Chapter 1: Interviewing Fundamentals & Best Ways to Appear Confident

To interview is to share your life story in relevant bite-sized pieces. We'd like to ease your concerns by highlighting a few common misconceptions around interviewing.

• The interviewer doesn't care that you are nervous and doesn't have a preconceived notion about what your answers should be. It's your life, tell your story in your own words.


• ​98% of interviewees are worried about what they think the company wants to hear vs. the 2% who differentiate themselves with authenticity: showing the interviewer how they think. Stand out and show the company who you really are. The ones interviewing you are assessing their future colleague, the person they will be spending 1/3 of their life with for the foreseeable future, not some scripted work-bot.


• ​You are dealing with human beings during both the application process and the interview. These people have families, dreams, emotions, and a complex life just like you. Go into the interview with an openness to human connection and approach the situation as a conversation rather than a one-sided interrogation.

---

Now, please leave your inhibitions here. Interviews are no place for self-doubt. Your goal is to walk into the interview with confidence, ready to leave a lasting impression that will lead to either the next round of the interview or better yet, an offer for employment.

• You might be thinking, “OK, that is easy for you to say. You're not the one in the hot seat."


• You are right. Simply asking you not to be nervous will never work. We need to lay the foundation to build your self-confidence through holistic preparation. As Benjamin Franklin so eloquently said, "If you fail to prepare, you are prepared to fail."


• ​Let's start by highlighting a few common mistakes related to one's physical demeanor and presence when entering a job interview.

34 Crucial Tips for Your Next Job Interview from Visually

Source: http://visual.ly/34-crucial-tips-your-next-job-interview

A Few Additional Tips

• Sit up-right at the edge of your seat, feet firmly planted on the ground, leaning in slightly towards your interviewer. This is a listening pose and it will help you to both be and appear engaged.


• Keep your hands above the table as to enhance trust with your interviewer(s).


• If you have multiple interviewers, make eye contact with all of them when answering questions by gracefully scanning back and forth across the panel.


• ​If this is a phone interview, dress as if you were going in-person, smile when speaking - the interviewer can tell and answer while pacing around if you think better on your feet, but above all, be somewhere private and quiet.

Next Chapter

---

Chapter 2: Best Ways To Answer Interview Questions

Let's start with some interview theory. We bucket questions into 4 types: Traditional, Competency-Based (Behavioral), Technical/Demonstrations & Brain Teasers/Rationalizations

Chapter 2.1: Traditional Questions

---

These are the standard opening questions and the ones that you will most likely field during your first phone call with the company or in the first 10 minutes of your in-person interview. The most popular questions are as follows:

Can you tell me a little about yourself?

This isn't an open invitation to start detailing the narrative of your life beginning with your emergence from the womb, but rather an opportunity to give a relevant 1-minute to 1.5-minute pitch that captures the interest of your interviewer - showing them that who you are ties in well to the company's culture and mission. We've recorded a sample answer to this question assuming we are interviewing for an entry-level business development (sales) role with Tesla in their Energy Products division.

Listen to the answer below:

How did you hear about the opportunity and what do you know about the role?

This is your opportunity to take the interviewer on your application journey thus far. Mention where you came across the position, share the names of any contacts you may have at the company, and put into your own words the scope of work that is so conveniently listed in the job description. Glancing over the job description a few times before the interview is common sense, but is that enough to really give you a thorough understanding of what the job entails?

Run a google search on the company and job role, check glassdoor.com for employee reviews (taking into account that these are very biased reviews usually given by disgruntled employees), or search the company's LinkedIn page or the LinkedIn profiles/Twitter profiles of individuals who are currently in a similar role at the company to see if there are any recently shared insights.

Why are you applying to our company and why should we hire you?

These questions are opportunities to showcase your knowledge of the company, while at the same time, differentiating yourself from your competition through your responses. You will want to verbally illustrate the relevance of their company and how it meshes with your core values. Then, through a brief narrative, show the interviewer how you've exhibited skills relevant to the position with a focus on your unique approach and ending with your achievement (quantifiable if possible). Let's use the same business development job example at Tesla and listen to how you could structure your response to these questions.

Why are you applying to our company? Listen to the answer below


Why should we hire you? Listen to the Answer Below:

There are many other traditional questions that could be asked, such as what are your greatest strengths, what is your major area for improvement, what are your short and long-term career goals, etc. For a detailed list of 31 of the most common interview questions including guidance on how to answer those questions, you can read this elaborate post on The Daily Muse.

Chapter 2.2: Behavioral / Competency-Based Questions

---

It is easy to say that you are a strategic thinker or a team player, but employers come from a show me don't tell me mentality. When interviewers ask you behavioral questions like "Tell me about a time when you had to overcome a teamwork challenge?", they are asking you for a story that helps to visualize your thought process and prove you have the teamwork skills they are looking for.

When you hear a question start with one of the following phrases, you can assume that you are being prompted for a story to display one of the core competencies of the role:

• "Tell us about a time when..."


• "Give me an example of..."


• ""Describe a situation where..."

We are going to show you how to prepare for any and all of these types of questions. The plus side is that you will be able to leverage the work you are about to do for any other interview as long as it is for a similar type of role.

