If I can just get my foot in the door, I can get the job. This is a common thought as you go through the job search and application process. Getting called for an interview is a big step forward and one you should certainly be proud of, as it means you’ve gotten further than the majority of candidates. However, an interview is not the end goal of your job search — the job is the end goal.
When you go in for an interview, maintain the mindset that you are still being considered for the job. There is no guarantee that you will go further in the interview process or receive an offer until you actually get one. You should be well prepared and put your best foot forward.
1. Tap into your network. You’ve all heard that you should do your research before an interview, and truly, you should do that even before you write a cover letter for a company you’re really interested in. While it’s great to search on Google and the company’s website, you should attempt to dig deeper. Do you know someone who is friends with or a former colleague of a person at that company? Ask for an introduction, and then ask that person to have a brief conversation. Try to find out what you can about the company culture and the types of people who work there, as well as the person’s overall experience there overall.
2. Utilize what you learn. The goal of your research is not to throw in random statements during the interview to show how much you know about the company. This will look forced and turn off the interviewer. Instead, when appropriate, inject questions that demonstrate you have delved further into the company’s background and show you are curious to find out more. You can let interviewers know you’ve talked to people who’ve worked at the company without mentioning names. This will show you’re serious about the opportunity and excited to learn more.
3. Ask questions. With the end goal of landing a job offer, you must ask at least one question, but you’re better off asking several. And you are even better off asking them throughout the interview, if possible. This shows that you are a good listener, inquisitive and that you think critically about information you’ve been given. Even if your interview has gone well, not asking any questions can push you to the “no” pile.
4. Demonstrate your understanding. You can let the interviewer know you understand the job requirements by providing related examples from your past. For example, if you’ve been talking about or have asked the interviewer about one of the job requirements, you can follow up with something like: “I wrote a strategic plan in my last job to help a company rebrand one of their products, and the company was so happy with it that my boss asked me to use the same plan as the basis for another firm’s rebranding project.”
5. Show gratitude. You need to say thank you in person before you exit the interview, and you need to follow up and say thanks again afterward. A quick email within a day of the meeting is a good rule of thumb. You should also send a handwritten note in the mail within a day as well. Try not to repeat the exact same wording in both the email and written version, because that comes across as lazy. Exercise your creative writing skills and come up with a personal, brief message for each.
Now you’re probably thinking: “So if I do all this, I’ll get a job offer”? It’s not a guarantee, of course, but you’ll be that much closer to it. These things make a candidate stand out. There are always other factors at play; you have no way of knowing who is in the running for the job and whether someone else has a skill the employer didn’t even set out looking for but found in another candidate and decided they wanted. Perhaps they just liked someone else more than you, because when it comes down to it, most interviews are about chemistry and whether they can see you working with their team.
The interviewer is trying to fulfill her requirements and match the culture of her team or company as closely as possible, just as you are attempting to fulfill your needs. It’s a two-way street. That’s why it’s so important to do your homework, ask questions, show that you’re a good listener and follow up meaningfully. All of this will help you inch closer to the true end goal of your search — the job.
Marcelle Yeager is the president of Career Valet, which delivers personalized career navigation services. Her goal is to enable people to recognize skills and job possibilities they didn’t know they had to make a career change or progress in their current career. She worked for more than 10 years as a strategic communications consultant, including four years overseas. Marcelle holds an MBA from the University of Maryland.
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