You’ve landed an interview for the job you’ve always wanted – now you need to impress the hiring manager! If an excellent CV can help you take your first step, six executives explain the interview techniques that will allow you to stand out.
1. Show enthusiasm for the position
Bob Michael, chief data officer at UK furniture retailer DFS, says he’s looking for people who are enthusiastic about the job and likely to enjoy the job as much as he does. “You want people to be able to be motivated and interested, to say to themselves more than once, ‘I’m going to do this because it’s really, really interesting,'” he says.
Michael also believes that work-life balance is essential. Yes, he wants people who love their work, but he doesn’t want newcomers to live and breathe work every moment of the day. “I’m looking for someone enthusiastic who wants to work,” he explains. “Then, even if he doesn’t necessarily have all the skills or is not the best in this role, I will be ready to devote time to him so that he can excel.”
2. Show curiosity
Mary O’Callaghan, director of technology engagement at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), wants curious people at her charity. If someone comes up to me and says, “Oh, someone should do something about this,” I want their next words to be, “And I’m going to do something.” I don’t want people who think someone else should deal with the problems they’ve uncovered.
As well as being open to all possibilities, Ms O’Callaghan says people who apply to her organization must be motivated by its charitable cause, especially since BHF cannot compete with companies that pay far more. , such as financial services and large technology companies. “I look for attitudes rather than a specific experience,” she says. “We invest in training and development, which allows us to give you experience and skills. But it’s the attitude that you can only bring yourself.”
3. Be honest and open
Formula 1 commercial partnerships manager Zarah Al-Kudcy says she is looking for people who know their stuff and are honest about what they know and what they don’t know. “It’s not always the case, but it’s something I really appreciate, because it creates an atmosphere of trust,” she says.
Ms Al-Kudcy acknowledges that some people may find the idea of being completely honest in an interview a bit disturbing. “However, if you strike the right tone, you will get the job.”
“I think you can see when people aren’t engaged and their attitude is staged – maybe more than ever before. That’s what I’m watching for anyway,” says -She.
“We just hired several people, and the ones who were the most honest and open got the job. Authenticity is key. And if people don’t like that idea, it’s okay. is probably neither the place nor the job for them.
4. Demonstrate your ability to conceptualize
Rajeswari Koppala, senior DevOps manager at United Airlines, is looking for people who have the ability to grasp concepts rather than looking for a defined set of technical skills.
“If I ask you, it may be that you have worked with totally different technological tools from those that I know,” she explains. “In this case, interviews can get tricky, so I focus on the concepts rather than the tools. The tools may change, but the concepts stay the same.”
According to Koppala, people who demonstrate the right skills will be able to learn new technologies or new processes that come their way. And she adapts her interview questions to allow candidates to show their ability to understand new concepts.
“I try to understand the candidate’s resume and ask questions based on their background rather than my experience,” she explains.
“The focus on exploration and capabilities is really important in DevOps or platform engineering because what we know today will likely be outdated tomorrow.”
5. Be brave without being cunning
Stephen Wild, head of engineering for observability and automation at gambling company 888 William Hill, believes the attractive candidates have just the right amount of guts. “The best way to approach an interview is to be confident, but not overconfident,” he says. “If someone comes to us and tells us they have experience in a particular area, that’s often enough. They don’t have to be experts – we’ll train them in whatever they need” .
Mr Wild says he doesn’t like it at all when someone starts guessing – or worse, lying – during the interview: “I don’t want someone like that because they’re going to mistakes when she works with me.
He gives the example of a person he interviewed who had a fantastic CV. The candidate even showed himself to his advantage during a first 20-minute interview. But things quickly went sour when it came to getting to the technical part of the interview process. “You could see him googling the answers,” he says. “We could hear him typing on his keyboard. It was very tricky, especially when he was wrong, when he was using Google. It’s the worst way to approach an interview”.
6. Prove that you are balanced
Athina Kanioura, head of strategy and transformation at PepsiCo, says it’s nice to hear smart questions from candidates, especially when they’re focused on personal priorities. “Someone asked me what makes me happy at work,” she says. “The question was less about the work and the expectations associated with the job than about the individual satisfaction that we get from our workspace.”
According to Ms. Kanioura, today’s employees, especially younger ones, have a different perception of work in the post-Covid era. Savvy managers recognize this change in attitude and look for candidates who strive to be happy outside of the workplace. “People need to have other activities and other goals that they aspire to,” she says. “It’s good to know that you are talking to someone who is motivated in all areas of life and not just in their job.
Source: “ZDNet.com”