How to Ace Your Interview

Congrats! You made it to the interview stage! Interviews can seem intimidating, but it’s your chance to tell your story, and possibly meet some amazing people. Just remember, you got an interview because they liked your application and saw potential in you. Be confident in who you are and trust the process, who knows where it’d lead you to.

In this article, we’re going to talk about how to prepare for the interview, what to do on the day of the interview, and how to write a thank you email after. 

Before the Interview:

Research the company and team

To get started, go on the company website and read over their mission as well as vision statements. Get a good understanding of what product/services they offer, and what the values of the company are. Familiarizing yourself with the company will be crucial to acing your interview. It’s also important to learn a little bit about the team. A good way to do so is to reach out to people on Linkedin and ask about the culture or their day-to-day. This will not only help you decide whether or not it’s a company you want to work for, but also help you stand out in an interview!

Practice common interview questions

One of the most important things to do is going over some of the most asked questions in interviews. All interviews are different depending on the company and industry, but there are some behavioral questions that are asked very often and would be great to know. 

1. Tell me about yourself

   • To answer this question, it’s important to be succinct, honest and engaging. Do not go line by line over your resume! 

   • Start with a quick intro of who you are and what your academic/professional background is.

   • Use the job description to prepare for this answer, and mention the skills that you have that match the ones highlighted in the job description. 

   • If possible, align your passions with the vision of the company at the end.

2. What’s your greatest strength? 

   • Be genuine and authentic, do not talk about something if it’s not actually your strength. 

   • Be specific, talk about how this particular strength allowed you to succeed in your previous job or academic experience, and relate it to how it will help you succeed in this new role you’re applying for. 

3. What’s your greatest weakness?

   • Do not use a weakness that will be detrimental to the specific role. For example, if you’re applying for a sales position, do not say your greatest weakness is talking to people. 

   • Be sure to talk about what steps you are taking to improve this weakness! This is the most important part. No one is perfect, but being able to recognize your weakness and actively take steps to fixing it is something that employers are looking for!

4. Why should we hire you? 

   • Talk about why you’d be a good fit for the company as well as the team. If you’ve spoken to a team member previously, this would be a perfect chance to mention how you’d fit into the culture they described. 

   • Share a couple strengths you have that are crucial for the success of this role, and include how those strengths have helped you succeed in previous jobs.

5. Why do you want to work here? 

   • Start off with what it is about the company that drew you to them in the first place. Is it their mission statement? Is it their commitment to sustainability or collaborative culture? 

   • Then speak a little about why that’s important to you and how you can help them further their mission or commitments. Remember to be genuine with your answers.

6. Describe a time where you had a conflict with someone you worked with.

   • Describe the situation and what the conflict was. 

   • The most important part of this answer is to describe what steps you took to solve the problem. Did you try to understand the other person’s perspective and respect them? What did you do to try to help them?

   • State the result and how the conflict was resolved. 

Make sure to practice these questions before you go into your interview. You can practice answering these questions in front of a mirror or record yourself. Better yet, recruit a friend or family member to be your interviewer! Remember to watch your posture, be succinct, and ask for feedback on how you can improve. Don’t memorize your answers word for word, but you do want to go into the interview knowing what you have to talk about. 

Besides behavioral questions, most jobs will have a lot more role specific questions that can be found online. Glassdoor will have specific interview questions asked for a role at a specific company, so make sure to look over those before your interview!

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For the day of the interview: 

What to wear

Nowadays, many companies have different requirements. It is always best to dress professionally and show off your best side. Unless the recruiter or hiring manager specifically states the dress code, you should always show up in professional dress attire.

Body Language

Our body language can convey a lot to others. When we’re nervous, many of us will start fidgeting without even realizing it. These small actions can be distracting to your interviewer and make you seem less confident. You want to show your confidence by starting off the interview with a firm handshake. Throughout the rest of the interview, make sure to sit up straight and avoid touching your face or hair. It’s very important to maintain good eye contact with your interviewer throughout the interview and use hand gestures when you’re answering questions. Practice your body language with a friend or family member before the interview to make sure you’re ready for the big day!

Zoom interview

Make sure to show up early even if it’s a Zoom interview so you have time to check that there are no technical difficulties. Do a sound check to make sure your mic is working, and try to set up your computer so that your background is not super distracting. If you don’t have a white wall or clean background, don’t worry because you choose a zoom background. 

Questions to ask at the end of the interview

1. If you were to hire me, what would my day to day look like? 

2. What are some of the biggest challenges that I would face in this role? 

3. What do you think are the most important qualities to have for someone to excel in this job?

4. Can you tell me a bit about the team I’d be working with?

5. What is the culture of your organization like? 

6. What do you like best about working here?

7. What do you think is one thing that the company can improve on?

8. What would someone in this role be expected to accomplish in the first 3-6 months?

9. What’s your timeline for making a decision, and when can I expect to hear back? 

10. Do you have any further questions for me?

Bonus tip: Before your interview, ask HR for your interviewers’ names. Then you can head over to LinkedIn and do a little research on them in order to come up with more personal questions!

• • •

After the Interview

Thank you email

Make sure to send a thank-you email to everyone that took the time to interview you, as well as the HR recruiter who helped to set up the interview. Building good relationships with recruiters can help in the long run - if the interview didn’t work out but they like you, you can still try to reach out to them regarding future openings. 

Here’s an example of a thank you email:

Hi _____, 

Thank you so much for taking the time to interview me for the _____ role at ____. I really enjoyed chatting with you about this opportunity as well as learning about your company’s missions and goals.

The ____ role sounds like a very rewarding opportunity that will allow me to grow my _____ skills. I believe my experiences in _____ (or expertise in _____ and ____ ) will make me a great candidate for this role.

I look forward to discussing this opportunity with you more. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you need any additional information. Thank you again for your time.

Best, 

[Your Name]

Most interviewers will let you know when you can expect to hear back. However, if you don’t hear back by then, make sure to send a follow up email to ask for the status of your application and express your continued interest in the position. 

Good luck interviewing!

Sources

https://www.themuse.com/advice/interview-questions-and-answers

https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/100-potential-interview-questions

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