10 Tips to Nail Your Next Job Interview
From the perspective of an AltAc PhD
Your resume gets you the interview. But your interview will get you the job.
I’ve done four dedicated efforts to job seeking in the last three years, including my first post-PhD round when I landed my first job. The table below shows a summary of metrics for each round with number of applications, interviews (by organization, not absolute number), and number of offers. I also added some context as I have little experience in the big tech market where many PhDs explore (I’m staying the higher ed and non-profit space for the foreseeable future).
Job interviewing can be stressful and time consuming, so you want to make sure you’re doing the best job possible so that you can increase your success rate. Overtime, I’ve become more selective about where I apply and more successful when I do.
I’ve learned a lot about how to interview well from my own experience as an interviewee in 20+ interviews, but also as an interviewer at my last job. And I want to share what I’ve learned. So, here are my 10 tips for nailing your next job interview.
INTERVIEW PREP
Interviewing well depends on good prep work. You should not go into an interview planning to wing it or assume you don’t need to do your homework. It’s painfully obvious as an interviewer when the interviewee has jumped on a call having done little to no prep work. And I’ve never recommended such a person to be hired.
1- Outline Responses to Each Line on the Job Ad
The bulk of my prep work is creating a personal study guide to the job and my related experience. I take each bullet point from the job ad (usually the roles and responsibilities sections) and then write out a couple main points of experience that are directly related to the job responsibility – examples that demonstrate I know what I am doing and am qualified for the job.
The screenshot below is an example from my most recent interview study guide. The main bullet points are directly from the job ad, and the sub bullet points are my notes about my experience.
Two things to note here. First, I keep my bullet points short. I don’t recite these in the interview either. I do have this document open as a backup reference (as most interviews are video or phone), so the bullets need to be short in case you need to quickly scan for the information.
Second, look at the highlighted part. By doing this prep exercise, you can identify areas that you don’t have good experience in yet and, importantly, think through a good response if this topic is asked about. How do you plan to overcome this gap? Better to prep now than stumble later.
This document also contains an outline answer to the first question always asked: “Tell us about yourself.” And it contains information on the interviewers, company (see point 2), and questions to ask during the interview (see point 7).
I cannot emphasize how important this document is to my interview experience. By creating your own personal study guide on you and your experience, you will be less likely to freeze during an interview or fumble responses, and you will be able to clearly and confidently answer questions related to the job itself.
2- Do Your Research about the Company
The internet is full of information. If you can’t bother to spend 10 minutes combing the company website at least, why are you wasting everyone’s time? Before an interview you should know well what the company does, what questions about it you have, and be familiar with its advertised products, services, and offerings.
It’s obvious when a candidate hasn’t done basic research. Not doing the bare minimum not only makes you look bad as an interviewee but also puts you at a disadvantage when it’s your turn to ask questions since you have little of substance to draw on.
3- Do Your Research about the Interviewers and the Interview
Most interview invitations include who you will be talking to during the interview. And if it doesn’t, you should email the person of contact and ask (this is 100% okay to do!). You should then do your research (hello LinkedIn!). Who are they? What is their role? Would they be a peer or manager? Are they directly related to your role or more distal? You won’t find perfect information, but it will help you target your questions to them more precisely, and be more prepared.
You should also know what the format of the interview is and who you are talking to. My first round on the job market I entered a zoom call to a panel style interview. I was expecting one person. I got flustered and didn’t do well (and didn’t move on to the next round). Remember, you can email the person you’re in contact with about who will be in the interview and what kind of format it will be. This isn’t private information. You just need to ask!
4- Align Your Online Presence
If you have an online social media presence and/or website, make sure they present a cohesive professional picture before doing a job search push. Recruiters and managers will look you up, first on LinkedIn, then online more broadly. The goal is for your online presence to align with your application materials to bolster your candidacy, not confuse it.
You’ll want to ensure that your online presence consistently shows “who you are”. The best way to do this is to make your social media bios and headlines consistent. For LinkedIn, specifically, make sure your ‘about me’ section aligns with your ‘about’ summary on your resume. Make sure your job experience on LinkedIn aligns with your resume. If you have a website, make sure it’s updated with relevant content (every hiring manager I’ve been offered a job from has noted going to my website).
If you have personal social media (e.g., Instagram) that you don’t want people finding, make sure you make them private during the search, or permanently.
THE INTERVIEW
The main event. After your prep work, you need to execute well. Admittedly, practice makes improvement. My heart rate still accelerates in the minute before the zoom connects, and overtime nerves will tend to decrease. But these tips will help you execute better.
5- Have a Good Space
Most interviews are video interviews or phone calls (be sure to know which one so you’re dressed properly!). The basics all apply here, such as finding as quiet a space as possible, good lighting, professional background, and good camera angle. It’s important that you’re comfortable and that your space looks professional.
6- Answer Clearly and Concisely in Structured Interviews
Most companies and organizations will put you through at least one structured interview. Usually this is the first or second interview whereby the interviewers (usually there is more than one) will ask the same set of questions to all candidates, then leave time at the end for you, the interviewee, to ask questions. Typically, these interviews are 30-45 minutes.
My biggest pro-tip here both from the perspective of the interviewee and the interviewer: Don’t drag on, and on, and on for minutes on end. You should instead have a clear and concise answer that’s tops two minutes long.
