Ace Your Interview with These Top Tips

|   FIND AN EXPRESS LOCATION   |   SEARCH EXPRESS JOBS   |   APPLY NOW   |   HIRING PROCESS   |  

Ace Your Interview with These Top Tips

You did it. You updated your resume, filled out countless applications, and now you have an interview. Congrats! You're in the home stretch.

But you're not there yet. It's time to ace your interview with plenty of prep. Here are a few tips to get started.

1. Research the Company

Knowing the company is going to affect every aspect of your interview. Are you interviewing at a family-oriented conservative company where everybody wears suits? Or a place where most people work remotely, and t-shirts and jeans are the norm? Knowing the overall company culture can help you decide how to present yourself during the interview. 

Also, investigate the history of the company. When were they founded, who were the founders, what are the company's top and most recent projects? Find out who you will be interviewing with and use LinkedIn or the company website to see if you can learn a little about them.

Have any friends or connections at the company? Reach out and ask if they would be willing to serve as a reference. An inside referral from a trusted source can impress your interviewer before you even meet them.

2. Prepare a Few Questions of Your Own

Although the most difficult part of the interview process is anticipating what questions your interviewer might ask (and we'll get to that in a bit), it's just as important to make sure you ask them the right questions.

First, your interviewer wants to know that you're interested in the company. Asking the right questions shows that you did your research (just make sure not to ask something that can be answered online with little effort).

Second, you want to make sure that this is the right company for you, not just that you're the best person for the job. Ask for a breakdown of a typical day on the job, what other departments you'd be working with, and what opportunities for advancement look like.

Finally, you always want to wrap the interview up by asking about next steps. How will you be contacted if they decide to hire you, how long before they make their decision, etc. That way you won't have to stress too long about whether you got the job or not.

3. Prepare for Answering Tough Questions

The most nerve-wracking part of any interview is answering questions. The best way to defeat that fear is to prepare for any question your interviewer might ask. Which is daunting, given the sheer number of possible questions out there.

Luckily, Express Employment Professionals has released the Answering the Interview Question eBook, which answers 10 of the toughest interview questions. Here's a brief summary on how to answer three of them.

• What Are Your Top Three Strengths and Weaknesses?
  When listing weaknesses, avoid saying you're a perfectionist or that you work too hard, as these may come across as inauthentic. Focus on your strengths as they relate to work achievements (e.g., a strong attention to detail leading to correcting an error that saved the company thousands).
• Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?
  You want to show that you are in this for the "long haul," and worthy of investment. When you answer, mention how you love learning and want to work at the company long-term.
• Why Should I Hire You?
  You need to show how your values line up with the company culture, you have a history of success in similar positions, and that you have the communication skills and reliable behaviors necessary to thrive in the position.

Now you're prepped and ready for that interview. Good luck!