Tag Archives: Interviewing tips

How to Connect With an Interviewer

When preparing for an interview, it is very easy to get mired down in the details of the process: research, preparing answers, developing a list of references, etc. Given all of the advanced preparation needed for an interview, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that at the end of the day, interviewers will be drawn to the candidates that they genuinely like. That means that you have to be able to make a connection with each interviewer. This can be easy when you are sitting across from an open, friendly hiring manager, but it can be difficult when you’re sitting face to face with a serious interviewer, or a hiring manager that might be having a bad day at work.

So how can you make a connection with an interviewer, no matter what their personality or demeanor? You can’t expect to click with every hiring manager you meet, but these tips can help you develop rapport with most interviewers you encounter in your job search.

Remember That First Impressions Matter

We are taught at a young age not to make snap judgments about people, but it is human nature to make assumptions about new people within the first few seconds of meeting them. Hiring managers are no exception.

Be sure that you are dressed professionally, regardless of the company’s dress code. Style your hair neatly, and keep jewelry to a minimum. Smile warmly, make good eye contact, and be sure to extend your hand for a firm and welcoming handshake.

Learn the Art of Mirroring

Mirroring, the conversational art of imitating the behaviors of the person you are talking to, is an excellent strategy for making a connection with an interviewer. So, if you are faced with a high-energy interviewer who smiles and laughs frequently, match your energy level to hers. However, if the interviewer is serious and no-nonsense, tone your energy level down.

Mirroring is a solid strategy for the early stages of your interview. As you relax and get into the conversations, allow your own personality to shine through. It’s important to be yourself so that you and the interviewer can determine whether or not you are a cultural match for the organization.

Don’t Save Questions Until the End

Interviews can be stressful for a number of reasons, but at their core, these conversations are unlike any that you have in real life. A regular conversation flows freely, with questions, replies, comments, etc. If you want to create a more natural feel for the interview and develop a connection with the interviewer, don’t wait until the end to ask your questions. Instead, ask them naturally, as they arise.

For example, if your interviewer asks where you see yourself in five years, and you lay out your desired career path, follow up your answer by asking about the company’s internal career and leadership development opportunities. Asking questions throughout the natural course of the interview will help establish rapport, and can lead to some interesting exchanges with the hiring manager.

If you are on the hunt for new and exciting opportunities to grow your career, contact The Prevalent Group today. As a nationally recognized management and executive placement and recruitment agency based in Northern Illinois, we work with experienced managers and executives in sales, marketing, engineering, technology and more. We match our talent with opportunities that can help them rise to new challenges, and we will work closely with you to help you perfect your interviewing skills to make a lasting, positive impression on hiring managers.

4 Soft Skills to Remember in An Interview

During the course of a job interview, you’re probably focused on demonstrating your skills and experience. However, your skills and experience alone will not land you the job. Cultural fit is more important than ever before, as employers are starting to understand that they can retain candidates longer if their work style and personalities are a strong fit. While each company culture is unique, there are some universal soft skills that most every employer looks for throughout the hiring process. Therefore, it will be important to remember these soft skills in your next interview:

A Strong Work Ethic

As you answer questions, be sure to include examples of ways in which you go the extra mile to reach your goals and help your team succeed. Many hiring managers look at past performance as an indicator of future results. Be specific. Have stories on hand that showcase the ways you consistently go above and beyond, and be sure to explain your motivations for doing so.

A Positive Attitude

Showcase examples of times that you helped to boost team morale. Was a project in danger of coming in late or over budget? Was your team faced with a string of 12 hour days, extreme pressure, and poor results? What did you do to keep everyone on task and focused on improving the end result? It is also important to demonstrate a positive attitude at all times, even under pressure. Be aware that if you are naturally laid-back, it might come across as disinterest in an interview. Try to be upbeat to show the hiring manager that even under pressure, you keep your spirits high.

Time Management

Ever since The Great Recession, employees have been asked to do more with less. There seems to always be too much to do, and not enough time to get it done. Be ready so show examples of the ways in which you prioritize tasks, delegate to others, and make sure that your most important projects are always completed on time.

Confidence and Self-Assuredness

Nowhere is confidence more important than an interview. If you can walk into a room of strangers and sell yourself without appearing nervous or stressed out, it shows that you handle yourself well under pressure. Be sure that your confidence doesn’t come off as arrogance, however. You show confidence in the way you dress, your eye contact, what you do with your hands, how succinctly you answer questions, and whether or not you appear prepared for the interview. At the close of the interview, be sure to express your continued interest in the position, and ask the interviewer when you can expect to hear back from them.

If you are a professional in sales, marketing, engineering, IT or operations looking for new career opportunities, contact The Prevalent Group today. Our team of executive recruiters can help match you with a position that aligns with your long-term career goals, and we can work with you to help perfect your interviewing skills to ensure that you are putting your best foot forward at all times.

