Are you about to go for a job interview? Many people that I used to work with are going through the job interview process now. They haven’t had to interview for years and have some anxiety about the process as you might expect. Here are some tips that I would share with anyone going through the interview experience.
The first thing to do is to get to know yourself. What are your values, strengths, opportunities and accomplishments? You will be questioned in phone screenings and successive interviews about who you are, what do you stand for, why do you want the job and what can you do for the new company. An interviewer is looking to see if you are a good fit for their culture, that you have experience doing what is required and that you can perform effectively in this new role quickly.
The experience of an interview is to ensure that both parties agree that the role is a good fit for the interviewee. The interviewee needs to proactively prepare for this conversation if they really want it to go well. Here are some suggestions for that preparation. Review the job description and what the employer is looking for a person in this role to do. Can you share examples that demonstrate where you accomplished these types of experiences? What will you say if they ask you something on the list and you don’t any experience in that? Write some bullet points out so you can have them in your head and be able to succinctly share them in the interview. You may also want to bring examples of what you did that would show that you have done this before if it makes sense.
The goal is to be confident about who you are, what you have done and to demonstrate this through your answers in a high-pressure interview. There may be multiple interviews or a panel of interviewers that you have to face all at one time. The more prepared you are the less anxiety you will feel. This will help you show up as a confident person who is the right fit for the role. Put yourself in their shoes and think about what they could ask you. Go through mock interviews with friends or videotape your responses to see how you are coming across. What needs to change? How can you answer the tough questions that you may get? Do you want the job now that you know more about it?
The next step is the negotiation process for salary, bonus, vacation, signing bonus and potentially stock options. This can be stressful for anyone who hasn’t been through it before. However, the research shows that many women do not generally negotiate salaries and just take what is offered. You need to negotiate! Do not take the first offer that you are given. I can’t stress this enough to you. This is your one chance to ask for more money or other perks and get what you are worth. (I will get off my soap box now!) Here is an article that gives some great examples of how to do this in the right way Top Salary Negotiation Strategies.
Now that you have the job, you need to prepare your 30-60-90 day plan. There are some basic things that you need to do like setting up meetings with direct reports, peers, clients, key stakeholders and vendors. Reviewing the goals and strategies of your organization is another example. Share your initial thinking with your manager and ask for input into your plan so that it is aligned and you can be successful as you execute in your new role.