Think about a 30-minute interview. Most interviews start a minute or two late. There are a couple minutes of pleasantries and explaining the interview. We’re five minutes in. Then there will be about five questions (in my experience). Let’s say 3 minutes total for asking and answering. That’s another 15 minutes. As an interviewer you maybe 5-10 minutes to ask 2-3 questions at the end. If you blow over by droning on for every question asked to you, you now have no time for questions and have annoyed the interviewers because they didn’t get through the interview.
From your perspective as the interviewee, clear and concise answers are more memorable, they allow for easier follow up questions from the interviewers, and it leaves you ample time to ask questions (which is another opportunity to make you more memorable and stand out).
From the interviewer’s perspective, if you drag on in your answers, you run the risk of them being annoyed because they didn’t get through the process, and you run the risk of coming off as unorganized, unclear, unmemorable – or all three.
By dragging on, your impression will almost always be more negative than if you give clear and concise answers with ample time to ask amazing questions (see point 7).
Note: in later, unstructured interviews feel free to relax and have a real, unstructured conversation with the interviewer – your potential colleague. Structured interviews are designed to get an overall view of your fit to the role and give an equal opportunity for all candidates.
7- Ask Amazing Questions During Your Interview.
Don’t sleep on this! Amazing questions are what make you stand out from other candidates.
Time for questions at the end of interviews aren’t there just to fill time. They are your opportunity to interview the interviewers and find out information that is important for you to determine if you want the job.
You should be asking questions about how your role interfaces with other roles and departments. Work-life balance. Working with your manager or direct reports. Process, collaboration, and tools, job expectations, necessary accommodations, and anything else that is important to you in a job.
Don’t know where to start? Steal some of my interview questions!
What are the biggest challenges facing {organization/company}?
What are the biggest challenges the incoming {role you’re applying for} will be facing in this role?
What are the performance expectations for this role in the first 6 months?
When you say {goal of role from job ad}, what do you envision that to look like in the next year or so?
What is the primary business objective you’d like to meet in the next year? {goal you’ve deduced from your company research} seems like the main target but I’d love to hear more about why this target.
Can you tell me more about how leadership collaborates on new initiatives and organizational development?
Where do you envision {organization/company/team} being in the next five years?
Can you give me some examples of recent projects that I would be leading in this role?
Can you tell me more about {team} and how I would be working with them in this role?
What other departments or stakeholders would I be interacting with? What kinds of requests are most common in this role?
And my personal favorite: “Do you have any hesitations about my experience that I can address?”
I save this final question question for last (when there’s only a minute or two left), and for the hiring manager directly. This question has gone over extremely well in interviews where I’ve used it. It shows humility but most importantly allows you to shape the narrative of your limitations. Asking requires you to (1) be confident in your ability, (2) self-aware of your limitations, and (3) have a concise answer when they actually tell you their hesitations.
Most jobs have multiple interviews. Be sure to adjust questions based on where you are in the interview and who you are talking to. You can repeat questions to different people, or ask follow up questions based on a previous interview, for example, “In my conversation with Jon, he noted X and Y about the role. Can you expand on that or tell me more about how I will Z?”
8- Listen and Take Notes
In your interview prep document (see point 1), have a space for notes. Jot down people’s names and their roles, and any insights, questions, or thoughts you have immediately after the interview.
Careful listening and note taking can help you tailor questions in subsequent interviews, draw clear lines between your experience and the expressed needs of the hiring manager, and demonstrate familiarity by referring to people by name, or mentioning specific departments or teams.
Job ads are intentionally vague. Listening and taking notes throughout the process will ensure that you’re increasingly clear in your understanding of the job and in your articulation of your value add as a candidate as you move through the interview process.
9- Always Ask About Next Steps
During the winding down pleasantries be sure to ask about next steps explicitly: “It was great chatting with you today and learning more about the role. Can you tell me about the next steps for this interview process?”
Don’t think this is awkward – it’s incredibly common and they will have an answer. This can also help reduce your anxiety while you’re waiting to hear back from them. You don’t always have direct contact information for the hiring manager or the HR representative, so make sure you ask so you know what’s next.
MONEY TALKS
10- Salary Negotiation Tips
Salary is extraordinarily important, and negotiating well can set you up for success. Every role has a budget range even if it’s not in the job ad. Let me repeat: every role has a budget range. Your job is to figure out what it is if it’s not posted.
Salary negotiation can happen at a variety of points in the interview process, so you should know your target salary ask at the start, but be open to adjusting (up or down) based on new information learned throughout the process. You’ll want to do your homework online (e.g., through Indeed, LinkedIn, Fishbowl) and consider your education, experience, and unique value add to the role.
The general goal is to not be the first one to give a number. If they ask you “How much are you looking for?” turn the question around to them, “Can you tell me the range you have budgeted for this position?” And you can answer based on that.
Most roles are negotiable above the range, but some are not. Be prepared for both. Even if you want more than the range, tell them that. They will let you know if they can “see what they can do” (which is common — they are unlikely to give you a clear salary during the initial conversation) and come back with a counter, or will tell you it’s non-negotiable.
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Interviewing well is a skill developed overtime, but hopefully these learned tips will provide you will a good baseline to nail your next interview. Remember, though, that these tips are based on my own experiences, and may not perfectly apply to your unique job search context.
If you found this useful, check out my other blogs on career advice:
Some Advice for Social Science PhDs in their “Real World” (Research) Career (2021)
Five Differences Between Doing Research in Academia and Industry (2021)