Acing the Interview: 13 Tips to Be Better Prepared

Michael Polovick, the new President of Hudson Job Search, spoke about the objective of a job interview – to see if you are a technical fit (i.e., skills, experience) for the job and a cultural fit for the organization.

He said many interviews start with a phone screen followed by one or more Zoom interviews. He mentioned that many job offers are now extended via Zoom without the candidate meeting their manager in person.

Michael also said that some companies are adapting asynchronous interviewing where the interviewer asks a question and records the interviewee’s answers for further review by their team. This is similar to the Interview Prep portion of LinkedIn.

Since Zoom is often the second or final step of the interview process, Michael shared the following tips to be effective with the group.

Acing the Interview via Zoom

 

1. Lighting is essential.
   Michael offered many valuable ideas:
   1. Make sure you are in a room with a lot of natural light
   2. Invest in a ring light to ensure proper lighting, especially if your room is dark.
2. If you put up a virtual Zoom background, make sure it isn’t too cutesy.

3. Look into the camera at your eye level.
   Be sure the camera isn’t too close or too far from you.
4. Minimize noise.
   1. Try to schedule the interview when there will be no indoor or outside noise.
   2. If you have others in your household, make sure children and pets stay out of the room.
   3. Ask that household members keep their Internet traffic to a minimum.
   4. Put your phone on mute.
5. Before conducting your interview, test out your setting with friends or your Hudson Job Search coach.

6. Smile!

7. Don’t talk too much.
   Listen, take notes, and use the PARS (Problem/Action/Results) approach when answering questions.
8. Don’t dance around the question.
   Listen to the question. If you need clarification, ask. If it will be a tricky question to answer, practice answering it with your Hudson Job Search coach or other job seekers.
9. Don’t bad-mouth former employers or managers.

10. Talk about your accomplishments.
    Share facts, numbers, and dollars saved or generated due to your work at the company. Use I versus we.
11. Practice Emotional Intelligence.

    “A bad attitude is like a flat tire. If you don’t change it, you won’t go anywhere.” – Joyce Meyer

12. Show an increased level of interest.
    1. Lean in with your body (not too close on Zoom). Leaning in shows attention and interest.
    2. Ask good questions.
    3. Ask what the next steps are in the interview process.
    4. Close with the following statement, “I want the job!”
13. Follow-Up with at least twice – right after the interview via text or email and when you say you will (perhaps 1-2 weeks after the interview).

Don’t go it alone! Hudson Job Search Offers Practice Interviews

 

We have a free one-on-one coaching service to help with your job search process if you’d like. Your coach will work with you to polish essential job search skills, including:

• Resume and Marketing Letter Writing

• PRADCO Assessments and Review

• Building and Exercising Your Network

• Interviewing Skills and Preparation

• Negotiating Compensation

• Closing the Offer

All, free of charge! Please fill out our contact form today for more information!