Interviewing Tips 2023
Top Tips to “Ace a Virtual or In-Person Interview.”
- Advice from Alice Hanko Rush,
Nationally Certified Career Counselor Sept. 25, 2023
What to Wear?
Make it simple, not a lot of jewelry, dangly earrings, busy print- all distract from what you are saying during the interview. What you wear should not distract from your verbal stimuli. I recommend solid colors, professional attire (collared shirt with sleeves), no logos or writing of content on your shirt.
What to eat/ drink?
Make sure you eat light before the interview. Not too much coffee will make you jittery, you want to be calm and poised. Note heavy foods (especially turkey) is known to make you lethargic; no alcohol the day of or night before an interview, it can make you light -headed and dizzy if nervous- you need clear thinking for the interview.
Technology Tips:
Look into the camera, make sure it’s at eye level.
Lighting and background are important for a virtual interview, make sure if you have a lot of clutter or kid toys in the background that you hang a plain sheet light blue or off -white background from the ceiling to block out the clutter and to make everything neutral and non -distracting in the background.
More light is better. If you are having a zoom interview there are settings to soften your look on camera. Like airbrush, it just makes everyone look better- this is optional, yet some of my clients feel more confident with this setting.
Check your computer technology settings before the interview, conduct a practice run with a friend to make sure your audio is set where your visual web cam is connected, sound and speakers are on the right settings.
Q: Along with some practical tips that apply to any job interview (virtual or in person) as well as if there is anything specific to virtual interviews.
Practical Tips applicable both virtual and in person interviews:
Monitor your voice, if it’s an early morning interview, make sure you are up for at least 2 hours to warm up your voice, consider herbal tea with honey after your morning coffee to settle your voice. If you practice mindfulness and breathwork this is a helpful exercise prior to interviewing as well. It will settle your nerves and your vocal cords.
As mentioned earlier, make sure you don’t exercise and drink too much coffee right before the interview. If you drink coffee, drink it 2 hours before the interview. If you exercise, make sure it’s at least 2-3 hours before, otherwise it can take a while to cool down and remain calm and not sweating on camera is important.
Connect with the interviewers by doing what Olympic athletes do before a race to calm their anxiety- close your eyes, breath in peace…breath out all that does not serve you, focus on your breath for 2 minutes, repeat until you feel calm- “Visualization exercise: imagine your mind is like a lake and the lake is glass no ripples…now imagine you are at the interview- your technology is working smoothly and you are connecting deeply with the interview team- you are relaxed and articulate, and the interviewers feel like family, you are connected with them on a deep level and they are so grateful you applied for the job, they know you are the perfect candidate without your saying all the perfect words. You are relaxed and confident.”
Make sure you have ideally spoken to peers in the dept. you are interviewing with, or have read their reviews of what it’s like to work for their organization on Glassdoor -so you can answer the question “Why do you want to work here?” Just as Sales Executives do, you need to stand out as a candidate in the interview, research the company first, understand their needs and how your skills and background will help them.
Some interviewers choose candidates based on the intelligence behind the questions candidates ask them. Make sure you do a deep dive into researching the company, so you know what to ask. Research material that is aligned with your values so you can ask questions that relate to what you’re excited about. If they are expanding their commitment to the triple bottom line and you are passionate about green business- ask them about their plans to expand compostable materials and sustainable packaging, for example. Make sure you know their business locations nationally and globally, and ask questions around expansion and travel if that interests you. My favorite question to ask is, “How is outstanding performance recognized?” It’s my favorite, because it implies you will deliver outstanding performance.
Be prepared to give evidence of your experience and skills by preparing 10-STAR Stories in advance. The STAR Method of Behavioral Interviewing has been around for over 20 years. HR and Hiring Managers are trained in asking interview questions that require you to think of ‘times you needed to use a variety of skills’ in the framework of S= Situation T= Task, A= Action R= Result. Note: These stories need to be delivered in 2 minutes or less to maximize interviewers’ attention span. To prepare targeted answers for your next interview, use your upcoming job ad to prepare.
STAR Story Instructions:
Create a List of top 10 important Skills or strengths to possess for position you will be interviewing for by Analyzing job ad- List skills.
Next, Create a STAR Story for each top ten Skill/Strength. Start with one at a time- each story- 2 sentences each stage.
The “S” on the STAR stands for Situation- set up of story- when you used the skill, what was your job title, why did you need to use the skill?
The “T” on the STAR stands for Task. What did you need to do to solve the problem?
The “A” stands for Action. Concisely step by step what did you do to solve the problem?
The “R” stands for results. How did the experience develop your expertise, save money, increase productivity, retain customer, improve morale; help you learn, develop your political savvy, improve customer service, prevent future problems from occurring, or any other result you may choose.
Preparing just 10 STAR stories providing evidence you have the skills the employer wants you to possess is the best way to demonstrate you are the perfect fit for the job.