5 Secret Strategies to 10x Interview Skills
Today, I am going to teach you 5 interview techniques that will advance your interviews skills and help land your next role.
These 5 strategies have helped me and my clients develop confidence and stand out during interviews.
Here a is quick list:
1. Turn the interview into a conversation
2. Be personable and friendly
3. Record and study your interviews to get even better at them
4. Perform Company and Interviewer Research
5. Ask the interviewer if they have any concerns about your qualifications
Let’s break them down further.
1. Turn the interview into a conversation
Turning the interview into a conversation will help you build a deeper, more meaningful connection with your interviewers, leading you to get hired faster.
One of the easiest ways to turn the interview into a conversation is to ask the interviewers clarifying follow-up questions about the challenges they experience in their roles, and why they are hiring for this role.
When interviewing, I think of the interview as a doctor diagnosing a patient's health problems. Doctors don't jump and prescribe medication to patients right away. They get to know what's going on through conversation and questions. Think of yourself as the doctor diagnosing problems for the company’s issues.
Use questions and conversation to understand what sort of problems the company is looking to solve by hiring for this position. Most companies go into hiring mode when the companies experience high workloads or are looking to expand.
When you do this, you will differentiate yourself as a candidate who actually cares for the work and the company, rather than someone who is simply looking for another role. In some cases, they may be reluctant to open themselves up through conversation.
In interviews, I would ask clarifying questions to understand what the primary reasons are for why they are hiring for the role. I ask questions about what sort of challenges lead them to looking for someone for this role.
Get to know what specific problems the interviewers are trying to resolve by hiring for this role. Then, you can talk about the past experiences, how you faced similar issues in your past roles, and actions you took to make those companies better.
2. Be personable and friendly
Imagine yourself in this situation: you just got hired as a director for a new company, and you need to hire someone to help you manage a couple of important projects. Who would you rather hire?
Would you hire someone who is indifferent or unfriendly and doesn't look forward to getting along with others? Or, would you rather hire someone who is personable, friendly, and actively looks to get along with others? Which out of the two would you hire if their work performance remained the same?
I would rather hire someone who is friendly and gets along with others. Most of us naturally gravitate toward those who are positive, warm, and friendly. Interviewers are looking to do the same. They are looking for positive, personable, and friendly colleagues to work with, solve problems and achieve goals together for their company.
Ask yourself: would you hire yourself based on your current friendliness and ability to get along with others?
When I was interviewing for jobs, I intentionally made the decision to make friends with the interviewers by the end of the interview. Setting this intention has helped me tremendously to become more friendly, personable, and develop meaningful relationships with interviewers.
Earlier in my career, I realized that I may or may not get the job after the interview, but there is a lot I can do to make a friend in the process. Especially if I am positive, friendly, and show genuine interest in the interviewers, I realized that making friends with them is not that difficult.
I realized that making friends with the interviewers could also open up other opportunities even if I didn't necessarily get selected for the current position. I have interviewers who became my friends who offered me roles much longer after I had met them in initial interviews.
Take steps to be positive and friendly with others. Instead of pretending to be positive and friendly just for the interviews, learn to actually be positive and friendly with others. Show genuine interest toward that which excites them and ask about issues they are currently dealing with. Offer value and help if you are capable of providing it.
Not only your career success, but your happiness also depends on your ability to get along with others. I would say as much as 85% of your career and life success depends on your ability to meet new people and get along and work with them in a friendly and collaborative way. We are much happier when we can get along with others and have productive conversations and harmonious relationships.
For me, the way interviewers interact with me also is indicative of how their company culture is set up. Early in my career, I recognized that I do my best work in a friendly, blameless, and harmonious environment. Therefore, I choose to work with professionals and in workplaces that are conducive to these values.
If I can be friendly with interviewers, and they are friendly back with me, that is a good indicator of a friendly work environment. If they deny my interest in getting to know them and be friendly, this may be indicative of their company culture and how they interact with their colleagues. Obviously, this is only an indicator but not conclusive proof that their culture may be on the unfriendly side.
One of the books that opened my eyes about how to get along with others and win friends was the book, “How To Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. It is a highly recommended book if you want to know how to make friends the right way.
Here are some of my favorite tips from the book:
My favourite tips from the “How to win friends and influence people” by Dale Carnegie
Here are some of my favourite points from the book.
Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.
Give honest and sincere appreciation.
Become genuinely interested in other people.
Smile.
Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
Be a good listener.
Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.
Show respect for the other person’s opinions. Never say, “You’re wrong.”
If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
Begin in a friendly way.
Try honesty to see things from the other person’s point of view.
Be sympathetic with the other person’s ideas and desires.
Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.
Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement.
Give the other person a great reputation to live up to.
Encourage others and help solve their errors.
If you haven’t read the book, I highly recommend investing the time to read it.
3. Record and study your interviews to get even better at them
If you are struggling to do well in interviews, this is one the best practices you can do to help identify where you could further improve.
I understand it’s not always easy to see ourselves with our flaws exposed, but this technique does really help you get better at interviews rather quickly. Making and correcting mistakes is absolutely essential for skill development. It is especially important when it comes to interviewing. Cameras are great tools to help us identify the mistakes we make and correct them quickly and easily.
Remember, getting to know our flaws, loving them, and taking steps to improve is key to turning those flaws into our virtues.
Ask yourself this: what do you value the most? Keeping your interview weaknesses hidden away, or getting better at interviews by getting to know them and improving them so you can land better jobs?
Early in my career, I decided to make an effort to improve my weaknesses in interviewing skills. I specifically focused on key activities that would help me land a great job. This was one of the practices that helped me improve my interviewing skills and develop superior confidence to face interviews head-on. It wasn't really fun working on something I wasn't really good at but knew had a very high pay-off for the time and effort invested.
Even professional athletes regularly use recording devices to record their performances and improve their skills and abilities. Once recorded, they review the videos and identify areas where they could get better and create specific plans to improve in these areas. You can use the same strategy to improve interviewing skills.
4. Perform Company and Interviewer Research
When preparing for job interviews, dedicate time to do proper background research on the company.
Looking into the background of the company will help you develop a stronger connection with your interviewers and therefore help you get hired more quickly. If you are applying for senior-level positions, doing thorough company research becomes even more important.
When I was applying for certain roles in software companies as a consultant, I even booked demos with their sales teams to help me walk through the product before the interview.
Doing company research was important for me because it helped me talk to my interviewers more naturally about their company and ask insightful questions. Also, I simply enjoyed learning about companies and what they do to make their customers happy.
Here are a few places to start, if you are looking to do research on companies:
Company website
Glassdoor
LinkedIn company page
Google News
If you are interviewing right now, start your research with these questions:
What are their major products and services?
What are the company's missions and values?
What type of customers do they serve?
Who are their major competitors?
Are they in the news? If so, what are the recent events?
One of the common interview questions that are related to company research is “why do you want to work for our company?” This is a great time to showcase how much research you have conducted.
You can discuss a few details about the company's products and services and show enthusiasm to work with them and make them better. Also, you can talk about the company's values that match your own.
When preparing for job interviews, research the people who are going to interview you, and use this information to initiate small-talk and build rapport with them.
Being genuinely interested in other people is not only an easy way to make friends but also helps you build deeper connections with your interviewers, which could land you an offer.
Before you attend the interview, find out a few things that are interesting about them, and bring them up during the interview. To start your interview research, check to see if they have a LinkedIn profile. Go through it slowly and write down any key details you find interesting about them. If the names are not provided, request them from the company’s HR team.
When I used to interview for roles, I always asked my interviewers how they came to be where they are in their career. This helps me build rapport with them and make the interview more conversational very quickly.
For example, I would ask questions such as “I would love to know a little bit more about your journey to your role. Can you tell me a little bit more about it?” Or, “How did you start your journey and how did you come to work here?” These questions and asking more details about what I find out from my research helps me build stronger and friendlier connections with the interviewer.
Ask questions that show that you are genuinely interested in them. People generally like to talk about what they do and their life. This will help you build even more rapport with your interviewers if they are willing to open up.
Here the steps I recommend:
Make a list of all your interviewers (i.e. name, title)
Do online research and write down 2-3 things that interest you about them
Ask questions about their experience and mention what you found interesting about them during the interview
Make sure you do this exercise before every interview. Knowing who is interviewing you and knowing a little bit about them will help you make a deeper connection with them and help you feel more confident during the interview.
5. Ask the interviewer if they have any concerns about your qualifications
Many people tell me that they don’t get any feedback on how they did in their interviews. One of the best ways to get feedback in your interviews is to directly ask how well your qualifications match with the role and if they have any concerns about your qualifications.
As the interview is ending, ask “Do you have any concerns about my qualifications and the fit with this role?” This key question will help you identify and remove any concerns your interviewer has with your application and job fit.
They will let you know what needs further explanation. If they have any, you can answer them using examples from your past work experiences. Otherwise, they will let you know you are an ideal candidate for the role.
Either way, you will get a better idea of where you stand in the interview process and how they see you as a candidate. Also, you have done your best to clear up any misunderstandings and concerns they could have about you and your fit for the role. This question has a win-win benefit for both you and the interviewer.
That’s it for today!
Much love!
