Hey gents, Kyle here from the Distilled
Man. Up next we're gonna give you some
interview tips that will help you nail
your next interview and wow your future
boss. Some people think they can just
walk into a job interview and wing it—no
thought to preparation or what questions
they might be asked. But in my experience,
no matter how good your resume looks or
how confident you're feelingm when it
comes to interviewing successfully, a
little bit of preparation goes a long
way. So up next I'm going to give you 9
tips for how you can crush your next
interview and wow your future boss
Number one, understand the real purpose
of the in-person interview. Most of the
time if you've made it to the interview
stage, by now they’ve actually already
looked at your qualifications in your
job history and so usually the in-person
interview is often less about whether
you're qualified and more about, well
let's just call them “intangibles.” First,
are you a good fit personality-wise.
Basically do they like you?
Second, are you articulate, can you
communicate? So maybe you look good
on paper but they want to know if you
can actually sound like you know what
you're talking about.
And then finally, does it seem like you
want the job? Because you can have as
many qualifications and have the best
resumes as possible, but if you don't
have enthusiasm about the position, then
why should they be excited about hiring
you?
In a nutshell, beyond any other
preparation you do, just whatever you do
don't forget how hugely important that
interpersonal aspect is—simply just
being present and making that connection
and that rapport with the person you're
talking to.
Number two, practice fielding common
interview questions. One of the most
common questions you should be prepared
for is “why do you want this job and why
do you want to work here?” Whoa,
I did not see that one coming. This
question gives you an opportunity to
talk about your career aspirations and
why the job is a good fit for your
strengths and your experience.
Another common question is “why do you
want to leave your current company?” Even
if you're leaving because you absolutely
hate everyone at your former company
it's best to keep things on the
positive side obviously. So focus on the
fact that you've had some great
experiences you've learned a lot, but now
you're excited to explore some some new
ways to challenge yourself and grow. And
finally an obvious one, “what makes you
the best person
for this position?” You don't need to
oversell yourself here but it is an
opportunity for you to talk about what
sets you apart—whether it's your
experience or your drive—and it's also a
great time to just reinforce how excited
you are about the opportunity. So beyond
these specific questions, you can always
get a book that gives you some other
ideas of potential interview questions
that you might be asked. I got this book
probably about 10 years ago, and I can't
tell you if it's objectively the best
book of its kind. But I'll tell you, it
helped me a lot because it's got so many
different types of questions, that if you
practice you know 20 or 30 of these, by
the end of it you feel really really
comfortable kind of fielding questions
and talking about your own strengths and
experience in different ways. Number
three, be prepared with specific examples
and stories. Any good interviewer is
going to ask you for specifics about
your experience. They want proof of past
behavior that you can do the job. So it
helps to have some specific nuggets that
you can mention during the interview.
Like any big accomplishments relevant to
the position. And if possible have some
metrics to help quantify what you did. “I
managed a team of 12 salespeople with a
total budget of 40 gazillion dollars.” “I
revamped our company's manufacturing
process so we could make widgets 15%
faster.” And they don't have to all be
huge revenue drivers or showstoppers. But
if done well, it helps demonstrate that
you've had some past successes,
and it helps show the interviewer that
you can kind of see the big picture of
your company rather than being one of
those people who's just like, “well, I go
to work, I punch in, I punch out.” A
challenge you faced and how you overcame
it. Now, this is one of those classic
interview questions. For the interviewer,
it's really helpful because it it gets
you out of the whole selling yourself
mode, and gets you to talk about
something that actually happened in the
trenches. It also gives them a kind of a
good idea about your problem-solving
abilities and the way you think. An
interpersonal conflict that you
successfully navigated. So this is very
similar to the previous previous one but
it gives the interviewer a window into
the way that you deal with different
personality types. It also gives them a
sense, a gauge, of how self-aware you are.
Number four, ask thoughtful questions.
