Job Interview Tips From Career Coaches
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You can never be over-prepared for a job interview. Each one will be different and you'll never know exactly what is going to be asked. What you can do is study the job description, practice your answers aloud and listen to these tips from career coaches on the most commonly asked questions and how to stand out.
Richard McMunn is an interview expert with more than 910K followers on TikTok and more than 1.2M subscribers on Youtube on his channel CareerVidz. Here are his tips for the question that kicks off every interview, "Tell me about yourself."
- Talk about the strengths you have that will help you succeed.
- The type of environment you prefer to work in.
- One example of something of significance you have previously achieved (personal or professional).
- Your interests outside of work.
- What you will do in the role if they hire you.
Shadé Zahrai is an award winning peak-performance educator who has spoken for TEDx and written for Forbes. She has over 1M followers on TikTok and 540K followers on Instagram. She has even started a private Facebook group for women to gain career advice. Here are her tips on how to answer one of the most dreaded but important interview questions, "Why should we hire you?"
- Demonstrate understanding: mention something in the job description that is one of your strengths.
- Answer why you are a great fit: what skills and experience do you have that they are looking for, highlight something you did at a previous role.
- Why you are excited about the role.
Carlie Spencer is a career strategist and interview coach with 33K followers on TikTok. She started Strive for Success to help ambitious women and men reach their career goals. One of her largest pieces fo advice is to always practice behavioral interview questions. Here are some examples she thinks everyone should practice.
- Give me an example of an obstacle you faced in the workplace and what you did to overcome that obstacle.
- Tell me about a time you discovered an inefficiency within your department and what you did to improve that efficiency going forward.
Spencer also believes interview coaches offer a valuable personalized experience. "We set specific and focused goals, create a strategy to achieve those goals based on the person's strengths and weaknesses, and then we practice, practice, practice. Most people have never received tailored feedback on their job interview performance and presentation, which means they don't know what they are doing right or wrong."
Tani Moore is a career coach ad HR consultant with more than 55K followers on TikTok. She is the founder and cEO of TaniRock Group, LLC, which provides a variety of career coaching and training. Here are three "gutsy" questions to ask at the end of an interview.
- What are the biggest challenges I will face in the first 90 days and how will success be measured?
- I know the pandemic has caused unprecedented disruptions for many companies, how are you as a manager doing?
- Reflecting on your own experience, what have you seen the company do to promote diversity and inclusion?
J.T. O'Donnell is a career coach and the CEO of WorkItDaily.com. She has 1M followers on TikTok and more than 10K followers on Instagram. One thing she says you should always do is send a thank you note or email after a job interview. Here are her tips for thank you notes.
- Send it ASAP, same day if possible. It shows a sense of urgency and excitement.
- Only give thanks in the note and do not try to sell yourself again. You can mention something you found interesting and ask if there is anything else you can do.
- Add a P.S. link to something you discussed in the interview to show that you were engaged and are a team player who likes to contribute.
Good luck!
