Hey, everybody and welcome.
My name is Jen, and I'm a certified career coach
here at Indeed.
I have over 10 years of experience
working in Career Services, and over the years
I've helped hundreds of job seekers
from a variety of industries as they've prepared
for their upcoming interviews.
So whether you're here because you're
looking to prep for your next interview,
or whether you're just looking to gain some skills to level
up, stick around because today I want to share with you the five
parts of a standard interview, and how
you can best prepare yourself to succeed along the way.
And be sure to stick around until the end of the video
where I share with you what you can expect after you
send a thank you letter.
So let's get started.
First up, here's what you can expect before the interview.
Before the formal interview is set up,
you can typically expect to receive a pre-interview
or screener call that's placed by a recruiter or a hiring
manager.
This is typically a 15 to 30 minute call
in which the recruiter is going to ask
you three to five general questions
about your background.
Here, it's really important to provide
more in-depth information than what you've
included in your resume that really explains your background
and your skills.
In addition to being asked questions about your experience
and background, here you can expect for recruiter
to ask you about your salary expectations as well.
Recruiters want to know what your salary expectations are,
because they typically already have a range that's
available for that role.
And so they really want to know what your expectations are
to know whether or not you fit within their budget.
If you haven't already thought about what your salary
expectations are, it's really important for you
to do the research, and to identify what that number is,
and what that range is, before they ask you the question.
I would really recommend providing a range not
a specific number when asked.
The value of being able to provide a range rather
than just a number is that this is
going to give you more wiggle room once you get to the salary
negotiation stage.
It's not necessarily the best time
to negotiate a salary within the interview stage,
you really want to save this for when it's been determined
that you're a right fit for the role,
and you're going to have the opportunity
to have this conversation at the offer stage of the hiring
process.
If you're unsure about what a salary typically
is for your roller industry, be sure to check out Indeed
salary calculator, which you can access right here.
This is going to give you a free personalized range that
is based on variables like your location, your industry,
and your years of experience.
During the screener, a recruiter is
likely to walk you through the next steps of the hiring
process.
It's typical for them to share information
like the length of the interview,
and when and where it's going to be held.
A pro tip here is to ask who is going to be conducting
your interview.
Get the name of your interviewer in advance
so that you can do research to find out
if there's any commonalities between the two of you
in terms of your background or your experience.
And you'll be able to draw on that commonality
within the interview, which will help you build a stronger
connection.
On the day of your formal interview, expect to arrive
or be prepared to start at least 15 minutes in advance.
Whether you're meeting virtually or in person,
you can expect a little bit of wait time.
During this time, it's important for you
to stay focused on the interview that's about to begin.
If you're meeting in person, stay off of your phone.
If you're in a virtual waiting area,
be sure to turn off any notifications
or close any relevant tabs that might be distracting.
Know that your interview can really start at any time.
So my advice to you is to remain friendly and focused.
Try practicing some 1 minute breathing exercises that
will help you stay focused, or take the opportunity
to review your resume just one last time
to remind yourself of any stories
or experience that you want to make sure to call out
during your interview.
Before we move on to the next part of the interview,
we'd love to hear from you.
Is this information helpful?
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to see other videos like this on our channel.
Now your formal interview is about to begin.
At the beginning, there's typically
a small portion of the conversation that's
dedicated to all to small talk.
This is typically that time where you're first
being led to your interview room,
or you've just been let into your virtual meeting area.
If you're in the building, you might
be taken on a quick tour in which you're
going to pass some workstations along the way.
While this time can seem inconsequential,
this is a really great opportunity for you
to learn a lot more about the role and the company
by being an active listener and an observer.
Notice details like if the office is open concept, where
everybody on the team work side-by-side in an open space
without individual offices.
If you're working in a retail environment,
pay attention to how busy it is during that time of the day.
Details like this can give you a better understanding as to
whether or not this job and this company
could be a good match for you.
Once you arrive at the room, your interviewer
is likely to start by giving you a quick overview of the role
before they jump into the series of questions.
During this time, listen for clues
about what the company is really looking
for in an ideal candidate.
As a general rule, be sure to keep the small talk
professional.
Your goal during this time is come across friendly,
engaged, and interested in the company.
Now, once you've finished the small talk,
you're going to move on to the question and answer
portion of the interview.
During this exchange, the interviewer
is going to ask you a series of questions
to understand two things.
