If you’ve earned the opportunity for a job interview, rejoice as you’ve cleared what is typically the biggest hurdle in the whole employment bugaboo - getting that ‘foot in the door.’
Now, it’s all up to how you present yourself in that uber-crucial meeting. No pressure. Just keep in mind the following interview tips presented by Jeremy McCarthy, CEO of VentureLoop, in a recent About.com post on interview prep for startup firms.
McCarthy, a veteran of startups and venture capital firms before starting his own, kicks off his bit of advice with a big-picture mantra that the interview goal is to earn the next step in the process, whether that’s a second interview or job offer. Regardless of how you view this prospective opportunity, always do your best in the interview for you never know where it may lead you. Some of his other suggested tips:
1) Research: With everything literally at our fingertips today, it’s close to blasphemy to enter an interview without having searched and studied as much about the history, fact and figures of the company with whom you are interviewing as possible. Savy online searching can turn up valuable information to prove to an employer they’d be hiring an expert in their industry.
2) Review your triumphs and faults: You can almost guarantee that typical questions such as your vision for five years down the road, strengths, weaknesses, tough work situations and best type of person to work for will be asked, so why not write down your answers ahead of time to review rather than spin your wheels while sitting in ‘hot seat.’
3) Behavioral question awareness: More firms rely on behavioral interviewing techniques to see how candidates answer when asked for specific examples of past professional situations. McCarthy presents some typical queries to prepare for ahead of time:
- How you handled not meeting a deadline
- How you dealt with conflict with a co-worker or boss
- What you did when someone else’s actions caused failure
- When did you show initiative
- What did you do when a customer was upset with you
- What did you do when a co-worker blamed you unfairly for something
4) Appearance: It is advisable to ask ahead of time what the expected attire is for the interview, but when all else fails make sure to err on the side of over-dressed. Also, keep in mind your body language. How you present yourself (i.e. head held high, standing straight, relaxed and with a smile) is as important as what you wear.
5) Be engaged, alert and inquisitive: It’s always best to bring a notepad and take notes during an interview, McCarthy suggests, as it shows your interest and attention to detail. When it comes time for you to ask questions, have a few written down ahead of time. Ask them of each interviewer as different folks give different answers. A few good suggestions: What is the biggest challenge for the position for which you are interviewing, where do they see you contributing for their company, team or project and do they have any concerns about your ability to do the job?
6) Confidence: Firms tend not to hire people who come across as desperate, a tough thing to mask in troubled economic times. Nevertheless, your best selling point is your confidence in your skills and abilities. Interview with a confident style that shows you want the job, but doesn’t give the impression that you need the job. If you are asked what your prospects have been recently, respond that you are currently evaluating opportunities in the hope of finding the right opportunity for yourself.
As you near the end of the interview, your two final tasks are to exhibit genuine excitement at the impending opportunity and inquire about next steps in the process. Never assume the interviewer could gleam your enthusiasm. Express it openly. And, regardless of any inner reservations you have about the opportunity, state your keen interest in the next step in the process - because you never know where it will take you.
For the entire About.com article: http://jobsearchtech.about.com/od/gettingthejob/a/interview_tips.htm