Let's start with the most important resource that provides you with direct insight into what the company is looking for in an ideal candidate: the job description. Copy and paste the job description into the first tab of our Behavioral Interview Preparation Tool.

Once you've done this, look through the job description, identify and highlight the top 5 to 7 most relevant skills the company is looking for in their ideal candidate per the example above.

Now that you know what the company is looking for, you will be able to start mapping your life's accomplishments to reflect the skill areas that the company is looking for in your profile. You can see an example of what we mean by looking at the chart below. You'll notice that each competency in the chart is mapped by a letter to a skill from the job description above.

We are going to challenge you to create your own competency chart to identify 5 to 7 stories from your life mapped to the skills identified in the job description. You can download our Behavioral Interview Preparation Tool and open up the second tab to start creating your own.

Noting times in your life where you've exhibited these skills is a great start, but when it comes time to interview, you are going to have to bring these stories to life.

A major criticism during interviews conducted by employers around the world is that interviewees tend to get off topic when sharing stories of their achievements and oftentimes the candidate forgets to mention what they actually achieved.

Storytelling is an art form that has changed very little throughout history, stories:

• Illustrate the setting


• Address a conflict


• Demonstrate how the protagonist overcame the challenge


• ​Present a resolution of the conflict

We can use this structure in preparing our answers for an interview. In the interviewing world, this is called the STAR format. Take a look at the chart below for an example of how to construct a captivating story to showcase your knowledge of the sales cycle, which was listed as a core competency in the job description

Your goal is to create one STAR story for each example you listed in your competency chart. You can make a copy of the Behavioral Interview Preparation Tool and open to the third tab to start your first STAR story. You can then right-click on the worksheet tab at the bottom of the page and create a copy of the tab so you can keep all of your stories in one place.

As you might have noticed, preparing for job interviews is not something that should wait until the last minute. All of the initial effort you put in will result in a better immediate outcome for your first job interview, but this level of preparation also makes it much easier to go into the second, third or fourth interview without the need to do too much additional work.

WANT TO PRACTICE THE INTERVIEW SKILLS YOU ARE LEARNING THIS GUIDE

BOOK YOUR HIGH-IMPACT MOCK INTERVIEW HERE

Chapter 2.3: Technical Interview Questions

---

These questions will vary from industry to industry and from role to role. If you are applying for the role of a quantitative financial analyst at JP Morgan, then you probably should have a thorough understanding of financial statements, ratios, and know the current trends when it comes to stocks, options, commodities, or equities. If you studied finance and everything we just mentioned sounds like gibberish to you, then we have a problem.

Regardless of the industry you are entering, whether it is medicine, art, technology, law, or business, it is important to conduct some research ahead of your interview and read up on current affairs, innovations, shifts in regulation, or major challenges that would affect the company you hope to join.

For example to see how to conduct proper research to discover any legislation that might be affecting Tesla in Europe follow this link.

Well, go on...click the link.

CLICK IT

That was easy, wasn't it? You have a world of information at your fingertips and it is up to you on whether or not you choose to make the effort to effectively prepare and become a technical expert in your craft. So in short, no excuses, play like a champion, do the research!

Chapter 2.4: Presentations & Demonstrations

---

Demonstrations and presentations in front of an interviewer or panel are a slightly different story. Some companies are keen to put their candidates in a high-stress situation to see how they perform under pressure. We personally have been through 5 or more rounds of interviews where we had to either demo a technology product, conduct a mock sales meeting with the goal of closing the client or create and present a pitch deck of the company we were interviewing with to win a partnership or sponsorship opportunity.

These types of interviews are becoming more and more common as employers look to validate that their prospective employee can practice what they preach. The advice on preparing for these types of interviews is consistent with the rest of this post. If you fail to prepare, you have prepared to fail.

Research your topic in detail, prepare your presentation and then ask yourself if you were in the shoes of the audience, would you be intrigued? If you are having a tough time answering this question, ask some friends, family or your partner to watch your presentation and give you feedback.

If you are unsure of the topic or format and have questions, ask your point of contact at the company! They want to know that you are preparing and by asking questions, you are showing them that you are working towards your goal of landing the job. Just remember to pay attention, take notes, and to heed the advice that you are given.

Chapter 2.5: Brain Teasers and Rationalizations

---

These questions are not extremely common, but if you are applying for a position that is fairly technical or requires a certain level of problem-solving ability, you are likely to be asked a brain teaser or rationalization question to decode your thought process in an ambiguous environment.

Take this question for example:

The goal of this riddle is to allow the interviewer to see how you would rationalize your answer. The expectation is not to accurately solve the puzzle, but rather showcase your ability to think through the different possibilities.

Here are a few tips:

• Don't just think about this in your head. Run through the scenarios out loud so the interviewer can join you on your thought process journey


• Draw the scenario on paper to get a visual of the situation


• Think about each of the elements brought up in the riddle individually and assess their physical properties


• ​Present a resolution of the conflict

Take a few minutes to talk through, draw and try to solve this riddle. Once you give up or think you've solved the problem, you can check out the answer here.

