Research the Team and Company

One of the most common questions that hiring managers or recruiters will ask is “Why do you want to work for our Company?”

Generic answers do not do so well with this. It is incredibly important for you to be able to answer this specifically to stand out. A hiring manager wants to know what about the company specifically that makes you drawn to the role.

Saying “I need a job” is not going to work in most cases, so you’ll need to really pinpoint exactly what you can say that is still authentic and genuine. If you’re not loving the company, you may not enjoy the work you do and ultimately want to leave – most hiring managers want to employ someone who is going to stay with them long-term, so let’s show them you are.

When you do research the company, be sure to read their mission, values, and look up any articles that have been published about them more recently so you can speak to it when appropriate.

By showing that you’ve done research on the company, you are showing passion, research, and initiative. It’s a great way to leave a positive impression so make you get this done!

Prep Your Mindset

If you’re not feeling confident about yourself, you may not be able to answer questions coherently or confidently and could be detrimental to your interview.

Prepping your mindset can help you be more confident and clear-minded when you have your interview. If possible, try to schedule your interview in the morning or whenever you feel like you are most attentive and clear-headed.

Try looking in the mirror and telling yourself mantras like “you deserve this job” or “you are qualified for this role” or “you got this”. The mind can be powerful and it is so important for you to believe in yourself to help you thoughtfully speak to your skills and experience during an interview.

Practice Answering Questions

I’m a huge advocate for mock interviews (and if you’re interested, you can get one with me by clicking here).

If you don’t have the ability to do a mock interview, you can always practice answering questions yourself. This will help you figure out the main points to cover and even review and check yourself to see if what you are answering is relevant and specific.

The more you practice your answers, the more you can think more clearly during interviews. It is also very helpful to try to anticipate what questions will be asked so that way you can respond more immediately to a question. You only have a limited amount of time with the interviewer so it is important to be able to respond to a question pretty quickly and make sure you’ve delivered a strong response. Going over tons of questions and practicing your responses can truly help with your interviews.

Wear Professional Attire

I know how comfortable pajamas are, but PLEASE try to wear professional attire.

Making a good impression is so important and dressing professionally during an interview is one way to do that. You can definitely make the wrong impression to some people if you show up and you are wearing your PJs.

Treat this interview as if you are meeting in-person even though it is virtual. Dressing professionally shows that you respect the interviewer’s time and attention, so make sure you dress appropriately!

Test Your Technology

Knowing how to work a webcam and a mic is now something that most people should know how to do. It’s imperative that you test your technology the day before, so your interview goes smooth

Every hiring manager is different and there may be interviewers that might be more understanding than others, but that might not be the case every time.

Having your technology set and ready for an interview shows that you have been prepared and took the time to ensure that things goes smoothly on your end.

Ensuring that your technology is working properly can eliminate this as one of the reasons that you may not move forward in the process.

Hop on 5 Minutes Prior

The last impression you want to make is that you do not show up.

I cannot stress how important it is to show up early because showing up early means you showed up on time! Also, when you show up early – your interviewer gets a notification that you entered the virtual meeting and that’s always a great way to give a positive impression.

By hopping on earlier also gives you time to double-check your technology and take a deep breath right before your interview! You got this!