Interviewing Tips

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NOW is your time to shine! The interview is your time to accentuate your accomplishments and competency as well as illustrate your ability to build rapport.

There are five major components to a successful interview:

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ENTHUSIASM

Without enthusiasm, you will never build rapport nor illustrate your personality abilities.

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CONFIDENCE

It is critical that you ooze confidence without crossing over into “braggart” territory.

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VALUE

What value do you bring to the company?

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SINCERITY

People resonate with those that are sincere and real.

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INTEREST

Demonstrating genuine sincerity in THIS position and THIS company will be obvious to the interviewer.

Before The Job Interview

PREPARATION! PREPARATION! PREPARATION!

  • Present your background in a thorough and accurate manner;
  • RESEARCH the company and the interviewer. With LinkedIn, there is no excuse for not knowing the background of the interviewer.Find commonalities, discover their interests and familiarize yourself with their background. Glassdoor can provide insight into employee thoughts on the company. Keep all comments in perspective as disgruntled employees are the most likely to post on there.
  • KNOW your resume. Yes, this may seem odd to list but many candidates have lost the interview by not knowing the details on their resume.
  • KNOW your objectives and career goals. What type of role do you desire? What size company is ideal for you? In what type of corporate culture do you thrive? Know thyself.
  • Pre-plan the drive to the interview location using Google Maps or Waze to avoid road closures or other traffic issues. Arrive 5 minutes early but not any earlier than 15 minutes earlier. If you arrive too early, you could appear desperate. OR you make the interviewer feel inconvenienced to come out and meet you when they were finishing up a project prior to the interview time.
  • TURN OFF your cell phone before interviewing the room. Put it away and do not look at it again until you leave the interview.

During The Job Interview

  • Share hands firmly but not too firmly.
  • LOOK the interviewer in the eye but look away occasionally so as not to stare.
  • Control your voice- don’t speak too loudly and do not mumble.
  • SMILE and be positive in your verbiage.
  • Be a good listener- maintain eye contact and use the head nod to demonstrate you understand what they said.
  • DO NOT look at the clock or your watch or your phone during the interview.
  • If you are left alone in the room, don’t do anything you wouldn’t do in front of a group. You might be on camera.
  • Lean forward slightly to show interest.
  • Be enthusiastic and energetic!

Questions

  • SPECIFICITY!! You list #1 Sales Rep of the Year. Out of how many? Two or two hundred? You state “exceeded quota consistently”. By how much? 102% or 502%?
  • SHORT VERSION/LONG VERSION answers. Sales candidates have a tendency to talk too much so AVOID this pitfall of interviewing.When asked a specific question, answer with a concise answer and then ask IF they would like for you to elaborate. Example: “Tell me about your best boss”. You tell them of your previous boss who believed in you and recommended you for promotion. Ask if they want you to elaborate and then tell them of specific times your boss encouraged you, mentored you, reprimanded you in a positive manner, etc.
  • LINK YOUR ABILITIES with the job description. If they need a “rainmaker”, list the new accounts you brought on board. If they need a strong sales leader, talk about the successful hires you made and the retention of your top sales people.
  • LOOK the interviewer in the eye when you answer the question.
  • HAVE YOUR QUESTIONS ready for the interviewer. Specific questions below.
  • At the end of the interview, ASK FOR THE JOB! Ask what the next step is or is there anything that would prevent me from moving forward or any question to demonstrates interest. Then state, “I am very interested in this position. ” Or, if it fits the tone of the interview, state “I want this job”. Let them hear it from YOU.

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