A successful job interview isn’t just about you, as the candidate, having the right answers.
It’s just as much about you assessing the company as it is about them evaluating you. After all, it’s your life and your career, so you need to be absolutely sure the job will be a good fit for you, before you pursue it any further.
Do Your Homework
Make every interview work for you by going in well prepared. This means more than just Googling a company and reading the home page of their website. Dig deep.
- Talk to people who work there – or who have worked there in the past – and get their take on the day to day, as well as the broader experience of being part of the company.
- Review the organization’s entire website – or at least all pages and links that illustrate company vision, mission and culture.
- Assess your prospective employer’s social media presence. And utilize LinkedIn and other platforms to add to your knowledge base about what you’d be getting into if you were to be hired.
Ask the Right Questions
Make the interview work for you by not only responding to questions in an intelligent, confident manner, but also asking the right questions and garnering as much information about your prospective employer as possible. For instance, ask:
- What’s your favorite part of working for this company? It helps to get a sense of your interviewers’ opinions about working there. If their enthusiasm flows naturally as they answer, that’s a good sign. If you hear a passionate response that truly aligns with your own values, then you’re definitely on to something.
- What does success look like in this position, and how is it measured? It’s crucial to know what your employer’s expectations are, how the company measures success, and what the key performance indicators are for the role. In addition, the answer to this question can tell you more about how employees are treated, internal processes, and future opportunities for promotion.
- What is the single biggest challenge facing the company/department? You want to know the good, the bad and the ugly before you make a decision about your next career move. Try to understand any problems you’d be dealing with in your new position. No job is without them, but it’s good to have any idea, so you’re not blindsided from Day One.
- What do you think are the most important qualities for someone to excel in this role? Be prepared to have this question redirected back at you. You should have already given your suitability to the role some careful thought, so here’s a real opportunity for you to shine.
As you prepare for your next interview – or kick off the new year with a job search, including all the necessary preparation – consider partnering with a career coach from PrideStaff Modesto. We have the client network, market intelligence and access to a broad range of positions where your skills can be put to the best use in administrative, customer service, IT, finance, legal support, healthcare, and production and distribution jobs. Contact us today to learn more.
