www.businessinsider.com: When you're going into an interview, it's intimidating enough to decide on the perfect outfit to wear and how best to present yourself to a new group of people. But then when you throw some tricky interview questions into the mix, you've got the perfect recipe for anxiety.
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The obvious solution that the article doesn’t mention is some sort of nepotism in which you already know your interviewer and have been going golfing with them since you were 16. Unfortunately, that’s not always an option for the rest of us. I liked the trick of saying “that’s a good question.” That’s something I’ve begun to do and I think being genuine is the best policy. The article also doesn’t mention having questions for the interviewer. I remember when I interviewed at CMU I was told to have questions for the department and I thought it was the most bogus thing ever - I understand what I want to go to school for and you can provide that. That was of course compounded by the fact that CMU was the only theater school I actually applied to, meaning I was comparing apples to oranges. The last job interview I did about six weeks ago I think I did really well because at the end, when they said “do you have any questions for us?” they had to pull the age old “that’s a good question” on me.
Overall I agree that being honest (to a point) is a good way to plan your answers, you want to be memorable in a good way and giving generic answers you think they want to hear might not achieve that. I really agree with the last part of the article that recommends having some questions prepared, particularly I like to ask questions about the interviewer themselves and what they love about their job. It’s as simple as the fact that people love to talk about themselves and their own lives, and especially love when they have an active listener. Usually relating an experience of your own to the interviewer’s can foster a connection and endear yourself to them (as long as you’ve done a decent job in the rest of the interview). To add onto the second point of the article, it’s a good idea to look around the website of the place you’re trying to work at and memorize a few key names and company principles, as well as recent events happening. Demonstrating that knowledge shows you’re interested in them in particular, and that you took time to prepare.
I think there were some helpful ideas within this article. Taking deep breaths, doing your research, and even acknowledging your weaknesses are all incredibly important when going to an interview. With that said it is important to be candid so you don’t come off as stiff. Over-rehearsing an interview in my experience has made me feel like I hadn’t really been myself. A tip that stuck out to me was asking them questions. I think this is wildly important because an interview is not only for them to get to know you but for you to have the opportunity to see if you would be a good fit. I think back to my CMU interview. It was at 6:00 am my local time and so I went into that interview knowing my personality would be a bit duller than usual. But I also went into that interview prepared to ask questions and be myself. I believe that a lot of people get so caught up in impressing others that they forget that being themselves is the most important aspect of an interview.
Although this article mainly pertains to job interviews, I think it still has a strong message. It’s natural for people to want to appear to be the best version of themselves, especially when a job is on the line. It’s hard to be genuine when you fear that they won’t like you because of your flaws. However, this article makes a good point that we are all human and all have things that we are currently working on. Any good interviewer will recognize this and most likely applaud you for being self-aware and vulnerable, especially in such a nerve-racking experience. The other thing that I think is important that is mentioned in the article is having questions prepared for them. Before going into my college interviews, I was taught to always be prepared with questions to ask the interviewers because it expresses your interest in the job or school. On top of that it shows that you can make yourself a priority and can recognize what you need to succeed. The interviewer will most likely appreciate it.
I went into this article expecting it to be less useful than it was. There were a few nuggets of genuinely new and helpful information in here including, at least for me, potential answers to two questions that oftentimes stump me. The hardest question, in my opinion, is the why should we hire yous and the what do you know about us. Because to me, it feels like trying to sell the company to yourself. Which is a bit counterintuitive. I feel like it should be you telling them about you and them telling you about them. Not you telling them why they're great for you. I liked their suggestion for how to answer about your weaknesses. I feel I've always been drawn to being either far too honest (like the time I talked about being burnt out and not wanting an internship and the interviewer was like then why are you interviewing...?) or not honest enough throwing out something like perfectionist. Speaking about weaknesses that don't prevent you from your job doesn't reflect badly on your ability but is also honest.
There is a quote that I like "Plans are worthless, but planning is everything."
And I think that kind of applies here. I have never been one to overly prepare for an interview. I will know enough about the company and the job I am applying for so that I can answer honestly in regards to whatever they ask. And asking for a moment to think isn't some sort of sin. It's like how teachers tell you to not just read off of your slides or write a script on your notecards. The cards can be a roadmap, but they are not the territory. Barring cases of nepotism, as Owen stated above, I really think the best way to have an interview go well is present yourself genuinely and treat it more like a conversation where you are feeling out whether or not you and whatever organization you are interviewing for are compatible as far as culture, goals, and expectations are concerned. And I think a big part of that comes from being relaxed and not being afraid to walk if you feel the fit isn't right.
I think this article states some pretty obvious facts about interviews. Be honest, do your research, act genuine, etc. However, I thought the piece of advice about treating a job interview like a first date was so fascinating. I had never been given that piece of advice. I believe I already apply it though. When looking back on my interviews that have yielded job offers, they all have the common thread of a good conversation. I really enjoy connecting with people, and more often than not, I get jobs outside of interviews in a relaxed setting like parties or performances. As theatre makers, it’s important we like the people we are working with. If I don’t feel connected to the interviewer, regardless of being offered the job, I’m not sure I’d want the job. The most important thing as a designer is to feel connected to your team and the piece you’re working on.
I think everything that was said in this article was very accurate and useful. I think another thing is that calm and preparation comes with time and practice. I think that's why it can be useful to have a friend or family member run some questions by you over and over so you know how to answer them without getting flustered. The basic flaw question is a hard one, but as the author said, it can be important to say how you're working through it. I know one of my biggest fears in interviews is phrasing or leaving something pertinent out so that it seems as though something I was trying to explain in a positive way is negative or that it comes across as though I don’t know what I’m talking about. Another thing I’ve learned is that when it comes time to ask your questions its ok to say “do you mind if I take out a list” and although I’ve only had a couple of very informal interviews, no one has ever minded, and it's a great time to make a joke about how I have a bad memory so I take notes all the time. That also shows you have coping mechanisms for difficulties.
I’m a pretty awkward person and sometimes I find it hard to answer questions thrown at me. Though I’ve usually done pretty okay in job interviews. I was hoping that this article might point out new things I haven’t thought of, but for the most part it seems like a lot of common sense. Like obviously you’re going to want to do research a company you’re applying to work for before the interview; you’ll look like an idiot if you don’t. Or being “calm, cool, and collected.” Yeah, I’m pretty sure almost everyone tries to be as level headed in interviews as they can be. The article basically says to think before you speak, which is kind of a given. I think something that can be helpful is to write down questions you have for them since it helps you be more prepared and allows them to do more talking. Granted, to someone who’s never had to apply for a job before this article might be a lot more helpful. Overall I wish there had been a little more information here.
I have always loved a good business insider article and how little they can actually say in a whole page. While these interview tips are helpful, I would not exactly call them groundbreaking in any way, but perhaps I am not the target audience. I have always hated the “what is your biggest weakness” question in the interview because I believe it is taking the responsibility off of the interviewer to try and find the best candidate for the job by trying to trick or stump people. The most helpful tip was for the “why should we hire you” question, onboarding employees cost a company a lot of money and so when a job opening is posted, it is done so for a really good reason. Doing your research about a company and finding any details about their growth is really helpful when answering this question. Staying calm in an interview can go a long way, but not so calm that it comes off as uninterested, interviews, like many other things, take a lot of practice.
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