The secret to winning in an interview is to out-prepare every other candidate. You need to be the best candidate across all angles and areas because the company is evaluating on whom to invest their time & energy in training, developing, and enrolling the person into a monthly payroll.
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- What do they do? (products, services, and mission inside-out)
- Who are their customers? (industries they serve)
- Who’s interviewing you? (research them on LinkedIn, read ther articles & posts)
- What’s happening inside the company? (latest news, market shifts)
Your research matters because in the interview, you'll be able to reference insights that few other candidates will consider mentioning. You’ll ask better questions and you’ll sound like someone who's done their homework and is genuinely interested in the organization.
Before anyone gets interested in you, you need to show interest in them!
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Joining the interview
5-10 minutes early showcases consideration & professionalism from your end. It also provides you with the following benefits:
- Technology check to avoid any internet, personal surrounding, microphone, or camera issues.
- Lets you settle-in and mentally gather your thoughts and check any tips from this article.
- You'll create a stellar first-impression as it signals enthusiasm & reliability to the interviewer.
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From what I discovered, the greatest way to answering interview questions is by responding to the interviewer from their approach. What I mean here, is responding in their language. Thinking their way first.
Most commonly what occurs when presented with a question that takes us 'off guard' is 1) we hesitate and 2) we are unsure what the best response would be. You need to turn it over and think their way by using calibrated words.
The first words you use to answer a question says alot about how you handle particular situations. Use the calibrated words below to navigate question responses in all situations.
Calibrated Response
- Thank you, that's a great question!
- This is a great question as it speaks to [xyz].
- Absolutely, and this question is very important because [xyz].
- I agree, in that situation, my apporoach would be [xyz].
- This is a great question, and the first step would be understanding [xyz].
Use these calibrated words as a mental toolkit for responding to any unexpected questions with full certainty. It will ensure you don't react to the situation, rather, you respond certainly while maintaing control of the conversation.
Remember, the harder or the more 'off-guard' the question is, the more likely the interviewer wants to see how you'd fit into their team & culture. Their questions are not there to make you loose the interview, rather, to really test & observe your take in handling uncertainty and decision making.
When I was interviewing for a Big 4 company, most of the questions were 'tough' as they were designed to test if I'd be a great fit when handling stringent deadlines & stressful client situations. This made the interviewer imagine how I'd work along with teammates who are faced with similar client situations.
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Training = Success. The better prepared you are to handle questions, the better you'll perform in each interview stage.
General Questions
Tell me more about Yourself.
*Your answer shouldn't be focused on laying out your history or background. The question 'tell me more about yourself' is geared towards briefly hearing what you do and where are you heading. If needed and if asked, very briefly mention the past by leveraging your acoomplishments as responses. Remember, your resume already covers your experience and education. Therefore, you need to answer this question from a forward-thinking approach.
"Absolutely, working in [current job/duty] I've specialized in [key skill] and achieved [xyz achievement(s)]. Shortly before that I was [previous experience] where I [achievements]. Moving forwards, I'm very keen on [new company] vision & mission in the marketplace and how I can contribute and bring the greatest value to [new company]."
Why do you want to work here?
*You need to sell here. Sell why you should be the one and why you see yourself there. It's need to be so important to the level it sparks genuine interest by the interviewer.
"Given [XYZ company] experience in the marketplace for over [years], and seeing the impact it has made for [industries] with [xyz product/services], I see myself representing the organization with an important impact it's bringing in the marketplace. Based on [xyz reports], it's obvious that [xyz company] is the best when it comes to [xyz product/services] and being part of such a team will enable me to put forwards my existing experience and develop new skills which will help us propel forwards to greater heights."
Where do you see yourself in five years?
*This question is there to understand what your long-term career goals are. I'm not a fan of this question since events in our life constantly change. However, your response should be focused in providing a long-term view of how you'd grow within the business. At this point, you need to research the companies growth ladder. For example Bussiness Analyst > Consultant > Senior Consultant > Manager etc..
"I see myself growing within the business & building strong connections with clients & teammates while continuously training in order to succeed and move into a managerial role for greater responsibilities".
Behavioral Questions
Tell me about a time you faced a challenge at work and how you handled it.
*This question is there to understand how you actually handle challenging situations and if you can support with dis-arming such scenarios and what your approach looks like. At the end of the day, issues always occur whether with teammates or clients. The way you handle them speaks back to the skills you have to regain control and diffuse the problem. Your approach would be to immediately mention what the scenario was and what methods and techniques you've used to dis-arm the challenge.
Describe a situation where you had to meet a tight deadline.
*Similar to the question above, this question is focused on meeting tight deadlines and it assesses your time management and ability to perform under pressure. Interviewers here want to see how you prioritize tasks without loosing focus and missing critical deadlines. So your response should reveal your work ethic, prioritization methods, and flexibility in high-stress situations.
Have you ever made a mistake at work? How did you handle it?
*This question usually sets interviewees off-guard because it tests your ability to handle situations in uncomfortable situations. It's also more of a self-awareness questions than a mistake question. Your response here should focus on showcasing how you took responsibility in that particular situation and the step by step process you took to correct it. Remember, the focus here is not leaning into the mistake and the problem it cause. No. The focus should be on how you have recovered from such a mistake and what it taught you and the team in ensuring there are measures to prevent it from happening again.
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