I promised to write this post ages ago but I have some work-related shiz going on and it’s just been a mess. DISCLAIMER: I am not a recruiter, have never worked HR, and know nothing really about the hiring process. I’m just very good at interviews. I have never been declined a position I have gotten an interview for. I may not always get an interview, but when I do, I kill it.
Anywho, here is step 1 (the most important) to killing during an interview, any interview:
STEP 1: Be enthusiastic.
That sounds easy, right? It is! Kind of. It depends.
First, you have to want the job. Really want it. If you’re not into this, your interviewer will know it. To really be able to show how much you want this, you have to do a couple of things first. I know, I know, steps for steps? WTF? Well, no one said killing at interviews is easy.
So first first, know why you want this job. Sometimes, a job is a way to pay bills and nothing else. That’s fine. Being broke is a great motivator. Fill yourself with wanting this money. Needing this money. Pretend you are an actor (maybe you are, I don’t know. This will probably be easier if you can act) and use it as your motivation for when you are trying to be enthusiastic during your interview. Note I did not say pretending to be. You actually have to be enthusiastic. I cannot stress that enough.
If you want this job because the company is great, it’s near your home, it pays great, your best friend works there and knows where to get weed at work, whatever: it doesn’t really matter why you want it. As long as you know why you want it, you’ll be able to get hyped about it.
That’s sub-step 2: get hype. Think really hard about why you want this job. Whatever your reason is, fill yourself with it. Make it important reason you want this job number one and go with it. Get super hyped and enthusiastic about getting this job. Whatever job it is, if it’s interview #5 out of 30, every interview is a chance to get the best job ever because of ___. Fill in your blank, and get hype. Your enthusiasm in every response is what will make them remember you. Just make sure it doesn’t cross into desperation. NEVER SOUND DESPERATE UNLESS YOU’RE SO INTO THE JOB YOU’RE ACTUALLY LUSTING AFTER IT. There is a difference.
STEP 2: Know your resume
If I need to write a follow-up post about awesome resumes, I will. I’m awesome at those, too. But this one isn’t about that. This step assumes you already have a great resume that gets you all the interviews that you want, you just don’t know what to do once you get one.
Now, I know what you’re probably thinking. “Who doesn’t know what’s on their resume?” No one. No one doesn’t know that (at least you had better know! If you don’t know, we have a whole other problem). But knowing your resume goes beyond what’s on it. You have to know why it’s there and how it applies to this job that you desperately need/want for every item on there. This ties in to tailoring your resume for each job which you should already be doing. #judgingyou
For example, you have only had two jobs in your whole life. One was at Fast Food Place and the other was at Semi Relevant Work Place. You are interviewing at Dream Job Inc. and they ask, “So how does you past work experience inform the work you would be doing here?”
....uh...
NOPE. NO “UH”. NEVER “UH”. Know how and be able to give at least 2 examples of how work at each job in your work experience applies and is totally relevant and beneficial. #hardass
This segways into
STEP 3: Know how to spin bullsh*t like a boss
My customer service experience at Fast Food Place will serve me well at Dream Job Inc. because etc.
I had so many deadlines at Semi Relevant that I developed fantastic time management habits!
Those 3 years I was [unemployed/in the Alps/selling weed] helped me really focus and define my goals. I know that I really want to [Shill Corporate Nonsense] because etc.
STEP 4: If you don’t know it, you will learn it
This is the line that has gotten me countless formal job offers. I can pinpoint the exact moment I have been extended that offer informally in every interview and it always comes down to how they react to this:
“I don’t really know about [System Widely Used] but I am willing to learn! I am very interested in expanding my knowledge about [SWU] and contributing to Dream Job Inc. with my new skill set.”
A lot of people will tell you that this sounds like you’re reaching or not experienced enough. That makes sense because it’s often true. They know it, and you know it.
What no one realizes is, it doesn’t matter. You are new to Dream Job Inc. They can’t realistically expect you know everything about the systems/programs they have in place and they know that. So admitting that you don’t know everything about this is fine. Expected even. So own it. It’s an opportunity to grow. You need to sell it like you honestly believe that. If you are willing to grow in the position (or at least make them honestly believe you are) it gives a sense of stability and eagerness. They’ll want to hire someone who wants the experiences this job will provide. They want someone that recognizes their positions are valuable because you will treat it as valuable and thus, work better. This circles back to step 1. It’s all about your enthusiasm.
To sum it up:
Be enthusiastic, it doesn’t matter if you “want” the job or not because “want” is relative. Be able to spin every single line of your resume into gold with a bullsh*t core. Shiny, shiny bullsh*t.
That’s pretty much it. If anyone wants more specific deets, just hit me up in the comments.
via defunctcowfund on defunctcowfund, shared by story645 to Hackerspace
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