How to do better at job interviews

Job interviews can be intimidating situations, especially if you really want the job, and preparation can make a big difference. If you're going to a job interview you'd really like to ace, here are some tips. I'm hoping the tips are applicable in more places, but with my experience being from IT it's likely that there are some industries where some of these tips are less useful.

Unfortunately interviews often are about appearances. If you seem nervous, unsure about your own skills, don't dress to the situation, etc. the interviewer will be more hesitant to hire you, even if you really were a good candidate.

To get some experience in interviewing you can also apply to jobs you aren't exactly super excited about as well. You might also get options like that if you don't get the job you really want, and at the very least you get experience in interviews and it won't be as hard when you go for the interview to the jobs you really want in the future.

Overall tips on behavior and preparation

You don't have to wait for the recruiter to ask questions - you can fill in blanks, elaborate when you think you have a nice story to contribute, useful examples, or appropriate funny things to add. Try not to interrupt them though as that's just rude, but you can e.g. raise a finger to indicate you've got something to ask when they're done talking.

Feel free to take a moment thinking about the question rather than rushing to an answer. However, especially if it's a phone interview, make sure you are vocal about your intention to think about it: "hmm, this is a tough one - let me think about it for a second".

Try to avoid spending excessive time on the subject of compensation, or people think you'll be just in it for the money. It's often a good idea to leave it near the end and take care of it as casually as possible: "ok so I guess we need to talk about compensation at some point - what kind of pay are you offering, and are there any benefits you offer?" -type thing.

Related to compensation, at least in smaller companies (especially startups) they might not have set a plan in mind, so be ready for if they reply with "I dunno, what would you like?", use Glassdoor or similar to check salaries in your area and google for common benefits. Asking for stock options can be a good idea - they can simply say "no" if that's out of the question.

You should be at least mostly honest, especially if it's possible for you to put a positive spin to it. Small white lies, slightly exaggerating your interest in the company etc. are generally fine. -> "Why do you want this job?" - "Honestly I need the money, but I'm applying here first because you seemed like I could enjoy working here."

Most good companies tend to want team players, so it's important you don't downplay the role of your team in past projects and companies, but they really do want to know what you did too so don't forget to highlight your personal accomplishments as well.

Scout out the company in advance, try to find out what they do, check out their job ads for technologies etc., ask if those are the things you'd be working with. If you know nothing about the company in the interview they'll think your interest is not very sincere.

Keep a water bottle with you or ask for a glass of water before the interview to make sure your mouth doesn't dry.

If you can find a good friend who can pretend (properly) to be interviewing you for the job, then a mock interview can be very helpful. Another good way to get better at interviews is to just go to more interviews.

And most importantly: Try to relax. It's not that important, it's just a job. There are other jobs out there too, and you can try to apply again later.

Example questions and answers

Below is a list of common questions you should expect to hear in an interview, practice them, have some sort of answers prepared. I've also added example answers, don't practice those bits. Not all of them are quite as important as they might sound like, but it's still good to have a simple and honest answer ready.

I've tried to categorize them into more generic ones, and then questions that are more specific to certain kinds of roles.

Q: Can you tell me a little about yourself?

This is a chance for you to show a bit of your human side, don't go into too deep personal details, but you can talk about your hobbies and interests. Feel free to mention what you've studied, where you've worked at, what kind of things make you excited, etc.

Answer: Well, I'm into kayaking and try to go on a trip to some great kayaking locations at least once a year. I've got a dog, Spot, though he's much less into kayaking. I graduated a year ago from Never Never Land University, and have worked at Megacorp Inc. since then. It's been a great experience, but now I'm hoping to find some place where I can learn more.

Q: Why did you apply to work for us?

Try to highlight whatever you find exciting about their company, and any of your interests that align with the things you would be doing for them. Feel free to slightly exaggerate your excitement and the company's merits.

Answer: So I told you I'm super into kayaking, right? I've been wanting to learn all about oars and heard you make the best oars - I wanted to learn how to make oars from the best.

Q: Why do you feel you are a good candidate for this job?

If you have a really good reasons due to your experience or such, say that. If not, you can give some fairly generic ones - you work hard, you are a quick learner, you get along with people (if that's important in the job), that kind of stuff. A bit of humor isn't out of the question.

Answer: Well, since I've been kayaking for years, I think I know a fair bit about what a good oar needs to be like. Also I'm super excited to work with you, so you know I'll work hard try to impress you.

Q: What experience and skills you have that are relevant for this job?