Probably the biggest mistake you could
make is to have no questions prepared of
your own. First, it either makes you look
desperate, like “Any job will do. Please
hire me!” or disinterested. And neither of
those things is good
from interviewer’s perspective. And
secondly, if you are actually considering
this job, don't you want to know more
about it to see if it genuinely is a
good fit? Some of the questions to ask an
interviewer are, “what are the most
important traits a candidate needs to
possess for this role?” and then “what is
the biggest challenge this role will
face?” And from there, you can segue into
you know, questions about team structure
or maybe other specific questions about
the business. These questions are great
because they get the interviewer out of
interview mode and it helps you start
talking about the day-to-day business. It
can also help give you a sense of what
to expect should you actually get the
job, and maybe give you clue on how you
can be more successful. The other nice
thing about questions is it's a good way
to show that you've done your research
about the company. Like “how have things changed
since the new CEO took the reins last
October?” You just have to be careful
to not seem like you're trying to stump
the interviewer or like you're asking a
question that's beyond the pay grade of
the position you're applying for. “So
Janice, where do you see the company's
customer acquisition strategy going in
next five years given recent
competitive entrants?” Number five, show
that you want the position they're
hiring for. As an employer, one of the
most annoying things is when someone
comes in for an interview for one job
and then they try to sort of weasel
their way into a higher position or a
totally different role. Even if this job
really is just one step along your
master plan to world domination, don't
act like it's beneath you. If it's a
job sweeping floors, act like you're
gonna be the best damn floor sweeper
ever. If it's a job cold calling
strangers, talk about how you're gonna
have a positive attitude even when
people slam the phone down in your ear.
If you do an amazing job at the job
you're given, they'll recognize your
potential and eventually reward you.
Number six, don't BS your weaknesses.
It's so funny how many people try to
judo their way out of answering the
question about weaknesses, thinking that
they can get by by saying something
like “well my weakness is actually my
strength.” “I would say one of my
weaknesses is that I'm too
detail-oriented.” And I'm not saying you
need to rip yourself to shreds or
highlight every single shortcoming that
you have, but you should be able to
identify some legitimate areas where you
still need to do some work for your
professional development. And I think the
best way to phrase it is something like
“well, I'd still like to work
improving X” or “I’d still like to
continue growing in this area.” Employers
don't expect you to be perfect. And
actually having an honest assessment of
where you still need some development
can be really helpful for them.
Number seven take notes look alive. I
know this sounds like a very oddly
specific tip. But during an interview, if
you take copious notes it's a great way
to show that you're actively engaged and
that you are hungry for the job. When I
got my first job in advertising, during
the interview I took copious notes. And
maybe partly I was compensating because
I had never had an office job. But also,
it just helped me—taking notes just
helped me process everything and kind of
listen actively. Years later, my boss
still remembered how I took notes
throughout that entire first discussion
in our interview. And to him I guess it
was a sign that, not only was I fully
engaged, but I was a go-getter and that
it was almost like I was already part of
the team. Number eight, bring the best
version of yourself. Look, you already
know that you need to make a great first
impression on your potential employer.
They're trying to evaluate you based on
whatever information you put in front of
them. And like it or not, your physical
appearance is part of that. So bring your
A-game.
Dress your best. Even if it's a casual
work environment, better to be
overdressed than underdressed in an interview.
Rock that suit. Make sure your shoes are
shined. Make sure you're well groomed
overall. Hair combed, grimy nails clipped.
Try to get a full night's sleep, and drink
enough water so that you look rested.
And if you want more tips, I did a whole
other video on How to Make a Great First
Impression that I'll link to. And finally
number nine, the interview starts the
moment you apply. So many people focus on
just acing the in-person interview, and
what they forget is that a company's
perception of you begins way before you
walk through those doors. And their
evaluation of you continues even after
the first in-person meeting. Be mindful
of your digital footprint. Google
yourself and see what comes up. Check
those privacy settings on your
social media accounts. Is there something
you need to take down or at least
something you need to have an
explanation for? Treat your phone
interview like a real interview. Prepare
for it like you would a real interview.
Find a quiet place free of distractions.
Dress up, take notes. All this “put
togetherness” will come cross. Once you arrive
for your in-person interview, remember
even if you're not talking to your
future boss yet, you're still being
evaluated. So that receptionist
may not be the hiring manager, but that
doesn't mean she can't torpedo your
chances of getting a job because you're
being a jackass in the waiting room.
Finally, after the interview, send
thank-you emails or thank you notes to
everyone who interviewed you. It helps if
you ask for their card each time you
meet them. This is just one last way to
show that you're buttoned up and that
you want that job. Ironically, sometimes
the people who interview best are not
actually that good at their jobs, and
people who interview really badly can be
great at their jobs. Interviewing is a
whole separate skill that takes practice.
And much like learning how to talk to
women, it helps if you can get
comfortable practicing without being
attached to the outcome. If you found
this video helpful, do me a favor and hit
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finally, you can watch another Distilled
Man video right about here. Thanks again
for watching, and I'll see you soon!
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