For a list of other brain teasers that you might be likely to encounter, check out this article on The Muse.

Next Chapter

Previous Chapter

---

Chapter 3: Best Questions To Ask

This is a common question that employers ask at the end of the interview. They want to see if you've been paying attention during the interview process, but more so, they are trying to help you understand the full extent and scope of the role.

You don't want to come off as a "know it all". Be prepared to ask two to three questions. We'll encourage you to write down 5 questions ahead of time in the notebook that you will have with you in the interview.

You can let the interviewers know that you have written down a few questions to ask and would like to reference them in your notebook. Never in our 30+ years of being interviewed and conducting interviews have we ever heard an employer say, "Absolutely not, put that notebook away!" If anything, it shows the interviewer that you took the time to prepare ahead of time and it speaks to your work ethic and personality.

Here is a list of our top 5 favorite questions to ask at the conclusion of the interview:

• Janice (Name of Interviewer), you've been a member of the BuzzFeed team (Company Name) for 3 years. What has kept you with the company during those 3 years and what motivates you to spend the next 3 years with BuzzFeed? *


• In the past, what qualities have you noticed that differentiated a top performing business development associate (Position Title) from an unsuccessful new hire at Tesla? *


• ​​​Could you walk me through a regular day in the life of a successful business development associate (Position Title)?


• ​Based on what you learned about me here today, is there anything about my candidacy that would inhibit me from moving on to the next steps of the interview? *


• ​What are the next steps and when can I expect to hear back from your team?

The three questions we would recommend asking are marked with an *

The reasons we recommend asking these questions in the order they are written are because:

• You show the human being(s) sitting in front of you that you acknowledge them as unique individuals with an interesting past, aspirations, and goals for the future, much like yourself. The whole interview has been about you, don't forget to show interest in your interviewer.


• You are fishing for what necessary skills each interviewer feels would make a candidate ideal for the role. You will write down these attributes they mention and use the same language they used to communicate how you exemplify these skills in your follow up email(s).


• You are asking them to be candid with you about any concerns they have about your profile. By understanding what is going through your interviewer's head, you will be able to either ease their concerns on the spot or take the time after the interview to craft a meaningful influencing note** that will change your interviewer's perspective of your capabilities.

Next Chapter

Previous Chapter

---

Chapter 4: Following Up: The Influencing Note

It is common practice to write a follow-up email to an employer after an interview. These notes are often referred to as thank you emails. However, this practice is now so common that if you do not write a timely follow-up email, you will probably not get that callback.

Let’s say there are 20 prospects that you are competing against for one open role at Tesla. You and about five other candidates outperformed the other prospects and now it is time for your final follow up. 15 of the candidates are going to opt for a polite and professional email saying, “Thanks for the opportunity, I look forward to hearing back from you soon.” The other five candidates will mention what they liked about the company, maybe mention a key takeaway from the interview and then thank the employer for the opportunity. But what about your follow-up email?

Fortunately, you are reading this helpful guide and your follow-up will not be just a generic thank you note. Instead, you will be writing an influencing note. The purpose of this kind of note is to:

• Differentiate yourself from your competition


• Put to rest any concerns of your future employer


• Reiterate interest in the position


• Make the reader feel your sincerity in the follow-up

So how, can you influence the reader beyond just the polite thank you? Here are some ideas:

• Mention something you may have forgotten to touch on during the interview.


• Address any objections that you sense the employer may have to making you an offer, or that they may have mentioned outright during the interview.


• Remind the employer of your key strengths, characteristics, or other qualifications that you bring to the table. Describe them in terms of the value you will bring to the organization.

Are you interested to see how a letter like this is structured? Please see the sample below targeted at an interview with BuzzFeed for a Video Creative position.

---

---

Chapter 4.1: What if a week goes by and you haven't heard back?

It isn't uncommon for your follow up email to get hidden below the hundreds of emails in your interviewer's inbox. Don't start jumping to conclusions thinking that they forgot about you, they didn't like you, or decided not to hire you. The likelihood is that they had other pressing matters arise and your email fell to the bottom of their inbox.

You can use this sample email below to follow up with an interviewer whom you haven't heard from in a few weeks.

---

Subject: Following Up Regarding the Interview

Good Morning / Afternoon [Name of Contact],

Thank you again for taking the time to interview me X weeks ago. It was truly a pleasure to [speak with you over the phone/meet you in person] and learn more about the [name of the position] at [Company Name].


I wanted to quickly follow up with you to better understand the timeline for making a decision regarding the interviewee selection process. I know that this is a busy time of year for your team and that these decisions are never easy; however, I wanted to reiterate that I want this job and that I am grateful for the opportunity.

I look forward to hearing back from you soon!

Kind Regards,

FirstName LastName

---

Chapter 4.2: Concluding Thoughts?

Well done on getting through this comprehensive guide for interview preparation. Hopefully, you found value in the tools, tips, and techniques provided in this guide. If you take the time to get to know yourself, highlight your relevant abilities through structured stories, and invest the time necessary to research the company and prepare, it is highly likely that you will find success in not just your upcoming job interview, but many future interviews to come.

Give yourself a pat on the back.

Previous Chapter

---