Desert View Point - NPS/Kristen M. Caldon
Your legs burn and feel like they have turned to brick. The beautiful memory of blue-green waterfalls you splashed in this week has momentarily deserted you. You pause to catch your breath and risk a glance up. There it is: Bright Angel trailhead, south rim of the Grand Canyon. One more push will do it, but hour-like minutes of sweat remain.
You may have a similar feeling when you reach a pivotal job interview on your career journey. You’ve put in significant work through networking and resume building, but still have the nerve wracking, switchback-like interviews to go.
How do you ace your dream job interview and rise to the next summit of your career? Follow these best practices to prepare for any interview an employer throws your way!
1. The Separation is in the Preparation
Prepare as much as possible. By preparing, you will look and answer questions with more confidence. You will know the company better, which leads to thoughtful questions and conversation, and helps you understand if the role is the right one for you.
Use tools such as Google News, the company website, LinkedIn, company financial statements (10-K if publicly traded) and your own personal network.
Additionally, prepare responses to all questions that may be asked (from the easy ones such as “why do you want the job", to the harder “tell me about a time” questions). You can never be too prepared!
2. Repetition and Feedback makes You Better
If you think you lack interviewing confidence or skills, remember, these are learned abilities, and you will improve with practice and experience. If you see a job you are 80 percent interested in, go for it, as it provides valuable experience and helps you identify what you want.
The more repetitions you have interviewing with a variety of companies, the better you will know yourself and how to respond.
If possible, solicit feedback from actual interviews, or from friends/colleagues using informal mock-interviews to identify how to improve for next time!
3. It’s How You make People Feel
It’s not what you say, but how you say it. In general, the traits that make people say “I want to work with that person” include positivity, confidence, professionalism and authenticity.
In order to develop these traits, you need to know yourself and be excited about what you are doing. By meticulously researching both the role and company, and through practicing your interview skills, you will naturally show more positivity and confidence.
Remember to always be your authentic self and send a thank you note afterwards, which interviewers won’t forget!
Use these tools on your next interview adventure and don’t forget to pause and enjoy the ride!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Scott Bohmke loves all things trail, conservation, and community related. He is frequently seen struggling up Piestewa Peak, ideally multiple times in a row. By day, he works in Financial Reporting at Cable One (Sparklight) and is passionate about using accounting and finance to improve the lives of those around us.