One, are you qualified for the role, and two,
are you good fit for the company and for the team?
Being a good fit for the job isn't just
about being able to perform the functions
and the responsibilities of the role,
it's about being a good fit for the company as well,
and that includes aligning with their mission, goals,
and values.
You can expect to receive a mix of general, behavioral based,
situational based, and depending on your industry,
technical based questions.
Some examples of general questions
that you can expect to be asked are, tell me about yourself,
and what do you know about this company?
Some common behavioral based interview questions
that you can prepare for are, tell me
about a time in which you handled a challenging
situation, or tell me about a mistake that you made.
If you want to know more about how to answer these questions,
be sure to check out this career guide article, which
you can find right here.
In addition to some of these more straightforward interview
questions, also prepare to answer some more high pressure
interview questions.
Try to think of some things that might be uncomfortable
for you to answer, and think about how
you can prepare for them.
Some examples of some uncomfortable questions
might include being asked about a career gap if you have one,
being asked about why you're switching industries,
or why you want to leave your current company,
or even being asked again about what
your salary expectations are.
These questions intimidate almost everyone,
but they don't have to throw you off
if you've properly prepared how to answer them.
If you'd like to see a video on how
to answer these uncomfortable questions,
be sure to let us know by giving us a like.
A final tip to help you succeed during the question and answer
portion of the interview, is to ask questions along the way.
Asking questions makes this portion feel
more conversational, and it really shows the interviewer
that you are engaged, and that you're
really interested in learning more
about the company and the role.
As you near the last 5 to 10 minutes of the interview,
expect to be asked what questions do you have for me.
Always be prepared and save at least two
to three questions for the end of the interview.
Let's talk about what you should do
if you've already been asking questions throughout the way,
and when you get to this part of the interview
you don't have anything left, don't worry.
Start by saying, thank you for answering my questions
along the way, let me think about that for a moment.
Now consider, what information am I
missing that I would need to know
to start this job tomorrow?
Or you can also ask yourself, what information
do I need to know to really determine whether or not
this company and this role is going to be a good fit for me.
Some great questions that you can
ask at the end of an interview are, does your company
have any employee resource groups, how
do you promote diversity inclusion at this company,
or my personal favorite, what is your favorite thing
about this company?
And this is my favorite question to ask,
because it allows the interviewer
to talk about themselves in relation
to a really positive experience that they've had at work.
And this sets you up to end with the interviewer having
a really positive feeling in association
with your interview.
Once they've answered all of your questions,
be sure to thank the interviewer for their time
and ask about next steps.
They may set up the next round of interviews on the spot,
or they may say that they're going to get back to you later.
Whatever the case is, be sure to ask
for contact information and the best process
for following up later.
And now for some bonus advice on what to do after the interview.
You might already know that sending a thank you note
is a great way to stand out from other applicants,
but let's talk about what you should do after
that I think you note is sent.
In most cases, you can expect to hear back
from a hiring manager within one or two
weeks after your interview, and in some cases,
you'll only hear back if they decide
to move on to a next round or if they're
interested in making a job offer.
If you haven't heard back from the company within one
to two weeks, start by sending an email that reiterates
your interest in the role and the position,
and also ask for next steps.
Here's the final tip that I give to all of my clients.
Follow up one time, and if you don't hear back,
it's time to move on to a new opportunity.
A successful interview isn't just about getting a job offer,
it's about determining whether the company and the role
are a good fit for you.
So if you follow up and you don't hear back,
it's time to pivot your attention somewhere else.
And if you'd like some more information
about what average response times are,
be sure to check out this career guide article, right here,
for more information and examples.
So there you have it.
To recap, my advice is, before the interview,
gather the necessary information needed
to research your interviewer.
When you arrive, be focused and friendly.
At the start of your interview, observe and listen.
During the interview, be prepared
to answer common questions, even the uncomfortable ones.
At the end of the interview, be sure to leave the interviewer
with a positive feeling about you and the conversation.
After the interview, be sure to follow up just once before
focusing your attention on other opportunities.
So that's what you can expect from a formal interview.
I hope you found this information to be helpful,
and that you're able to apply this advice to preparing
for your next interview.
And if you'd like some more information on the topic,
be sure to check out this career guide article, right here.
Thank you so much for joining me today,
and we'll see you next time.