10 Tips for an Awesome Interview

A few interesting facts about me. By the time I was twenty-two, I’d had twenty different jobs. I’ve never been fired from a job. I’ve received a raise or a promotion at every job I’ve ever had. And, finally, I have received a job offer after every single interview that I’ve ever been on.

It could be luck (even though I don’t believe in luck). It could be charm. In fact, it’s probably a little bit of both, but it’s also definitely something else: Preparation.

Even if you are not especially charming. Heck, even if you are the shyest person on the planet, there are ways to make sure that you will shine during your next interview. Here are my tips—from common sense to magic techniques!

1. Be early. Vince Lombardi said that five minutes early is ten minutes late. And when it comes to interviews, this is the golden rule. This seems pretty basic, but it’s critical. Running late for an interview is not only foolish, it’s disrespectful.

Expert Tip: Plan to be at your destination a half an hour before your scheduled interview time. That gives you a buffer in case there’s traffic.

2. Research. Find out as much about the company and the interviewer as you possibly can. Read the company’s website and look for its Mission and/or Vision Statement. Mention a key takeaway during the interview. “I noticed that Company X is really focused on ethics. I actually did my dissertation on Employee Ethics within Small Businesses. I would love to learn more about Company X’s approach to ethics within the industry.”

Expert Tip: Do a Google search for the person who is interviewing you. You might find a brief bio. Look for common ground and bring it up during the interview. “Thank you so much for having me today. By the way, I noticed that you went to Texas A & M. My brother is an alumni there, too. Go Aggies!”

3. Bring questions. The format for interviews generally runs like clock work. The interviewer gives a brief spiel about the company, then goes into detail about the position, then asks the candidate some questions, and finally announces: “Alright, well that’s about all I’ve got. Do you have any questions for me?”

Now it’s great if you’ve thought up a few questions during the interview, but it’s still smart to come prepared with a few generic questions in case you draw a blank. Do a Google search for “good interview questions” and you’ll find tons of great options. Don’t forget to write them down. Even the simplest things can slip your mind in a high-pressure situation like an interview.

4. Prepare to answer questions. After you’ve picked out the “good interview questions” that you want to ask, take some time to answer them as well. Write down your answers and bring them with you and also practice saying them out loud.

5. Prepare for the curve ball. This is my favourite of the tips because it was so much fun to execute back when I was conducting interviews. Most people prepare for all of the standard interview questions — “What is your greatest strength/weakness? What will you bring to our team? Tell me about your work history, etc.” — but few people prepare for a real curve ball, a question so unexpected that it really catches you off guard.

My curve ball questions varied, but a favourite was, “Do you believe in intelligent life on other planets?” Now mind you, this had absolutely nothing to do with the job at hand, but it’s a great way to get a feel for a person’s true self.

If you get thrown a curve ball, the best thing you can do is remain absolutely calm. You can smile at the jest of it, but answer the question. I found that some candidates would get so nervous, refuse to answer the question, shrug their shoulders and say, “I just don’t know.” That really turned me off to a candidate. I wanted to hear something, anything really. I wanted to see that the candidate could “act on his feet.”

Expert Tip: When thrown a curve ball, remain calm and give an answer. One candidate enthusiastically responded to my intelligent life question with, “I’m on the fence about life on other planets, but I loved the movie E.T.!” I loved her answer… and she got the job.

6. Posture. From the moment you come into the room to the moment that you exit, your posture must be excellent—even when you are sitting down. Poor posture (like slouched shoulders and a low-hanging head) are perceived as signs of weakness, laziness, and a lack of confidence. Keep your shoulders pulled back and keep your chin held high.  You will give the illusion of confidence and capability.

7. Sitting and seat placement. There are two things to remember when it comes to the seat. First, when you enter the interview room, you should always reach out to the interviewer for a handshake while introducing yourself. Then, you should wait to be invited to sit. The interviewer will motion you toward the appropriate seat. Sitting before you are invited can be interpreted as rude.