Anything even slightly in the ballpark can be relevant enough for them, depending on what exactly they're looking for the company might value experience outside of the specific field you'll be working in.

Answer: I've done a bit of carpentry at school, and I've got an attention for detail. I've also been reading up about material stiffness, strength and hardness and I've been hoping to apply some ideas to oar designs.

Q: What makes you an outstanding employee?

Try to think of anything positive you can think of to mention about yourself, if in doubt try to ask some friends or colleagues. Common things to mention are stuff like being a team player, learning quickly, work ethic, integrity, positive attitude, self-motivation, organization skills, being a good listener, paying attention to details, being adaptive, and good communication skills.

Answer: I think my best skill is how well I get along in a team, but I also have a strong work ethic and I'm very adaptive.

Q: Can you name a few strengths and weaknesses of yours?

They're looking for honest answers, but you don't have to be brutal to yourself, or oversell your strengths either.

Answer: I'm not always as patient as I hope I would be, I can occasionally get pretty frustrated when things are not going my way but I try not to let it affect my work. However, I feel I'm very good at helping other people be more efficient by helping out with small things, and I'm very trustworthy.

Q: Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

Again, honesty is a good idea, and try to be realistic. If you're looking for an entry level position, maybe you'd want to master that job. If you're already somewhat experienced, maybe you'll want to start your own company, or take more of a leadership position.

Answer: Well since I'm still pretty new to oars, I think I'd be happy to learn how to make some awesome oars in 5 years, and start taking on more responsibility as I get to prove myself.

Q: Tell me about a challenge or conflict you've faced at work, and how you dealt with it.

They're trying to find out if you can deal with challenges that can happen at work, and interpersonal issues. Feel free to think about it a bit, and try to mention something with a positive spin at the end.

Answer: So at the place I worked previously I had a coworker that for some reason really didn't like me. They always treated me poorly, and it was killing my enthusiasm. I mentioned it to my team leader, we sat down and talked about it, and managed to resolve the situation well enough. We didn't become best pals, but at least I felt treated fairly afterwards.

Answer: At my previous work we had an issue with our social media approach. I wasn't really an expert on the subject, but I thought I'd try to help as much as I could as it was really important for the business. I checked a lot of guides on Google and Youtube, came up with a few tangible tips and found a contact for a proper expert, and then brought the information to my boss. Our social media started doing much better and the boss was super happy about the help.

Q: What motivates you?

Hopefully you have some good idea of things that help you get motivated to working on things. Some common examples are knowing that what you're doing is making a difference, working with a great team, and knowing you have a future at the industry if you work hard.

Answer: I get pumped when I'm working with a great team, and I know we're working on a product that will really improve peoples lives.

Q: Why do you want this job?

Another way to figure out if you're really serious about the job. Any positive things you can name about the company, or interest in the things you'd be working with are great for this. A bit of humor isn't a bad thing either.

Answer: I really want to work with oars. I've heard a lot of good about your company, and I'm very interested in the carbon fiber technology you use in your oars. I also really need the money.

Q: Why should I hire you?

Another variant of the questions about your strengths. Similar answers suffice.

Answer: Well, you know I'm excited about oars, and that I'm a team player. My experience with kayaking in the real world will also be useful to the team.

Q: What is your salary expectation?

You should have some idea of the salary you're able to get for the job. If looking for an entry level job with no experience, you'll probably just have to settle for quite a little, but don't short sell yourself either. Checking out Glassdoor and other such sites, job postings from competitors, etc. can help you figure out the kind of salaries you could make.

Answer: I don't ask for much, but I do have a rent to pay and a dog to take care of, so I'm hoping to get at least $2000/mo.

(IT sector) Q: Do you often help your friends and family with technical issues?

Basically they're trying to find out about how much you're interested in the subject outside of just getting paid to do it.

Answer: Sometimes the amount of people who need help can be a bit overwhelming so I don't help everyone, but I regularly try to help close friends and family when it is reasonable. I try not to let it get to the point where it feels like work except for the part where you get paid.

(IT sector) Q: Are you a technical problem solver? Can you describe a difficult technical problem you had, or helped someone else solve, and how did you go about solving it?

Trying to find out how you deal with problems, if your only solution is to get someone else to help you, and if you understand to ask for help when truly stuck, while getting a bit of an idea on what kind of methods you use to solve problems.

Answer: So one day my best friend's computer died, and they were stumped. We googled for all kinds of possibilities on what could be wrong, figured out which options best fit the symptoms, and decided it was probably an issue with either the power supply, or the graphics card. I know someone with lots more experience on these things, so I asked them if they had any ideas, and they said it sounds more like a power supply issue. We got the power supply from my computer to try it out, and it worked! The next day we bought a new power supply and the computer works like a gem now.

