The Art of Interviewing: How to Present Your Best Self
As someone who has conducted over 500 job interviews in recent years, I have mixed feelings about the process.
First, it’s a super-repetitive task that every CEO must do. Asking the same questions over and over becomes tedious and boring very fast, and worst than that, no matter how great your screening process is, you’ll interview a lot of unfit candidates.
On the other hand, you’ll get a lot of energy when you interview creative people, and I love it so much! I really enjoy my conversations with insightful candidates that amazed me with their creativity and proactiveness.
Through my experiences, I have noticed interesting patterns among the most successful interviewees. These individuals possess certain attributes and traits that set them apart from other applicants, and these qualities often carry over into their work performance.
“The best way to excel in an interview is to be yourself — your best self.”
— Maddy Malhotra
I would like to share these patterns with you so that you can excel in your next job interview and ultimately find a team that is a perfect fit for you.
1. Study the company and its products/services aggressively before applying for the job
Most candidates have little to no knowledge when it comes to the company that they want to work for, and that’s the biggest red flag I’ve seen.
This is both the most unprofessional and common thing we see in bad candidates. Most candidates don’t know anything about the company, its mission, or its products and services.
The most common excuse that candidates make for this is, “I’m a developer. It doesn’t matter what the product of the company is or who their customers are.” However it matters, it matters a lot!
If a candidate shows that they don’t know the company well, that indicates that they don’t care about your company at all and the only reason that they applied is that they need a job, no matter where. This instantly shows that the candidate doesn’t see anything in themselves that sets them apart from the others.
Most of these types of candidates will not even pass the CV screening process. Because their cover letter shows how much they know about our company and how much they care about it.
Cover letters are arguably more important than your whole CV. Bad candidates who think they’re clever, prepare a vague but positive-worded cover letter, and they send the same letter to multiple companies, without making any effort to tailor it to the individual company or position. These CVs are usually get rejected in seconds by recruiters.
Studying the company that you want to invest your time in it will give you clear answers to these super important questions that are usually asked in every interview:
Why do you want to join our team, specifically?
How can “you” help the company grow? When we ask this, we’re asking specifically about you, not someone like you. We’d expect a personal answer
What would you do differently in …….? Every product/service can be improved, and if you can correctly identify a major flaw or pain point in their business, it shows you have an analytical and creative mind.
If you wanted to explain our business to somebody, what would you say? It doesn’t matter whether you work in marketing or development. Everyone should know the answer to this.
2. Don’t apply for a company whose values are different from your values
When you work in a team, you’re basically investing your time. Don’t invest in the wrong places.
You will personally grow fastest in a place where their values are aligned with you perfectly. Don’t sacrifice your values for a higher position or more money. You’ll regret it.
3. Be energetic and enthusiastic!
Nobody likes a candidate who comes to an interview already tired. Lack of energy shows a lack of affection for the position.
Some candidates come to interviews and look super bored and unenthusiastic as if someone forced them to be there. This shows that not only do they have no great love about joining that team, but also they will not be fully committed to their work.
Additionally, being too passive in the interview can indicate a lack of initiative, which is not desirable for many businesses. Great businesses love proactive candidates and hate passive candidates. Don’t be shy in the interview. Think of the interview as a conversation between two colleagues, not an interrogation.
Skills can always be learned, but you cannot teach affection for the job.
4. Don’t lie in your CV, and don’t lie in your interview.
Believe me, an expert recruiter will find out instantly.
5. Study the exact position that you’re applying for and its career path
Each position has certain expected roles and responsibilities, and they’re constantly evolving. So even if you’re familiar with that position, it wouldn’t hurt to get updated on the latest trends that happening in that space.
You also need to have a very clear understanding that what’s the next step for this position. Great companies want to hire the best people who can grow their company, so they’re not hiring you only for that role, but they expect you to be able to grow that role to the next level.
Always ask yourself, will this position help me on my career path? Will it help with my personal growth? What’s the future look like for someone who’s in this role? What’s the next step? What should I learn to go to the next step?
6. Be afraid of companies who don’t value their employees
Some things are more important than money.
