Interview Tips for Candidates

If you’re invited to an interview, you’re already one of the company’s top picks. But that fact doesn’t mean interviews aren’t stressful for candidates who, above all, want to make good impressions. The good news is that being prepared will both calm your nerves and prove you’re a strong fit for the position. Here are four tips to help you easily ace your interview.

Know Your Employer

You should never go to an interview with a one-size-fits-all attitude about employers. Instead, do your homework. Familiarize yourself with the company’s culture and the expectations of the company, and even read up on the backgrounds of your interviewers. To then prove that you know your stuff, relate questions asked to you to the company itself. For example, you could say, “I would love to work on similar deals to the one you brokered with China Everbright’s fund manager last year.”

Prepare Relevant Examples

Whenever possible, make sure that you have examples from previous positions to support your claims. For example, never tell your interviewers that you’re a “people person” without automatically offering an example of when you successfully worked with others. Don’t make your interviewers ask you for examples; simply offer them up when a question is asked. Further, make sure your examples are specific and unique to you. Providing unusual and compelling examples is a particularly good way to stand out from other candidates.

Ask Good Questions

Another way to impress an employer is by asking good questions. Before your interview, prepare questions you want to ask in the interview. Make sure these aren’t basic questions you could find by simply looking at the job description or the company’s homepage. Further, as you are interviewed, continue to think of questions that come up based on the interview questions asked of you. When you’re asked the ubiquitous, “Do you have any questions?” at the end of the interview, you never want to come up empty-handed.

Follow up with Your Gratitude

After the interview is over, express your gratitude to each one of the hiring committee members. Send a personal thank-you note – via email is fine – thanking them for their time. Briefly reiterate one element of the position that excited you, and describe one function of the position that excites you. Be concise, and, again, specific. Remember, you’re writing an email, not another cover letter.

At any point in your job hunt, you can face uncertainty and anxiety. Career Moves LLC can help you feel more prepared for interviews with our personalized career counseling. We’ve helped over 400 accounting and finance professionals find jobs that fit their goals and lifestyles, and we know we can help you, too.