(Companies making products) Q: Are you experienced with our products?

It's best to be truthful, but you can slightly exaggerate your experience.

Answer: To be honest I've been aware of your products for a while, but I've not been able to afford them for myself yet. I've been checking out your product specifications though, so I know a few things here and there.

(Experienced) Q: What kind of things would you like to do at your next job?

They're trying to find out a bit about what your future interests are like, to avoid a situation where they hire you just to have you leave a year later for a different kind of a job. Do tell about your interests honestly, so they can help you plan them out.

Answer: Well, I really want to do more project management type of things, take a bit more responsibility over the team. Maybe start off as a scrum master or similar.

(Experienced) Q: What do you value in a good working place and a good team?

Likely just trying to see if you're a good culture fit. Talk about your preferences openly.

Answer: It's important to me to be able to get enough time to do my kayaking, and I appreciate it if work doesn't regularly require overtime. It's not that I don't want to do the work when necessary, but I feel like I'm not being as effective when working overtime as it drains me pretty quickly.

(Experienced) Q: What are the things you really don't want to do in your job?

They're simply trying to make sure they're not expecting anything of you that you're clearly not interested in.

Answer: I'm done with wooden oars. I really don't want to work with them anymore, they're heavy and require too much maintenance. I want to work with more modern technologies.

(Experienced) Q: What's the thing you're most proud of in your recent work history?

One way to find out what kind of things excite you, and what kind of things you've done. Have a small story prepared. However, be careful not to reveal confidential information as they wouldn't you want to casually reveal their confidential information in a future interview either.

Answer: So at my current job we had a really difficult problem regarding some of the equipment not functioning optimally. I managed to organize a workshop to brainstorm with the team, and we got a handful of ideas on how to solve the problem, voted on which ones were the best and started working on a few solutions simultaneously. We solved the problem in a matter of a few days, and the solutions that weren't critical to solve the problem still improved the product at the same time.

(Remote working) Q: Do you have experience in working from home?

If you're offered a remote position, they want to make sure how much they need to prepare you for it.

Answer: Unfortunately I've not yet had the chance.

Answer: Yea I've worked remotely in the past, but I also like coming to the office and meeting the team face to face to keep team spirits up.

(Remote working) Q: How would you organize your time when working from home?

Especially when applying for a fairly junior position with not a lot of experience in remote work, they want to be sure you know what you're getting into. It's a lot more responsibility to make sure you get the work done when you don't have to go to the office and have an environment around you reminding you to get to work.

Answer: Well, I've planned to wake up normally at 8am, get my morning routine done. I've got a small space that I've dedicated for working at, first thing I'll make sure to check the internal chat so I know what's going on, then I'll do about 4 hours of work before I'm going to take a break for lunch.

Q: Do you have any questions?

Try to have some questions, but don't worry too much about it if you've really talked about a lot of things already. The questions don't necessarily have to be that insightful, or even that relevant to the job, but they appreciate that you have been thinking about the company and the job. You can also take the opportunity to get some feedback on yourself.

Answer: What kind of a team would I be working in?

Answer: I hear you make carbon fiber oars, but your competitors seem to still prefer plastic - what kind of benefits does carbon fiber bring to your oars?

Answer: How many other people are you interviewing?

Answer: What would you want from an exceptional employee?

Answer: What kind of things would I be doing during my training period?

Answer: "So I read you work with X, I've not used it but I've tried Y, do you know how they compare?"

Answer: How did I do?

Answer: No, I think we've covered everything pretty comprehensively, it was a very effective interview. Thanks!

Other resources

• My favorite Ted video to check out before interviews https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are

• Hints on how to find out if you will enjoy working at a company (for IT, but can give you ideas otherwise) https://dev.to/ice_lenor/do-i-want-to-work-in-this-company-or-what-questions-to-ask-on-an-interview-7po

• Some tips on what kind of qualities employers like to hear about https://toughnickel.com/business/What-Makes-An-Excellent-Employee

• Similarly tips that could help you identify some weaknesses to mention https://www.thebalancecareers.com/list-of-weaknesses-2063805

Final words

Hopefully this helps some of you deal with the stressful situations that job interviews can be. Really the key lessons here are preparation and practice.

Now, what have I forgotten, or did I get something wrong? What tips would you add? What questions do you get asked when being interviewed?