Good morning FGB Community-Let's talk interviewing skills!

18 Comments

1. Lesa Edwards, Career Coach & Master Resume WriterDecember 1,2021 at 2:01PM UTC

   As an interview coach, I will share this insight:

   Know who you are (what you bring to the table, your brand differentiators)
   Know the company (their mission, goals, and challenges)
   Know (and be able to articulate) how YOU are the solution to their challenges.

   Feel free to ask follow-up questions!

2. AnonymousDecember 1,2021 at 4:39PM UTC

   I love this- a very practical and simple way to frame your preparations!

3. Jasmin HerrianDecember 3,2021 at 4:13PM UTC

   Thank you for this! I just got a second interview by utilizing your advice.

4. AnonymousDecember 3,2021 at 6:33PM UTC

   Jasmin, that's amazing, congrats! That's the beauty of the FGB community?

5. Xu JocelynDecember 1,2021 at 2:13PM UTC

   I guess being confident in an interview is the key bc it will leave a good impression to our interviewees. Then pay attention to our manner of speaking and body language as well, which will show who we really are like if the interviewee would learn more about our personality thing, which is more than important to see if we match the job we are applying for. Thank you for reading my comments.

6. Gretchen SkalkaDecember 1,2021 at 2:16PM UTC

   I agree with Xu that confidence is really paramount in an interview. Confident in yourself, in your experience and in your ability to communicate how both are applicable and relevant to the opportunity being presented.

7. Tracey MorrisDecember 1,2021 at 2:38PM UTC

   I like to prepare for an interview by writing down some specific examples that might be relevant, particularly in a behavioral interview. For example, if the position requires collaboration, I will jot down some notes about difficult people I've worked with and how I managed those relationships. If it requires initiative, I might prepare an example of a time I noticed a broken process and worked to fix it. This preparation helps to increase that confidence mentioned by another poster. I highly recommend providing specific examples over broad statements in these interviews using the STAR method to respond (situation/task, action, result).

8. AnonymousDecember 1,2021 at 2:44PM UTC

   I always go into an interview with confidence, and I'm almost always able to connect well with the hiring manager. I struggle to show how I will bring value. I rely on my resume to tell the story, and I don't communicate it well to the interviewer. It's partially imposter syndrome (I love this term, it's so accurate).

9. Megan HamiltonDecember 1,2021 at 3:12PM UTC

   When clients come to me to prepare for interviews, I always have them do the following:
   1. Come up with the 5 most likely questions you'll be asked and write a 1-2 paragraph answer for each.
   2. Come up with the 5 questions you HOPE to be asked (i.e. questions that let you shine), and come up with a 1-2 paragraph answer for each.
   3. As much as possible, memorize your answers and practise delivering them in a way that conveys your passion, your intellect, your wisdom and your breadth.
   4. Find ways in the interview to divert your answers into the ones you HOPE to be asked so that you create space to shine.

   I haven't had a person yet who didn't get at least a 2nd interview. Good luck!

10. AnonymousDecember 1,2021 at 3:38PM UTC

    There is nothing more frustrating than interviewing. The most common question I am asked if to tell them about a huge mistake I made and what did management do about it. Seriously????? It's all situational and yes mistakes happen but it should never be an interview question. Can't they ever just focus on the positive?

11. Aya IbarraDecember 1,2021 at 4:47PM UTC

    I think of interviews as spaces and opportunities for me to show them aspects about my skills and experience that would differentiate. Like another comment said, a great interview skill is to be able to take their questions and use them to pívot into areas that allow you to shine and highlight things you want to make sure you need to express. I also plan ahead on what are the tough questions and gaps/weaknesses of my application and make sure I can address them head on. Sometimes they don’t ask you the tough detailed question to you so it’s your job to address them within the interview time somehow.

    For example, my resume used to show that I’ve never worked at a big org before. So during interviews with a big org, I made sure I highlighted stories where there was no doubt that I could be successful in navigating big orgs even though they didn’t ask that question.

12. Annette ReimerDecember 2,2021 at 2:00PM UTC

    My tip is to research the company well. If I was in the HR/hiring manager's shoes, I love to hear that they are important enough to you to have looked into their culture, mission statement, and current business performance. There are a lot of articles online to read for the larger global companies and the company profile on their website is always helpful. This also aids you in speaking to how your goals align with their goals and ideals.

13. Diane McDevittDecember 2,2021 at 2:15PM UTC

    Asking questions that matter - what's a typical day? What are the company goals? How do you measure performance? What does upward mobility look like?

14. Brigette WildsDecember 3,2021 at 2:31PM UTC

    Even if the interviewer asks a vague question, I answer using the Situation/Task, Action, Result (STAR) model. I maintain a list of “work stories” to have ready access to good examples of teamwork, overcoming obstacles, gaining buy in, etc. throughout my career. In other words, I am not scanning my memory for a good example. I know them already.

15. Audrey KirschDecember 3,2021 at 5:57PM UTC

    Understanding my worth and knowing that no matter my skills, experience and winning personality, I still may not get the job. Somehow keeping that in mind takes the edge off and I'm able to focus on putting my best self forward. I have been tripped up in the past by questions like "where do you see yourself in 5 years?" Now I go prepared with answers or positive redirections for any situation.

16. AnonymousDecember 3,2021 at 6:30PM UTC

    I love this mindset, not allowing a job offer/decline to dictate how you value yourself!

17. AnonymousDecember 5,2021 at 3:36PM UTC

    - Showing up authentically despite the pressure of interviews
    - Answering questions concisely with examples
    - Asking thoughtful questions to demonstrate my preparation and engagement during the interview

18. Monette AndersonDecember 31,2021 at 8:04PM UTC

    I always say you should have 5 anecdotes prepared to answer situational questions with ease.

    1. the triumph- a big accomplishment
    2. The pickle- a difficult or stressful situation
    3. the blunder- a time you messed up and how you handled it
    4. the disagreement- a story about a time you disagreed with your boss and how you diplomatically handled it
    5. The difficult person- coworker or client