What is your top interview tip for someone who is looking to land the job they want?

Avoid the typical robotic question-answer question-answer interview format and make the conversation more conversational! To achieve this, you can: - offer options when answering questions (“I could tell you about a time when x, or I could tell you about a time when y”) - keep your answers short and then ask if they want you to elaborate - when it’s your turn to ask questions, make sure you’re not just moving on to the next question after they give an answer. Ask a follow-up question or make a comment about how your experience connects to their answer. By doing so, you are likely to get the employer talking. According to an MIT study, the ideal mix that results in a hire is for you to talk 50% of the time and the employer to talk 50% of the time. Showing genuine interest in the employer and their company can also make you more likable, and humans hire people they like.

This is an age old question that is used for behavioral interviews. The key part of this is to really read the job description. If they are asking for some specific soft skills then make sure to align your strengths with those soft skills. If they want someone that is working with others in collaborating, talk about how you are the person on your team whom people turn to when they need help with a project. On the flip side, when you are asked about your weaknesses, it is absolutely critical to make sure that you don't say one of your weaknesses is a quality that they are looking for. For example if they are looking for someone who is detail oriented don't say that you are more of a "big picture person". It is absolutely critical to read the job description prior to these questions being answered.

In a saturated job market, with many other qualified candidates competing for Senior Level positions, it’s important to promote your unique skills and talents to show your Value Proposition. You need to KNOW your value, to CONVEY your value - spend some time reflecting on the times you made a remarkable impact, the relevant skills you were using, and how your talents benefited previous employers.  Are you operating over and above the benchmark for the role and do you know your relevant skills and strengths? Have you strong examples with quantifiable evidence to demonstrate you are capable of next-level responsibilities and delivering on the required competencies? ? By comfortably articulating your Value Proposition at the interview through strategic storytelling, you will grab the interviewers' attention, and build trust conveying a confident competent individual, who is ready to lead their organization to success!

As much as a prospective company is interviewing you, you are also interviewing them. Make sure you ask questions to help you evaluate your decision! Doing this allows you to also display your interest in the company. Not doing so can allow your interviewers to think that you may not have much investment in them. In addition, prepare your answers in advance, and actively listen to make sure your question wasn't answered during the interview process, it is okay to ask the hiring manager to expand. 1. What challenges are the company currently facing? 2. What are some of their proudest achievements? 3. Why did they choose (insert company) here? 4. What would be your expectations in the first 6 months? 5. How recognize the success of your employees? 6. What are your current Diversity and Inclusion initiatives?

The way you dress up and appear communicates your credibility, authority and confidence and forms an impression in first 7 seconds. Make sure you look the part for the job position you are seeking. For instance, If you're seeking to be a CEO dress in business formals and if you want an entry level job, dress in business casuals.

Showcase the experiences and skills that you have that match the role you want. It’s more than showing that you’re qualified for the position. Pick the events and accomplishments from your work history that speak to your expertise and that suggest you would be the best choice for the position. Once you’ve selected your best examples, take time to rehearse your answers out loud so that you sound confident and organized.

Through research, networking, and early-stage interviewing, work to uncover and understand WHY they are filling the position—the specific problems and challenges they want you to address. Then prepare your success stories—examples of how you have solved exactly those kinds of problems and delivered results in the past. In your interview, use the CAR (Challenge-Action-Result) format to tell a clear, succinct, and relevant success story that demonstrates your specific skills. You specific examples will elevate your skills from theory to hard evidence. Also, stories are memorable and will distinguish you from every other candidate. Finally, by sharing an example that is relevant to the employer’s needs, you show that you understand the challenges of the job and are ready to perform.

Your first job is to align with the job, showing you have the hard skills and the deal breakers that the company needs. Once required skills, education, and training are established, you’ll want to dig into what makes you different from other applicants. Some examples of how you can differentiate: - Highlight relevant industry awards or recognition. - Share examples of unique experiences or projects you’ve managed. - Discuss any certifications or additional education you have received. - Explain times when you have worked well under pressure or handled unexpected challenges. - Outline your ability to collaborate with a diverse range of individuals and teams. - Give details of your experience working with cutting-edge technologies. - Describe your ability to adapt to change or a major company reorganization.

