4 Tips on How to Prepare for an Interview from an Executive Recruiter

No matter how good your CV may be, interviews are the deciding factor in whether you get a job or not. That's a daunting prospect in the competitive post-COVID job market!

I've successfully helped hundreds of candidates prepare for interviews and get hired. As a recruiter, and more specifically a headhunter, it is my job. Their success is my success.

It is not about tricking the interviewer. I don’t have any magic words to whisper. It’s about being prepared, knowing what you can bring to the table and providing clear and specific examples.

No matter who you are or what position you are applying for, if you prepare using these tips you will dramatically increase your chances of getting the job.

1. Research the company

Use your cyber-stalking skills to find out everything about the company: the who, what, where, why and when of the business.

Know their products, services, customers, competitors, values, company culture, challenges.

There's a reasons every article about job interviews tells you to research the company:

Deep knowledge of the company is essential in the preparation for a successful interview.

●      It's how you know if the company is right for you

●      It allows you to frame your own experience in relation to the company

●      It demonstrates drive, knowledge and interest in how you can add value

During the interview, continue to research!

Don't make the mistake of only talking about yourself.  The company wants to know you're genuinely interested in the position. Ask them questions to find out first-hand how things get done.

The more you know, the better.                   

Remember that this deep knowledge is not mutual! They don't know as much about you as you know about them. In fact...

2. Pretend they have never seen your CV

Interviewer: The person isn’t relevant, they don't have the experience.

Me: Their CV says they do and we discussed examples of their experience. Did you talk about it during the interview?

Interviewer: No, they didn’t mention it!

I've had this conversation far too many times.

Highly qualified candidates are often overlooked because they assume hiring managers know what's in their CV.

The reality is that hiring managers are very busy. CVs are often skimmed over or completely ignored. Cover letters are very rarely looked at.

Use this as an advantage during the interview.

Never respond to a question about your experience with "Yes, it's on my CV". Use it as an opportunity to talk about what you've done and how you can add value.

If they have read your CV, you still need to use the interview as an opportunity to go into detail about what you actually did to add value to your current and past employers.

You can get a head start on this by having a well-rounded introduction early on.

3. Prepare a strong introduction

First impressions are everything! Early in the interview, look for the opportunity to present yourself in a broad but concise way.

Study the job description deeply to prepare your introduction. You want to really understand what the company is looking for.

Identify and highlight the 4 or 5 most important responsibilities of the position you are applying to and directly relate your experience. Come up with concrete examples and descriptions of how you've dealt with similar responsibilities and situations. Examples are your secret weapon.

Think of the introduction as a verbal cover letter (which almost never gets read, see point 1): a general rundown of what makes you right for the job, without just listing your resumé.

4. Arm yourself with examples and achievements that can be measured

Achievements —instances where you've added value—  are the most powerful tool to show what you can do.

Compare the following:

"I am really good at Excel” 

vs

"I used my knowledge of Excel to create and maintain a spreadsheet that increased productivity by 30%. I taught my team of 10 how to use it and metrics showed that job satisfaction went up by 15%".

It's better to illustrate your skills with verifiable results than to expect someone to take your word for it.

Other examples of quantifiable achievements:

●      (over)achieving targets/increasing revenue

●      Improving productivity/saving time

●      KPIs/metrics performance statistics

●      Performance awards

●      Promotions

●      Decreasing costs

●      Test scores

It's not bragging

Bringing up achievements may feel like bragging, but think of it more like providing useful information to help the hiring manager(s) make a decision. Put yourself in the shoes of the company: would you rather hire somebody who has proven to be effective, or somebody who says they're good at something?

Before your interview, write down at least 3 (preferably 4) examples of achievements from your career that directly relate to the job you're applying for.

You can use these at various times during the interview:

●      In your introduction,

●      When asked about a specific skill

●      When asked about how you overcame a challenge

Knowing your achievements by heart will prepare you to confidently answer almost any question. 

Comments, questions? I would love to hear from you!

I hope these simple tips help you feel more comfortable and confident during your next meeting. Good luck and best wishes for your search.