7. Research the salaries and benefits of the role and also its value for the business
Great candidates know the reality of the market about their role. They know what is expected from them and what they should expect as well.
When negotiating your salary, it’s important to avoid asking for an amount that is either too high or too low. Doing so may suggest that you are not knowledgeable about the requirements of the position. Instead, consider the potential for professional growth and the opportunity to establish a long-term relationship with the company when deciding whether to accept an offer.
By taking a thoughtful approach to salary negotiations, you can demonstrate your understanding of the role and your commitment to building a successful career.
8. Do not ever get insulted by questions you were asked in an interview
They only saw your CV. They have no understanding of you. Keeping your cool shows you have people skills, and you can put out fires instead of causing one.
9. Show that you are a team player, not a lone wolf
Being a team player is by far the most important trait of a candidate can possess. No one likes candidates that brag about doing things alone.
Talking about team projects that you’ve done and that you’re proud of shows how much you value teamwork. This is particularly true if you are able to highlight your contributions and how they helped the team to function effectively. By showcasing your ability to collaborate with others and achieve shared goals, you can give potential employers a sense of your work style and how you might fit into their team-oriented work environment.
10. Show that you love to learn
Great team members are always learning new things. Great teams know this, and they only hire people who are constantly learning. This law always stands:
What you learn is always greater than what you know
Also, it might be a good idea to ask about the company’s plan for your personal growth and the company’s educational initiatives. The best companies that I know design “Learn by doing” projects for their team members.
11. Become a T-shaped person: Master one thing, be fluent in many
Best candidates have T-shaped skills, and your CV must highlight it.
A T-shaped person is a term used to describe someone who possesses a deep level of expertise in one particular area (the vertical line of the T) while also having a broad range of knowledge and skills across different fields (the horizontal line of the T). In other words, the vertical line represents the individual’s specialized expertise, while the horizontal line represents their ability to collaborate and work effectively with people from different disciplines or areas of expertise.
Being a T-shaped person is highly valued in many industries because it allows individuals to solve complex problems by drawing on their specialized knowledge while also being able to communicate and collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds.
The most important part of this T is your expertise. You must be an expert in one thing, which is usually your passion. No one likes generalists. They want experts who are also a jack of all trades.
A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.
- William Shakespeare
However, many times we receive CVs that are all over the place. They include many unrelated things in the hope of showing off that they are skilled in many fields at once, but unfortunately, most of the time, it shows a lack of focus in that person.
Your CV should show you have a clear career path. Each experience builds upon the previous one, rather than appearing disjointed or lacking direction. A CV that shows a lack of focus or consistency could be seen as a warning sign, suggesting that you may not be committed to a long-term career path.
12. Always keep your LinkedIn Profile updated
Most interviewers check your Linkedin more than your actual CV. A great LinkedIn profile shows professionalism on your part.
13. Do not ever speak badly about your previous company
This is a big red flag for almost all teams. A person who talks badly or spills secrets of their previous jobs cannot be trusted. Sometimes silence is better than saying anything. The saying goes, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
14. Transparency and communication are the keys
Don’t be shy. Explain what’s important for you in this role and what you expect. Every job is a two-way relationship and needs clear communication to flourish. Don’t put it for later. Ask for what matters to you straightforwardly.
15. Show you’re a problem solver
It doesn’t matter which role you’re applying to. All great teams are looking for individuals who possess strong problem-solving skills to join their teams. Critical thinking and the ability to analyze each problem and come up with the best solution are priceless.
Professional interviewers will ask a couple of questions in the interview to evaluate these skills in you. It’s essential to show first you understand the situation, and then you can demonstrate how you will try to solve that problem. Your approach in trying to solve each problem will tell the interviewer how you will be working as part of a team.
Your approach, use of previous experiences in similar situations, and trying to tackle the problem from different perspectives show that you’re using your critical thinking skills to overcome any challenge in the future as well, and that says a lot about you.
And always, love your job! It’s not worth it if you don’t.
Thank you for reading this post. I would love to hear your comments and feedback. You might also find my latest TEDx talk interesting. If you want to get in touch with me, here is my LinkedIn.