I love interviews, but when I first started they were very intimidating. Even now if I have an interview for a high profile position I get nervous. So how do I conquer these nerves and nail almost every interview? Let me tell you a few of the techniques that work for me.
1. Try to be personal.
Your personality can help you make the cut, but more importantly the wrong personality will get you cut in a heartbeat. Try not to come off as anti-social or awkward. Most job roles require confident, capable, and personable workers, simple being qualified is not enough. Being prepared and comfortable in the interview will take you a long way.
2. Preparation is key.
I research extensively for every role that I apply for. I look for the people interviewing me on LinkedIn and try to discover their level of technical knowledge. You can often find personal information that can help you connect with the people interviewing you. Things like hobbies, family and location can all play into how well liked you are as a candidate. Always read and research everything on the job req, which you will find many people don’t take the time to actually do. I study all the common questions asked for network engineers. In most careers you can do a google search on interview questions. Try to find every question list you can and become familiar with the questions. You wouldn’t believe how many places just use a common list of questions to vet the technical skills of an applicant.
3. Interview experience.
This means do as many interviews as possible, especially when you are early in your career. When I first started, I did dozens of interviews. Now when I go into an important interview I have hundreds of interviews to pull experience from. This allows me to stay calm and almost never get caught off guard by certain questions or interview techniques.
4. Everything else!
There are common things to be aware of as well. Dress appropriately, arrive early, bring your resume, follow up after the interview, ask relevant questions and show interest in the company.
Remember, being a bad-ass in your field will usually get you most of the way. Then again, if you are a bad-ass in your field you should already know the advice above.
Keep an eye out for more career advice!
#TML