This week I did a mock interview with a young woman who I have no doubt will be hugely successful in life.
She was smart, she was prepared and she was pushing herself to learn new things. She will go far.
But there were a few things that would have held her back during interviews, ultimately limiting her ability to progress in her early career. I knew we needed to fix them so she could shine and land the role of her dreams.
And in the spirit of learning from one another, I am sharing her list of improvements so you can incorporate them into your interview prep, as well.
You're busy, and sometimes things just don't go your way. Your computer craps out, Zoom won't open or you get lost on the way to the interview.
But when it comes to jobs, it just doesn't matter to the person on the other end.
You need to show up on time.
My client came one minute late. Which in the real world is not a huge deal. But during an interview, the last thing you want to do is leave the hiring manager waiting.
So test your equipment the night before. Then sign on 10 minutes early or plan to arrive at the interview 15 minutes early.
There is just no need to rattle your nerves further by being late or battling an unnecessary tech issue.
My client admitted she didn't enjoy looking at herself when she was responding, so on my end it looked like she was looking off screen almost the whole time.
But this means you are literally wasting a huge opportunity to connect on a non-verbal level with your interviewer.
You need to MAKE EYE CONTACT. Yes, even virtually.
Practice with a friend (or me). Call them from your computer and make sure they feel like you are looking at them while you speak. If you aren't, move your camera until you do.
And if you are interviewing in person, prioritize eye contact with the interviewer (or at least fake it by looking just below the camera). This builds a bond that cannot be replaced with any other channel.
Perfectionism is not your weakness. And even if it is, you cannot use this as your answer.
As soon as an interviewer hears this word, they immediately stop listening. It's overused and it doesn't accomplish what you think it does.
Instead, pick a real but irrelevant weakness (public speaking is mine).
Then describe exactly what you are doing to improve it.
"I'm practicing with AI tools and going to Toast Masters to improve my public speaking skills and I feel so much more comfortable getting in front of a crowd."
Whatever your weakness is, spend 10 percent of your answer stating the weakness then 90% talking about how you are fixing it.
Everyone has one: twirling your hair, saying ummmm, ending every answer with, 'yeah, soooo.'
Sometimes we have no idea what our tick is, but you need to figure it out. Once you are aware of it, you can start catching yourself and ultimately phase it out.
Record yourself practicing your answers or practice with a trusted person who will point out your tick and help you overcome it.
It is OK not to be perfect during interviews. Don't sweat it if an umm slips out. But with practice, there will be far fewer during your time with the hiring manager and won't become a distraction.
My client created a really cool CRM tool within Excel simply to teach herself coding within the platform. This is exactly the type of stuff hiring managers want to hear about.
But when I asked her more about it, she stumbled a bit. She had a great story to tell, she just hadn't practiced it yet.
Practice talking about your accomplishments and stories. Tell anyone who will listen. Tell ChatGPT (use dictate mode).
When you are comfortable telling your story (think of it like muscle memory), it will be easier to sculpt it to align with each role you interview for.
And that will be super impressive to any hiring manager you come across.
This young woman was really impressive from the get. But with these tweaks, I have no doubt she will be landing her dream role in no time.
Schedule a mock interview with me and we will work together to uncover anything holding you back. Schedule time here.
Most of all, trust yourself.
💜 Brianne
You don't have to figure out the awkward conversations and reading between the lines on your own. Here are three ways I can help!
1. Free Resources
Networking Rubric: start with the people you already know and who WANT to help you...+ a rating system so you know who to reach out to first.
Life Resume Template: go from, 'I don't have enough experience,' to stories that get you hired.
2. 20 Interview Frameworks
The Interview Q&A Framework Guide walks you through exactly how to answer the questions that trip up most candidates. This is the tool people come back to before every interview.
3. Mock Interview to Build Confidence
If you want feedback on your actual answers and communication skills, book a mock interview session. We'll run through real questions, and I'll tell you what's working and what's costing you the offer.