Whether interviewing for a private sector or federal government job, you’ll need to study the job posting and company. Ensure you familiarize yourself with the organization by reviewing its website, especially its mission statement, history, and values. You can use this information as talking points during your interview to show you researched the company. Additionally, review the duties and skills from the job posting. Ensure you can articulate how your experience aligns with those skills and provide examples of your competency in those areas.

Preparation should be your first priority. Don't go into interviews cold - prepare your stories ahead of time using the STAR method of formatting them. Situation, Tasks, Actions and Results - treat each item as a subheading with bullet points beneath each to allow you to tell a clear story relaying only the most pertinent facts illustrating why you're the right candidate for the job. Preparation is the make or break thing for all candidates. As an interviewer, it was very easy to tell who did their homework beforehand as they came across as confident and a clear communicator. Do your prep before you join the Zoom call!

When asked something like, “So, tell me a little about yourself,” or “Why do you want to work with us?” don’t rehash your academic history. Smile and tell a short story about what got you interested in the field of work the job requires or the company does. For example: “When I was in high school, a teacher told me to find something I love to do and pursue it for a career. Unlike a lot of kids, I always loved helping my mom and dad do yard work. Everything from mowing the grass to helping pick out plants for our flowerbeds every spring made me feel like I helped create something beautiful for everyone to enjoy. So when I saw the job for GreenThumb Nursery, I couldn’t get my application in fast enough!”

Most applicants forget about the HOW and instead concentrate on what questions to ask during the interview. Focus on your body language and learn how to make a good impression with it to ace your interview! You may stand out from the competition by using hand movements, eye contact, and passion.

One of the most common errors candidates make in an interview is hiding their individual contributions. They do so by answering questions with phrases like, "we came together to address the problem and then we came up with a solution." Although this might seem like the right response, it will leave the hiring team thinking "but what did you do?" Instead, describe the situation from your perspective and highlight your individual contribution. "I worked with my team to brainstorm potential solutions and then I created proposals for each solution."

The top tip I give job seekers preparing for an interview is to prepare a Career SWOT Analysis. Like a traditional SWOT analysis, you will be addressing your internal strengths and weaknesses and the external environment’s opportunities and threats. While you likely have a library of strengths, now is your chance to cherry-pick those most applicable to this opportunity! The knowledge you gather while noting the opportunities and threats to the company shows the interviewer your interest in the industry and the problems they face.

Your pre-interview research isn’t only for collecting facts about the company. It’s also an ideal time to do a gut check on how well the company’s culture aligns with your work style, beliefs, and values. Ask yourself: Is this my kind of place? Are these my kind of people? If they are, your true-to-you responses and genuine interest in the company will shine through during your interview. Ignore any advice to “fit in just to get in.” Be yourself, and look for work where you will be welcomed.

My top interview tip for job seekers is to understand their value. The ability to demonstrate healthy self-confidence is vital to the success of their career-search campaign. It also aids in presenting relevant accomplishments and potential contributions in a compelling manner. Finally, when job seekers know their value, it’s empowering, it fuels confidence, and it's key to negotiating a desired salary.

Before you start to construct your "answers" read the ENTIRE job posting, job description, and research the company itself. Too often candidates come into an interview, prepped with generic answers, ready to "talk about themselves". They end up losing critical interview marks. Think of your interview as a business transaction. The company is trying to determine if you are their best ROI (return on investment). You need to demonstrate not only what you know, and what experience you have, BUT ALSO how it links up with the job you are applying for and the company's strategic goals. In other words- Prove To Them they should choose you...prove you are their best investment for THIS particular job.

If you conclude an answer with something like "I made a new process that everyone enjoyed and it had a great positive impact"… if I'm sitting there as an interviewer, I'm skeptical. Technically, you gave me the outcome, you did your part - why would I be skeptical? Anyone can say "it had impact", unfortunately that's an empty statement. Don't tell me it had impact, show me with data. Not only "it grew by x percent", but grew from what to what? Sometimes finding that data is hard, or you may realize you could have measured it more carefully, that's okay, think about how many people it impacted, about feedback it received (but be specific on the feedback past just "people liked it"), recognition you got, etc. Don't leave any doubt in that interviewers mind. Don't just tell your story - show them that you bring real impact to the table and know that being able to speak to those points will show your potential employer that you know what matters for the bottom line.