborating. 

*Being in tech recruiting I have interviewed and hired a significant number of neurodiverse candidates, so for those that are truly introverted or on the spectrum, don't be discouraged - a willingness to be a resource is as valid and someone wanting to be a mentor and actively "teach" or formally present their expertise. 

Is this person teachable? 

This is probably one of the most overlooked aspects from the candidate side of the equation. When I am prepping candidates for their interviews, the single biggest piece of advice I give them: if your interviewer tries to redirect you during the conversation, it is because they are looking for something more or different from the direction you have taken. How you deal with this situation is crucial to your interviewer. I have seen many candidates that didn't do stellar on a particular question/exercise still get hired because they were open to learning and redirecting their efforts - this falls under "potential" and can make or break your chances of landing an offer.

Do they listen?

I covered this a couple of years ago, but it bears repeating: if you interrupt your interviewer, or assume you know what they are asking before they finish their question/setup, this is the SINGLE biggest reason why people don't get hired in my own experience.

Are they engaged/curious?

This goes a long way towards general candidate preparation and the research so diligently put into interview preparation: learning about the employer, their mission, products/services, and reputation. Asking relevant questions shows interest and enthusiasm. I covered this a couple of years ago after an especially egregious interview loop that was a unanimous "No Hire" from 6 people, all with the same impression (and the candidate aced all the functional aspects of the interview). 

Are they humble? 

This is a big one, especially in tech. In the 90's and early aughts, there was a tendency to ignore red flags if a candidate was a brilliant technician (at whatever their job was.) But that has changed dramatically in the last ten years; companies want team players, and that is much more important than strict "intellectual horsepower". (It goes back to the question "can I see myself working with this person?")

So what am I trying to get at with all this? You, the candidate, should take the time to research your INTERVIEWERS with as much care as you do the company. With LinkedIn, this should be an absolute no-brainer. In this day and age of the internet and social media you can find out a lot about people by doing some simple digging. (BTW, this is a MAJOR component of what recruiters do when they are searching for passive candidates.) LinkedIn, blogs, Youtube videos, Reddit, Quora, professional forums, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest - these are all valid points of research (to be fair, I generally limit myself to Reddit, Quora and Twitter when I am researching someone in a professional context). When I am on the interview loop for someone in recruiting/HR, I am always curious to see how candidates have prepared by researching me. I am a prolific writer, and I have content all over the place. My digital footprint clearly shows what I am passionate about, what I am willing to invest my personal time and efforts in, and how I stay current in my industries (both staffing/recruiting and tech in general.) I have a blog and Twitter accounts listed on my profile - both of which show different sides of me. 

Even if you just stick to LinkedIn there is a wealth of knowledge to be gained beyond just a person's name and professional history. All of this can be gleaned from their landing page as a starting point. 

• WHO DO YOU KNOW IN COMMON? If you have one or more mutual connections, reach out to them and ask them about your interviewer. This is the single biggest preparation tool you have at your disposal. Especially in the case of the hiring manager, knowing what experiences other people have is invaluable, both good and bad. 
• Check to see if they have a blog*, then read it. A blog is a personal website where people share their thoughts, interests, beliefs, and thoughts. If the link is listed in their LI profile, that means they probably use it for professional musings/projects. *Here is hint recruiters use: most people use the same "handle" across a majority of their social media accounts; this would be the @iamchris or /iamchris. It can really help you with your research efforts) *See article image to access on LI homepage.
• Check out both their recommendations and endorsements; learn what other people consider their strengths (both skills and personality).
• Look at their volunteer/interests section. Knowing what someone is passionate about, even in their personal lives, can give you a valuable touchstone to build a rapport with them. You may even find common interests, or a cause/organization that speaks to you. In my last job when I was on my final round of interviews, I totally clicked with one of my interviewers over our joint love of animals, especially rescues.
• What companies/brands/schools/influencers do they follow? Look for patterns of interest. 
• Where did they go to school? Did they belong to any campus groups that they still list, are they still engaged with their alma mater? 
• Visit their activities section, see what they comment on or share on LinkedIn. You can learn a ton about how a person thinks and their beliefs based on what they share with the world and how they interact on public social media sites. They may have posted a picture of their new baby, or pet. People always like to talk about new additions to the family. 
• Of course check out their job history, but look at how long they stay at companies, how their career has progressed; this gives you instant content to develop even the most generic of questions. 
• Images: what do they have for both their profile and their landing page banner? (BTW, that banner is one of the biggest pieces of real estate YOU have to use as a branding tool.) For example, photography is a personal hobby of mine; I often switch up my banner with photos I have taken that I really love (or, if you notice a company logo across multiple profiles, it can give you insights into company culture). 

At the end of the day, finding a job isn't just about "doing stuff". Professionals spend a major portion of their lives with the people they work with; often it becomes the basis for long-lasting personal relationships as well. Heck, we all know people that met their romantic partners via their workplace or in some professional capacity. Recruiting/job searching is a lot like dating...the more information you have about the person you are meeting, the easier it is to forge that oh-so-important rapport. This preparation goes both ways - you learn more about potential team members; there may be some red flags for you, or you may get more excited about the team you are interviewing.