My name is Adina Solomon, and I’m the founder of Relevant Resume. I’ve been writing resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles since 2018. In addition, I do interview coaching. I also worked as a journalist.
I once tried to calculate how many people I’ve interviewed as a reporter and as a resume writer. I conducted my first interview 16 years ago. Since then, I’ve spoken with thousands of people on everything from subway systems to their career to weddings. I really enjoy talking with a new person. I take it as a chance to learn more.
While reporting is about parsing and publishing data, job interviews have a different objective for the interviewer: Find out whether a candidate is the best fit for a position. The goals are different, but both interview types focus on gathering new information.
I want to go over 4 tips for your job interview. That way when the time comes, you will be able to relax and show off your qualifications.
1. Look up the company and interviewer
A friend who was job searching once told me that they interviewed for the wrong position.
It’s an easy mistake to make. You apply to dozens or hundreds of jobs, someone calls you for an interview, and you quickly look over the job post beforehand. My friend did that too quickly and thought that they were interviewing for Job A when they really were interviewing for Job B. I’m not sure when they finally figured out the error.
You can avoid these types of mistakes by thoroughly preparing for your job interview. Set aside 15-20 minutes to make sure you have the correct job listing and research the company. Look up their social media as well as any news articles about them. I like to google the company name or the name of the interviewer and then look them up in the news tab on Google. (For example, here’s what happens when I google news my own name.) That way, you can sort news items by most recent and see what the company or person has been up to. Also look up the interviewer’s LinkedIn profile.
While you’re at it, google your own name and look up your social media. Interviewers often do that, so you want to be familiar with what they might see.
2. Practice interviewing
Since so many companies use AI-driven ATS, it’s important to write a resume that takes that into account. This is especially helpful if you feel shaky on your interviewing skills. Take some time to rehearse interviewing, either with a friend, in front of a mirror, or with a professional. Wear clothes that you would put on for an interview. No pajamas.
You can likely guess a lot of the questions that would come up in an interview:
Tell me about yourself.
Why do you want to work here?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
What’s a challenge that you faced at work? How did you deal with it?
What’s an example of a time you demonstrated XYZ skill?
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Have a collection of examples and stories to pull from that could be applied to different questions. Perhaps you completed a large project at your previous job. You can use that to talk about managing conflicts and challenges at work, demonstrating a specific skill, or even telling the interviewer about yourself and your accomplishments.
In addition, take a look at the job description to see if there are any specific skills or experiences the interviewer could ask about. There might also be questions based on your industry. I know when I interviewed for journalist jobs, I was often asked how I would make sure to meet deadlines and handle pressure.
Once you’ve done a few interviews, you’ll likely get used to it and won’t need to practice as much anymore. But if you’re just starting your job hunt, practicing is a crucial step.
3. Pay attention to your presentation
This goes beyond the clothes you wear. Make sure your nonverbal communication is polished.
Make eye contact with the interviewer. 68% of employers say lack of eye contact is the most common non-verbal mistake. When someone looks away from us while speaking, we automatically think they doubt their own words or are hiding something. Eye contact is difficult for many people, especially those who are neurodivergent. Like any skill, it can improve with practice.
There are other ways to manage our nonverbal communication. Try not to nod too much, and don’t fidget your legs or feet. It’s also important to remember your facial expressions. Are you showing enthusiasm? Eagerness? Boredom? Disinterest? Be aware of what emotions you’re communicating to the interviewer.
Watch out for these nonverbal cues during your practice interviews. If you manage your body language, you will appear more confident and the interview will likely go better.
Also take a look at your background for video interviews. Make sure it’s clean with art on the wall if possible. Interviewers don’t want to see laundry or clutter.
4. Have questions ready for the interviewer
Virtually every job interview you’ll ever have will end with this: Do you have any questions for me?
When I did my first internship interviews in college, I always said no. I didn’t want to take up any more of the interviewer’s time. But I realized later that that was a mistake.
Interviews are all about gathering information. For much of a job interview, the hiring manager is learning about you and your qualifications. This question portion is your chance to learn more about them, the job, and the company. It shows the interviewer that you’re a curious person who is interested in the job.
Always have questions prepared. Always. Some of my favorites are:
What are some mistakes new employees make so I can avoid them?
Why is this position vacant?
What’s something you wish you knew before you started here?
What is the company culture like?
What do you like about working here?
Is there anything about my background or skills that I can clarify for you?
You may also have some other questions based on the specific role or company. But whatever you do, don’t answer no when they ask if you have questions.
These tips will make you more prepared and self-assured as you navigate job interviews. If you want more specific feedback about your interviewing skills, you can book a coaching session.