Once you are seated, ensure that your body and your legs are facing the interviewer but allow for your legs to angle away slightly, no more than a couple of inches. This gives the appearance of being open and connected; but not intimidating or arrogant. Keep both feet flat on the ground. Avoid crossing your legs which can make you appear closed off. And finally, do not tap your foot or bounce up and down in your seat. Fidgeting makes you appear uninterested and easily distracted.

8. Eye contact. Eyes are the windows to the soul. During an interview, your eye contact will play an important role in establishing your connection with the interviewer. Hold eye contact while answering questions, especially difficult ones. It is alright to look away for a moment while thinking or to glance down at your paperwork; but do not avoid eye contact. Avoiding eye contact or shifting your eyes away from your interviewer frequently can be perceived as shady behavior.

Expert tip: People often wonder what amount of eye contact is the right amount of eye contact. The best way to decide how much eye contact to use, is to follow the lead of your interviewer. There is no magic number, but the key is to follow the leader. If the interviewer seems to enjoy eye contact (is open, friendly, smiling) then use as much eye contact as she does. However, if the interviewer seems more reserved or even shy, and keeps her gaze away from you, use much less eye contact.

9. Mimicry. Like making eye contact, you should also follow the lead of your interviewer while speaking. If the interviewer is loud and outgoing, then you should be a bit louder and more outgoing, too. Not louder than her, but not shy or soft-spoken either. Likewise, if the interviewer is quiet and reserved, you should be a bit quiet and reserved, too.

It is proven that human beings like people like themselves. The more that you can mimic your interviewer, the better your chances are that she will like you. Of course, you want to be yourself, too, but being likable often means using some imitation.

10. Hands on table. During your interview, the best place to keep your hands is on the table in front of you. Do not twiddle thumbs, tap, flip your pen, or put your hands in your pocket. Simply keep them on the table casually. Pick up your pen occasionally to take notes or write down questions.

Keeping your hands on the table conveys confidence, openness, attentiveness, and professionalism.

Bonus Tip: Visualization. My final tip is my number one piece of advice for preparing for an interview. It is to practice visualization. Visualization is simply the act of imagining. The night before your interview, eliminate all distractions and spend five minutes visualizing. Close your eyes, steady your breathing, and imagine the interview room. Imagine walking in, introducing yourself, shaking your interviewer’s hand, and sitting down. Imagine how great you look. Imagine how confident you feel. Imagine answering the interviewer’s questions with eloquence and ease. Imagine your ideal interview experience.

Taking the time to visualize your perfect interview will truly prepare you to put your best self forward. Take a few minutes to visualize the scenario again on your way to the interview. By the time you get to the actual interview, you will be super-prepared. If you feel yourself getting nervous during your interview, close your eyes, take a breath, and remember your visualization. You will feel relaxed and collected again.

Now it’s your turn! Give me your best interview advice in the comments. And, if you’ve got an interview lined up, best of luck. Let me know how it goes. 🙂

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  • · ·

    Is Your Resume a Hallmark Card?

    This is a guest post by David Pinkley, The Resume Sage.

    How do you describe yourself in your resume: team player?…quick learner?…detailed oriented? Do you really believe those self-proclaimed descriptions? Consider this: so does everyone else. That’s the problem. When it comes to describing ourselves we use the same words as everyone else. I know this because in 15 years working as a professional resume writer and executive recruiter I’ve seen nearly 40,000 resumes. Virtually all of them used works like: high energy, results oriented, uniquely qualified, detailed oriented, out-of-the-box thinker…and the list goes on. I call these Hallmark words.

    What is a Hallmark word? Example: You go to the store to buy a greeting card for your Sweetie whose birthday is approaching. You are overwhelmed because there are so many cards to choose from. You select your first one and it says something like: “May you experience all things bright and beautiful on your special day. Happy Birthday.” It’s a nice try but the message is contrived so we put the card back and pick another. The second one says: “Here’s a card just for you. You’ve always been tried and true. Happy Birthday.” Again, nice words but the message isn’t meaningful. (Who writes this stuff!?) You repeat this process numerous times until you find one with a message that resonates: “It just always felt right…and it always will. Happy Birthday.” Found it. You’re done.

