The Busy Professional’s Handbook to Interview Prep

What do interviewers look for?

This question can seem like a “black box” to many job seekers. Certainly, employers look at your skills, experience, and personality “fit” with the rest of the team. But the number-one question on every hiring manager’s mind is: “How does hiring this person benefit our company?”

Save time and prepare more effectively by tailoring your interview prep to answer this question. Here’s how.

Know the company cold.

How do you learn best? Is it by reading, listening, conversing, or doing things?

Figure out the answer to this question; then tailor your research of the company to this method. Examine resources like the local library, the Internet, and conversations with your recruiter to learn everything you can about the company, its mission and values, its business goals, and its culture.

Know yourself cold.

Quick: What’s your greatest strength? Your greatest weakness? If you could change one thing about your former boss, what would it be – and what does that say about how you work?

Even the most well-read interviewee can get “thrown” by questions like these if he or she hasn’t thought through them. Make a list of your strengths and your favorite job tasks; likewise, make a list of your weaknesses and your least-liked job tasks. Also, list three of your biggest work accomplishments in the past year.

Create custom interview answers.

The hiring manager wants to know how hiring you will benefit the company. To answer this question, combine your knowledge of the company and your understanding of your own strengths, preferences, and work approach to prepare to answer common interview questions.

For example: The hiring manager might ask, “When have you failed recently, and what did you learn from it?” You can clearly remember having blown a major deadline on a recent project because you trusted your co-worker’s recitation of the deadline instead of double-checking with the client. You know that the company you’re interviewing with values customer service above all else. In your interview answer, focus on how you learned the importance of regular communication with the client in order to make the client feel part of the process.

Work with a recruiter.

Staffing firms do more than merely match job seekers with jobs. They also give job seekers an “inside view” of the companies they apply to and help them prepare to ace their interviews with those companies. Your recruiter can be your best ally when it comes to interviewing.

At Marquee Staffing, our recruiters can help you prepare to show off your best skills, abilities, and personality traits in interviews with great SoCal employers. Contact us today to learn more.

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