Interviewing
My biggest tips for interviewing are to prepare, stand out, and remember that YOU are interviewing THEM too!
I prepare by thinking through the typical interview questions (common ones and behavior-based interview questions since it seems everyone uses those now) and writing out my answer. I then read through them in the days leading up to the interview and practice responding (actually saying it out loud because it’s always different than in your head!). I try to think of several really good examples to reference for the behavior-based interview questions because I find those are always hard to think of quickly in the moment.
I try to always find a way to stand out in interviews – this can be something unique that I bring to the table that I reiterate throughout the interviewing process and the value that brings to the job/company, or maybe a unique way of presenting my information/experience or something I leave them with. Some of the approaches I’ve gotten great feedback on in the past: creating a 1-page “90 day impact” document (including my picture – great if you know there are a lot of candidates to help them remember you) and creating my own website with my resume and samples of my work as sort of an electronic portfolio.
Never forget that YOU are interviewing THEM just as much as they are you! You want to make sure the job and company are the right fit based on what you determined you’re looking for (see more on how I identified what I was looking for in this prior post). So really think about what you need to know in order to determine that and create your list of questions. Ask about the things you care about, obviously in an appropriate way, but don’t shy away from them. If someone that I’m interviewing with (especially a peer or female) mentions they have kids, I ask how the work life balance is or if the company is family friendly (rather than asking specifically about a maternity policy, etc.). When it came down to location, which for me was non-negotiable, I asked about openness to remote location early on in the process – usually in my first conversation with the hiring manager. Also, do your research on the company and people you’re interviewing with and show that you did it through the questions you ask. When I’m doing the hiring, really well thought out questions are one of the top things that impress me and give me insight into a candidate – it shows that they really care, are well-prepared, and can think critically.
To reiterate the patience needed during this grueling process, this is the first time I’ve ever had interviews and didn’t end up getting the job. In the past I had lots of applications that I put out there and never heard anything from, but if I got an interview, I got the job. So this was tough. I wondered if I’d “lost it.” At the end of the day, I think that is just part of having a much more targeted search for higher level positions. At one point, I did feel that I wasn’t doing as good of a job as I could have at really drawing the line for people of how my experience was applicable to a slightly different job/part of the industry. This was my first experience with that. I knew how applicable my experience was and why it was a great fit, but I needed to really spell that out better. So I adjusted!
Negotiating
Once you receive an offer (yay, congrats!!!), it’s time to negotiate. My advice here is to remember that you can’t have it all, but also, don’t accept less than what you know you need. Is my new job perfect in every way? Of course not, nothing is! There are a few things that I wish were different/better, but I decided they weren’t things that would impact me accepting the job, so they weren’t the important things to negotiate on. I would try to categorize all of the different factors as either “nice to have” or “must have” to help guide you here.
For me, I knew this job and company were a great fit for me and checked the box on all of my “must haves,” so I wasn’t willing to risk losing the opportunity over things that were “nice to haves.” There were a few things that were really high on my “nice to have” list that I asked about, but I wasn’t willing to push the envelope or walk away from the offer for those things. In general, I find there is very little harm in making a reasonable and professional request. The worst that can happen is they say no, in which case you can just accept the offer as is! The small risk is that you could seem overly demanding and turn them off to you, and they could pull the offer, but I think that list is relatively low, especially if you are selective and just pick a few of the things most important to you to negotiate on.
I have walked away from an offer before, even when I didn’t yet have another one on the table, because it didn’t meet some of my critical “must haves” and they weren’t willing to budge on them. It really all goes back to being very clear on what is important to you and therefore what you’re looking for in a job. So make sure you put the time in up front to do that soul searching and gain that clarity, and let it lead you through the process.
What tips do you have for interviewing and negotiating? What have you found has worked best? I’d love to hear more about your experiences!
Xo,
Shannon
