If you’re going to interviews or planning on it soon, knowing what to expect will ensure you feel more confident and relaxed, and help you get better prepared ahead of time.
After working as an Executive Recruiter and Career Coach for the past seven years, I’m going to walk you through a list of some of the things you should expect and be ready for in any interview.
1. Expect questions about why you’re job searching, and what your goals are
Employers don’t want to hire somebody who’s going to leave in the first year. They also don’t want someone that isn’t motivated to do the work (regardless of how talented or capable they are).
So make sure you’re ready to explain why you’re looking for a new job, what you’re hoping for in your next role, and how their opportunity seems to be a fit.
If you can’t do that, you could lose your chance at getting hired before they even dive into any technical questions and ask about your skill set.
2. Expect questions about past accomplishments and results you’ve achieved
If you have prior work experience, the interviewer is very likely to ask about this early in the interview. They’ll want to hear what you were responsible for each day, and what you accomplished for your employer – including specific results and achievements.
In fact, this is one of the primary things they’re concerned with. Employers want somebody who can come into their organisation, learn the system, and start contributing quickly. Asking about your past work is one of the best ways for them to judge this.
So be ready to talk about past accomplishments and real results you achieved in your last job. Review any facts, metrics and data related to past work, so you can sound confident and give precise answers without hesitating.
If you have no work experience, expect detailed questions about your academic coursework and projects instead. You should still be ready to go into detail about what you achieved.
3. Expect questions you’re not ready for
No matter how many interview questions you practice, you’re likely to hear something you’re not prepared for – and that’s okay!
It’s alright to say, “that’s a great question, let me think for a second,” or, “let me take a second to think. I want to give you a good answer here.”
Once per interview, you might even say, “I’m drawing a total blank, sorry.”
No hiring manager will fault you for this once in an interview. However, if you find yourself doing this more often, it’s a sign you didn’t prepare quite enough.
4. Expect changes in plan
Things don’t always go according to plan in your interview. So, be ready to adapt and handle surprises.
For example, you might be told you’re meeting with two people, but when you show up, they mention a third person is available and would like to meet with you.
Don’t freak out if it happens – take a deep breath and just follow their lead.
To be better prepared for surprises like this, bring a few extra copies of your resume, and prepare plenty of questions to ask so you never run out of anything to say.
Asking great questions is a huge, often-overlooked part of interview success, and saying, “so-and-so already answered all of my questions,” is not going to get you hired for any high quality jobs, so let’s talk about that next…
5. Expect a chance to ask questions of your own
If there’s one thing you can almost certainly expect, it’s the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the interview.
This is incredibly important. Employers want to hire somebody who is being careful in their job search, and knows what they’re looking for.
So if you don’t ask enough questions, you’re sending them a powerful signal that you don’t really care what type of job you take, and this is going to cost you the best jobs.
I recommend having at least two questions for each person you’re meeting, plus a few extra in case you meet more people than expected.
One trick you can use: Prepare a few questions that are opinion-based. You can ask these to multiple people, so you’ll never run out of questions in a pinch.
Examples:
- What do you feel is the biggest challenge of working here?
- Why did you choose to join the company, and how has being here helped you grow professionally?
- What is something you feel the group is struggling with that I could contribute to solving?
Don’t ask this type of question exclusively, but it’s a great idea to have a few of these questions ready.
Aside from this, make sure to ask plenty of fact-based questions to find out what you need to know to make your decision (that’s the point of the interview, right? …to see if it’s a good match for both sides!)
Examples:
- What would my top two or three priorities be in the first few months?
- Who held this role previously, and what did they go on to do after this?
- What type of training will I receive?
6. Expect them to test your limits
Any good interviewer will ask you a few questions that you’re not sure how to answer. How else can they know your limits?
So, being unsure how to answer a question doesn’t mean the interview is going poorly! Take a deep breath, don’t panic, and just give the best answer you possibly can.
In fact, if you’re in a technical field like Accounting, Software Engineering, etc., the interviewer is often more concerned with seeing your thought process than seeing whether you can come up with the perfect answer.
So it’s okay to struggle through a tough question. Just make sure you show them how you break down a problem into smaller, manageable pieces. Show your thought process whenever possible; it might be what they’re looking to see in the first place.
Know what to expect in a job interview?
If you follow the tips above, you’ll be better-prepared and more relaxed in your interviews, and you’ll turn more interviews into job offers.
About the author: Biron is a career advice author, Founder of CareerSidekick.com, and former Executive Recruiter for more than 40 companies, including venture-funded tech startups and Fortune 500 companies in the US and Europe.
