Experience
Ace Your Job Interviews With These Supercharged Tips
Job interviews are more than just a formal ritual in the hiring process. They provide a platform for both candidates and employers to get to know each other. Interviewers, representing the employer, and candidates explore if they match and want to work together in the future. Besides using interviews to collect information, candidates can also use it to highlight their unique skills and stand out. In this article, we share some best practices to help you stand out as a candidate during your interviews, get through the process, and hopefully land a job offer that you’ll love!
Prove your passion.
We’ve all gotten used to jumping on video calls for work in the last few years. This convenience, however, has also showed us that surprisingly, many applicants appear unprepared for their interviews. This presents a unique opportunity for you to shine and stand out from the crowd. By going the extra mile to demonstrate your enthusiasm, you can make a lasting impression on potential employers. Embracing this chance to showcase your passion and excitement about the position and company could be the game-changer that sets you on the path to success in your job search. There are three major areas to focus on:
- Company mission & strategy: Understand the main problem the company exists to solve. What does the company care about? What are the biggest challenges and opportunities in the industry? Who are the competitors? What can the company do to stand out in the market?
- The role: Now you know the challenges of the company and potential for growth. Here you can slowly connect the dots. Why is your role needed? How do you fit into the big picture? How can you make an impact, besides what’s in the standard job description?
- Work culture: Considering how much time we spend at work, you’d want to know the values that guide the company. How is failure handled? What is the company’s approach to development? Do peers trust each other? Check out the company’s career page and social media accounts to learn more about its culture.
Preparation not only helps you stand out to the interviewers, but also opens your mind to see the challenges, and whether you’re up for tackling them. This definitely helps to make a better informed choice.
Go beyond your CV.
Interviewers will most likely ask you to introduce yourself at the beginning of an interview. Here, they’re not expecting a duplication of your CV which they have read before. Instead, they want to hear which experiences and skills will help you to succeed in your desired role. Go beyond your CV and make yourself memorable, highlighting what makes you different from the other pool of candidates. We’d love to hear some milestones you completed that you’re proud of, but we’re also interested in your failures and what you’ve learnt from it. Remember, the goal is to be known as that one candidate who was authentic, interested, and interesting to talk to.
Be you, know you, show you.
Interviews can be nerve-wracking and we totally get it. But think about it as a conversation to align on shared interests between you and the company before you. It’s a chance to see whether there’s a great fit, or some bottlenecks to address. Recruiters don’t expect you to know everything, so freely express what you know, and be humble about what you’re willing to learn. It would help if you think about questions you might be asked and rehearse ahead of time. This will help you feel better about the interview. Be yourself and remember, you’ve got this!
Keep your responses concise.
It’s tempting to over-talk when trying to talk about yourself and your experience. It’s better to pause a bit after every question you’re asked, and think about what’s important information, and what’s not. When you talk too much, you can appear unstructured and might even lose your train of thought. Be sure to apply the right filter to your answers and keep it short and sweet. If the interviewers want more clarification, they’ll ask – and then, you can give more context.
Ask(thoughtful) questions.
You’ve probably heard before that interviewing is a two-way street. Cliché, but still true! As recruiters and hiring teams, we like when you ask questions during your interviews. While we use interviews to assess whether you’ll be the best addition to our team, you also need to check that the company is a right fit for you. That’s what questions are for! Think about the information that’s not on the company website, nor the job description, but still important to help you decide whether the company and the position will be a place you can succeed. Some questions to think about are the company’s strategic direction, the expectations towards the role, and the team setup.
By incorporating these tips into your interview preparation, you’ll increase your chances of success and leave a lasting impression on the interviewers. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us with your questions or feedback on this article on our Life at trivago Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn channels. Last but not least, we wish you all the best for your next interview! 💪
