Congratulations! You’ve just landed an interview for a position you really want… although now comes the hard part. Generally considered to be the most daunting stage of the entire job hunt, the interview experience can be overwhelming, nerve-wracking and wholly unpleasant, quite frankly, especially if you haven’t put the preparation and practice in.
Lucky for you, we’ve narrowed down the top three things you need to do to stand out in any job interview. You can thank us later when you get the gig.
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail
You’d be surprised at just how many people fall at the first hurdle by not even bothering to look at the company website ahead of time. Amateurs.
It’s actually one of the most common reasons candidates are rejected—because they have little or no knowledge of the company they want to work for. Before you do anything else, do your research.
Look at the organisation’s website and social media presence and get to know its history, customer base, mission, vision, and other aspects of the business. Even better, take note of the items that really resonate with you and your experiences, and cleverly weave them into the conversation.
Tell them a story about yourself
Really standing out from the candidate crowd takes more than prep work and practice. If you want to get hired, you need to craft your narrative and tell a convincing story about why you’re the perfect person for the role.
When the interviewer says “So, tell me about yourself…” don’t rattle off what’s on your resume—rest assured they’ve already read it. Instead, use this as an opportunity to tell them who you are, what you value, and how both things align with the larger mission of the team or organisation.
Personal narratives are a powerful way to capture the attention of any audience and ensure you’re remembered for all the right reasons.
Ask thoughtful questions
“So, do you have any questions for me?”
You’ve reached the pointy end in a job interview where the interviewer is done with their questions and is now turning the table on you—this is when you don’t want to be caught off guard but instead, shine. It’s important to have a plan for how you’ll respond, and a list of questions specific to that opportunity.
Here are some good examples that you can personalise.
- What are your expectations for me in this role?
- What’s the most important thing I should accomplish in the first 90 days?
- What are the biggest challenges that I might face in this position?
- Can you tell me about the team I’ll be working with?
- What metrics or goals will my performance be evaluated against?
Now that you’re interview-ready, here are three great roles to apply for now.
Mid-Level Software Engineer (Remote), Roomex, Dublin, London, Berlin
Roomex is on a mission to build the leading platform for businesses to book, manage, and pay for all their workforce travel. You’ll be working as a Mid-Level Software Engineer, as part of the Roomex engineering team, on a product used by thousands of companies worldwide. You’ll work on exciting customer impacting challenges and get the opportunity to gain state of the art skills in a fast-paced startup environment. You’re the sort of person who is passionate about building, learning, and refining code/projects. You are a creator and problem solver, who sees what others don’t. And you enjoy being both a team player and working independently. If this sounds like the job for you, then you can read all about it here.
Data Analyst, Octopus Energy, Brighton
Help Octopus Energy make a big green dent in the universe. It’s on a mission to drive the global renewable energy revolution, and it needs more people to help turn its vision into a reality. Octopus Energy is looking for a highly organised Data Analyst with excellent analytical skills to join its growing team in Brighton. The focus of the role is to own the creation and development of reporting, providing insight to enable informed decisions, helping to enable engineers to deliver the excellent level of customer experience Octopus Energy expects. Sound right up your ally? You can apply here.
Internal Audit Manager, HelloFresh, Berlin
HelloFresh wants to change the way people eat forever. Over the past 10 years, it has seen its mission spread around the world and beyond its wildest dreams. Now, it’s a global food solutions group and the world’s leading meal kit company, active in 18 countries across three continents. It’s now looking for an Internal Audit Manager to join the Global Internal Audit Team to support the Head of Internal Audit, Audit Committee, and Board of Directors and executives. As part of your responsibilities as an Audit Manager, you will plan, execute, report and follow-up on audits to assess internal controls, reporting systems, and compliance processes. If your interest in this role is piqued, you can find more information here.