    Hallmark words are words that look great on paper but don’t have any real meaning. It’s the same with resumes. Certain words look great on resumes but they are meaningless. If everyone says they’re a quick learner those words become diluted. (Whether it’s true or not is irrelevant.) Using Hallmark words on your resume will make it seem just as contrived as most greeting cards. The reader (i.e. hiring manager) won’t believe your message and will continue reading other resumes in search of one that resonates.

    The reality is we really don’t know how to describe ourselves. So we borrow words from other resumes and convince ourselves that these words really describe us. We don’t realize they have no meaning. Great resumes find authentic ways to communicate familiar themes. How do you do that?

    If you are really honest with yourself – you probably don’t know what you really do anyway. The only way to discover exactly what makes you unique is to look closely at your job. This takes introspection and self examination; a process most people dread because it seems like hard work – hence why most resumes are homogeneous. This is difficult to do for yourself. Self examination is much easier if you do it with someone else. But that’s another post.

    Blow the dust off your resume and take a look at the words you’ve used to describe yourself. Are they Hallmark words? If they are, you need to recognize that you are not saying anything unique. And no matter how true they are, they are not as meaningful or impactful as you think.

    Have questions? Contact David Pinkley at (704) 358-6000 or david@theresumesage.com. To learn more visit: www.TheResumeSage.com

    David Pinkley is the founder of The Resume Sage, a custom resume writing service. The Resume Sage critiques and writes resumes for accomplished professionals and executives. Those who work with The Resume Sage are purposeful about navigating their careers. They need more than just strong writing skills; they are seeking insights about how to differentiate themselves from their peers/competitors.

    David is a sought-after public speaker and has been featured on local news and NBC’s national news. He earned a B.S. degree from the University of Michigan and started his career in Chicago as a CPA at Ernst & Young and at Bank of America. He has lived and worked as an executive recruiter for 15 years in Charlotte, Raleigh, New York and Hong Kong.

  • · · · ·

    How to Overcome Fear & Stop Resisting

    “To offer no resistance to life is to be in a state of grace, ease, and lightness.” —Eckhart Tolle

    Stop resisting the will of the Universe. I’ve said this to myself thousands of times. It is perhaps one of the most powerful tools that has led me to peace of mind.

    In the past four years, I overcame depression, anxiety, and I lost sixty pounds. When you overcome a lifetime of anxiety & depression, a lot of things change. For one thing, you begin to enjoy life. Simple things that you hadn’t noticed before fill your heart with joy—Spring, a cold glass of water on a hot day, a good workout, a kind word, a smile. When you are overcome by the effects of anxiety & depression, you do not have time to notice these simple pleasures. (They are often overshadowed by the negative, irrational thoughts swarming inside of your head.)

    Happiness begets happiness, as I like to say. However, even in my increased state of happiness, I knew that something still wasn’t right. It took me awhile to realize what it was. Only after months of careful self-observation did I realize what was happening.

    A hard day at work = I was disgusted, angry, plagued by head aches.
    A frustrating experience at a car dealership = I was furious.
    An upcoming flight and travel arrangements = I was anxious, worried, sick to my stomach.

    I was continually allowing my mind to make me angry, sick, sad, frustrated, etc. Yet, after each of these experiences I learned some valuable lesson or something really important & meaningful happened as a result.

    Hard days at work always lead me to clarity about how myself and my team could be more efficient.
    The frustrating experience at the car dealership actually prevented me from making a terrible mistake and purchasing the wrong car.
    Recent travel and trips have brought me incredible successes in my personal & professional life.

