There are very many articles and posts that offer advice on how to successfully pass job interviews. Still, I would like to share my personal thoughts with you.
First of all, the idea of successfully passing an interview if the job is not a good fit for you, in my opinion, is wrong. If you hate your job or don’t have the right skills, then sooner or later it will become clear. By successfully passing an interview for a position that you know is not something that you like or qualify for, you do nothing good for yourself nor for the organization that hires you. You simply take someone else's place.
That is why, my first tip – only go for an interview when you think you will be a good fit for the job. Read the job description before you apply.
Now, you may be a good fit for the job, but how do you know that the job is the right fit for you? – That’s what the interviews are for. You come to an interview not just to answer the HR or hiring manager’s questions. You come for an interview to ask your questions as well. In many cases, at the end of the interview hiring managers ask candidates, “Do you have any questions?” and the candidates feeling relieved that the interview is almost over, ask a couple of formal questions and leave.
As such, tip number two – ask your questions. You can pretty much “interview” the other party to learn more about the job. The hiring managers will feel that you are serious about the job; it will show your professional approach and it will help you make the right decision should they offer you a job.
In my 20+ year long project management career, I attended interviews conducted by other managers and by HR. Sometimes, I was surprised at how formal those interviews were. Standard questions and standard home-prepared answers… Luckily, this was not always the case. At least, when I interviewed the candidates myself, I tried to be creative and ask the questions that would show what the candidate really thinks or feels.
What is the difference between a human resources interview and an interview by the hiring manager?
Human resources does the “pre-screening”, or in some cases they formally interview the pre-approved candidates to make sure that the people the organization will hire are sane and that they possess emotional intelligence skills.
In contrast, the hiring managers are screening you to make sure that you will bring value to their team and that they will feel comfortable working with you on a daily basis.Think of this: why could they be looking for a new employee?
Option one: they could be looking for a candidate for certain operational or project work – in that case, their questions should focus on the skills and knowledge related to this job and the environment in which the candidate would have to work.
Option two: they are looking for a new employee for their department without having a particular project in mind. In this case, they are trying to understand your strengths in order to determine the best fit for you.
I am not considering other unfavorable scenarios, when someone asked them to find a candidate for another team or when a candidate has already been selected and they are just interviewing you to formally view all candidates.
In any case, tip number three: if you want the job, make them see that you will be comfortable to work with. Communicate in a friendly open manner; be respectful and compassionate. When they ask you a question, try to be creative about your answer as you would be if the job was already yours.
How many times have you heard of those “firm handshake”, “eye contact”, and other standard interview tips? It is often easy to notice if your firm handshake or your eye contact are not authentic. How do you make it natural? – Just by being natural. But what if your natural behavior does not let you look your hiring manager in the eye because you are nervous?
Then here is tip number four: yes, this interview could mean a lot to you. It could be a matter of changing your financial situation, bringing you your dream job or losing a great opportunity. Do not think about it. Think of the topics that you are discussing with the hiring manage and of how you can help them. This will make you show them the true you. The eye contact will appear naturally. And if your handshake is too soft or too firm, but you make a good impression, they will forgive you.
Am I suggesting that you should not be ready for the standard questions like “what are your weaknesses?”, “what are your strengths?”, “how do you deal with situations when you disagree with your manager?” – Of course not. You should be prepared to answer those, because you know what? In many cases interviewing a candidate is a tempting routine for the hiring manager too. They could simply write down those standard questions or receive them from the HR department.
Just put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes. They ask you a question, and while you are answering, they are trying to visualize you as a member of their team, taking care of certain tasks and reporting to them.
Dress code. Typically, you are advised to dress up not too flashy, and not too informal. I remember one day I was interviewing business analyst candidates for one of my projects. On that day I saw three candidates. The first two came dressed “by the book”. Not flashy, but sharp and professional. The third one came in jeans and a casual shirt, making me think this was not very appropriate for an interview, but his personality and his great knowledge and creative approach left no choice to the other two candidates.
So, here is tip number five: dress respectfully of the interviewing party and appropriately, but keep in mind that your appearance is just the background to your skills and not the opposite (unless you are being interviewed for a fashion model role, of course).
Believe in yourself at the interview. Only by being confident, you can demonstrate your full potential. And let your dream job find you!