How to Ace An Interview – Tips For Success

Walking into an interview is intimidating and nerve-wracking for most people.  If you’re immune to the interview stress, congratulations to you.

Although I’ve thankfully only had to endure a very limited number of interviews throughout my career, I have interviewed numerous people.

This article is written from my perspective being on the other side of the interview table. My suggestions and thoughts are based upon what I have grown to expect from an interview.

From salary expectations to questions that may be asked of you, I hope to cover almost everything you may experience during your upcoming interview.

I have divided the article into three main sections – Pre-Interview, Interview Day, and Post Interview. Keep in mind that none of these suggestions are meant for you to be a robot during the actual interview.

As you read through each section, remember to let your personality shine and be you.

Pre-Interview

This section is the longest out of the three we will cover. You should be spending the most time preparing for the interview.

Research the company.

• You want to be able to ask your own questions, but not be too invasive.
• The goal here is to show that you are truly interested and you’ve done some research.
• I do not expect anyone to come into an interview knowing everything there is to know about a company. However, do spend at least twenty minutes prior to the big day solely researching the company.

Know everyone’s name that has contacted you.

• Do you have the name(s) of who will be giving the interview?
• Has someone from Human Resources called you?
• I’m horrible with names so I am going to assume that you are as well. Remember to immediately write down each and every name of the people that you interact with.

Know what you’re going to wear before the day of the interview.

• No outrageously bright colors.
• Don’t wear heels that you are not 100% confident in.
• Honestly, I would wear a black pant suit with a white collared undershirt and black flats.

Know the exact day you would be willing to start if they make you an offer.

Have this day in mind, giving consideration to any commitments to your previous employer.

How’s your handshake?

This may sound odd, but there are A LOT of people out there that give horrible handshakes. 

I met a lady once that gave me the daintiest handshake ever with her fingers only and I was completely turned off.  For this reason, give your family members or friends a handshake and make sure yours is normal please.

Social Media Accounts

I decided to give social media it’s on section in this article because this can cost you the position before you ever walk foot in the door.

According to Business News Daily, “The vast majority of hiring professionals believe that checking a candidate’s or employee’s social media profile is an acceptable way to vet them”.

My personal opinion is that your social media accounts are your own.

This is a touchy topic. It’s touchy for an employer for a number of reasons, but let’s focus on what I would do if I were seeking employment.

Make sure that your accounts do not have any inappropriate content. I said early on that you should let your personality shine, and that is still the case.

A first impression means so much. Written words can be torn apart and heard differently than what the writer meant for you to hear.

Know that if your accounts are private, most likely people can still see a profile picture.

I would Google yourself and see what turns up. In a world where everyone has access to social media, I would use caution.

Again, touchy subject.

Common Questions

Know how to answer the common questions prior to the big day. Here’s a list of a few that have been asked time and time again.

Know your answers to these questions before interview day.

• Why should we hire you?
• Why do you want to work here?
• Tell me something about yourself.
• Why are you wanting to leave your current (or left your previous) position?
• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
• Are you a team player?
• What is your greatest achievement?
• Where do you see yourself in five or ten years?
• Why is there a gap between previous employment?
• How would your coworkers describe you?
• Do you have a vision of your dream job?
• How do you deal with stressful situations?

It’s Interview Day!

Time Is So Important

Do not wait until the last minute to get ready.

I would plan to arrive in the parking lot a minimum of 15 minutes prior to my interview time.

If it takes me 30 minutes to get to the employer, I would leave an hour before I needed to be there. Not only does this give me plenty of time to sit in the car to take some deep breaths, but it also gives me some buffer if there is any traffic on the way.

Note that some buildings also have security and parking lots that are quite huge.

You want to walk through the door approximately 5 minutes early.

Your Appearance

Do not wear an excessive amount jewelry. You may take a tour of different parts of the building and jewelry may not be allowed.

If lipstick is a must, keep it a neutral color. Makeup should be minimal for today. You want to avoid anything that distracts from the amazing things that coming out of your mouth.

Don’t go hungry.  You don’t want your stomach growling or your mind wandering off to what you are going to get for lunch after you’re done.

Turn your phone on silent before you walk in and put it in your pocket or your purse. I had a potential candidate who came walking in looking at their phone.  I walked him up the stairs and he looked again.  To me, the interview was over before it even started.

You’re nervous.  That’s normal!  In the car before you walk in, take deep breaths.  Seven seconds in and seven seconds out a few times works wonders for me.

The Actual Interview

During the interview, do not say anything bad about your previous employer. One of the worst thing to do is dog your previous company or management team members.

Smile!  Be nice to everyone you encounter.  Receptionist, someone cleaning the office, anyone – Smile and be respectful as I can guarantee you your interviewer will hear about or notice those things.

You want to be a great listener.  When your interviewer is speaking, be engaged, nod and smile.  Do not interrupt.

Sit straight and keep your head high.  You are confident!

Post-Interview

Honestly, I don’t care if someone sends me a follow up letter after.  It doesn’t change my mind about who I thought was the best candidate.  I do, however, think that it could sway me one way or the other if I couldn’t decide between a select few.

Emails are great for sending out a follow up.  Send an email to everyone that you met (HR person, Interviewer, etc.…) and let them know how much you appreciate their time and that you look forward to hearing from them soon.

I would address everyone as Mr. and/or Ms. in your emails.

Make sure that you are following proper email etiquette as the email you write will most likely be judged for things like proper grammar. The subject line should contain something simple, like “Jane Doe – Interview Follow Up”.

I do believe in letting every candidate I personally bring in know if they received the job or not. I feel it’s only fair that I spend a few moments letting them know that I went in another direction.

If you have not heard anything from the interview and it has been a couple of weeks, in my opinion it is perfectly fine to follow up again. I would not be bothered by this.

We all get caught up doing our day-to-day tasks and hiring for this certain position or letting people know that you have found someone else, may fall on the back burner and be forgotten.

Finally, I will say that every single interview gets easier.

Best of luck to you!