    Upon observing all of this, it hit me. Even when things seemed terrible, even when I was really upset, eventually the pain of the situation would subside. Moreover, I would come out on the other side wiser, stronger, and grateful. Every thing that happened (happens) to me is a direct result of the will of the Universe (you can call that God, fate, destiny, or any other name you’d like to give it, no matter). Yes, every thing that happens is a direct result of the will of the Universe and an opportunity to learn and grow. In order to live true happiness, I had to stop resisting the will of the Universe. Once I did this, my life changed in incredible (and previously unimaginable) ways. When I stop resisting and simply “go with the flow” I find that I am constantly filled with a deep calmness in my soul. I do not worry or suffer. I simply exist and let all scenarios play themselves out. I understand that even pain is necessary and that ultimately it will carry me to a place of light & peace.

    Fear is Unnecessary

    At the root of every single feeling of discomfort, lies one emotion: fear. Fear is the emotion responsible for all forms of suffering. Sadness, anxiety, worry, rage, hatred, envy, and all other forms of suffering are rooted in fear. However, once you stop resisting the will of the Universe, you will understand that fear and suffering are actually not necessary at all.

    The vast majority of fear and suffering is a result of living in an unreal world and/or allowing negative, irrational thoughts to control our minds. The unreal world is the world of sky rise buildings, electricity, paper money, McDonald’s, television, marketing, vanity surgery, reality TV, etc. The real world is the world of trees, dirt, sun, stars, wind, rain, whole foods, self-love, generosity, family, love, etc. Can you see the difference? Once you remove yourself from the suffocating chains of the unreal world, and begin living in the real world, you will find that most of the fears that you experience are completely unnecessary. The vast majority of anxieties that we suffer from are made-up.

    – fear of judgment
    – fear of failure
    – fear of humiliation
    – fear of public speaking
    – fear of making a mistake
    – fear of travel
    – fear of forgetting something
    – fear of being alone and so on

    Once you realize that these fears are made-up in the unreal world, they can hold no power over you. All of the above are irrational anxieties. None of those things would actually put your life in danger or expose you to any harm. The only place that they can affect you is in your head. But you must remember that you have control over what goes on in your head! You can use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to end the suffering.

    Eventually, you will realize that true fear might have a place in your life, but that is only when you are truly in danger. Perhaps while being chased by a bear or masked murderer, while falling from a cliff, etc. Yes, in those instances, your fear is justified and it can help you by creating adrenaline, increased strength, quicker reflexes and cognitive ability. But other than those “real” true fear situations, there is really no need for fear and certainly no need for emotional suffering.

    Live Without Resistance or Fear

    Once you learn to stop resisting the will of the Universe and to live without fear, you will experience an entirely new & improved sort of living. You will find that all of the things that you once desired, but were afraid to seek, are actually within your reach. For example, I was emotionally crippled by irrational anxiety for the first half of my life. This made it impossible for me to speak in front of people. I could not ask a question in a class of twenty, let alone get up in front of a group of people to speak. My anxiety over public speaking was so great, that it crippled me. I once experienced a debilitating panic attack at a dinner party of five family friends! But… that is ancient history.

    Now, my former self is hardly recognizable. I have spoken in front of groups of sixty people or more with grace and confidence. I know that my fear is irrational & unnecessary, so I overcome it. Sure, my heart rate may increase, I might sweat a bit—but I do not let it stop me! I remind myself that that the fear is not real and I move forward to success.

    You are entirely capable of achieving the same same sort of success in your own life—personal & professional. Whatever your fear is, you can overcome it.

    “You’ll seldom experience regret for anything that you’ve done. It is what you haven’t done that will torment you.” —Wayne Dyer

    To allow fear to rule your life, is not to live at all. So stop resisting the will of the Universe and stop allowing fear to rule your life. Begin living, truly living, right now. There is nothing in your way. What is your greatest fear? Can you believe that it is unnecessary? What would you do if you had no fear in your heart at all? How different could your life be?

    The only time you run out of chances is when you stop taking them!

    I am now offering personalized coaching sessions to individuals suffering from anxiety &/or depression. If you are interested in scheduling a session or would like to learn more, please contact me at denabotbyl[@]gmail[.]com for details and rates. Include CBT Session in the subject line.

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