Tell Me About Yourself: How to Develop an Elevator Pitch

Many interviews open with the same question, “Tell me about yourself.” Many interviewees see this as an invitation to tell their personal life story, but this is not what hiring managers want to hear. “Tell me about yourself,” is an invitation to provide an overview of your career background, your achievements, and where you see yourself in the future. The answer to this question is often a great place to utilize your elevator pitch.

What is an Elevator Pitch?

Elevator pitches are named for a challenge: How would you express your value as an employee if you found yourself on an elevator with your dream employer and you had to describe yourself to that person in the time it took you to reach your floor?

Your elevator pitch should be concise, illustrating who you are and how you can help the listener. It is a sales pitch about yourself that you deliver verbally, which means it takes focus and practice in order to deliver it with confidence. To be effective, an elevator pitch should be compelling and memorable, and it should clearly illustrate your value to the employer.

How to Create Your Elevator Pitch

Developing an effective elevator pitch takes some time. Though it is short, it carries a lot of weight, and determines the tone of the rest of the interview. Here are some tips to help you craft a compelling elevator pitch:

Set aside time to sit down and create a career inventory.

Write down the things you would want potential employers to know about your skills, achievements, and relevant experience.
Edit, edit, edit.

Once you’ve got a nice, long list written down, it’s time to edit. Delete anything that is not absolutely critical to your elevator pitch. You want to be left with just a few bullet points. Remember, the elevator pitch is not your life or career story, it is more of a highlight reel of your “top hits” that should leave the interviewer wanting to learn more about you.
Format the pitch.

Now that you’ve got a list to work with, you can begin to craft your pitch. A solid elevator pitch will answer the questions: Who are you? What do you do well? What are you looking for from your career?
Tailor your pitch to your audience.

Remember that you are giving a sales pitch, and the listener only wants to know what’s in it for them. Therefore, the message should focus on your benefits as an employee. Instead of saying, “I am an HR professional with 12 years of experience in the finance industry,” it would be much more powerful to say, “I am an HR professional with a track record in successfully recruiting top-level management.”
Practice, practice, practice.

After you’ve got a solid draft in place, practice your pitch out loud with friends, family, or your professional recruiter. They can help you make any edits that might be necessary, and the more you practice delivering your pitch, the more confident you will be in your delivery.

Professional recruiters can be an invaluable resource when it comes to perfecting your elevator pitch and your entire interviewing technique. If you are a professional in engineering, information technology, operations, sales, or marketing, and you are looking for new and exciting career opportunities, contact The Prevalent Group today. We are a nationally recognized management and executive placement and recruitment agency that works with innovative organizations in northern Illinois and beyond. We can help you locate job opportunities that align with your long-term personal and professional goals.

5 Soft Skills To Remember In An Interview

More and more, employers are putting an emphasis on hiring candidates with the right soft skills to be successful. It will be important, however, to remember to showcase those soft skills in your interview.

Here are some of the common soft skills that employers are looking for and some helpful tips on how to convey those skills to your interviewer.

Presenting Yourself as a Professional

Like it or not, an interviewer will make a snap judgment about you within the first few moments of meeting you. This is just human nature. Be sure to show that you are a consummate professional by dressing the part. Look professional, and don’t load on the perfume or cologne. Stand and sit with good posture, watch your hand gestures and tone of voice. Use a firm, but not overbearing handshake, look your interviewer in the eye, and smile genuinely. Try to make a connection quickly with some small talk, even if it’s just about the weather. Projecting a professional image shows that you care about yourself, your work, and the way people see you.

Preparation

If you’re unprepared for an interview, the hiring manager will assume that you’ll be unprepared for your job. Be sure to do your homework and learn everything you can about the company: its history, its current focus, its mission and vision, and other relevant facts. Go over the job posting and description one more time, and review any correspondence you’ve had thus far with the hiring manager. A little bit of preparation can help make a big statement about your work ethic.

Personality

Employers want to hire friendly, positive, high-energy people. If you are nervous or naturally reserved, you’ll have to work to overcome this. Good preparation and interview practice can help build your confidence. If need be, do what professional athletes do before a game and listen to music that will pump you up and get positive feelings flowing. Show true passion for your profession and your career. If you really love what you do, your interviewer will be able to pick up on it quickly.

Willingness to Learn and Grow With the Company

Interviewers know that there is no such thing as a perfect candidate. Not everybody will have all of the skills and requirements they are looking for. They will overlook some of those shortcomings if a candidate shows a real willingness to learn and develop on the job. Showcase the ways and times in which you conducted your own development, and have stories ready that illustrate your willingness to learn new skills.

Flexibility

Job duties and requirements can change quickly, especially in technical fields. You may want to focus on one project, but circumstances may draw you to another. Employers want people who will be able to accept change and adapt quickly. Be sure to have examples ready that show times when you had to remain flexible on the job.

If you are an information technology professional or engineer seeking new opportunities for career growth in Northern Illinois, contact The Prevalent Group today. Our recruiters can connect you with tech jobs in northern Illinois that align with your skills and qualifications, and we can work with you to help you develop your interviewing style to ensure your soft skills shine through.