Have you been laid off or unemployed, interviewing for new roles, but hearing crickets – or rejections – afterward?
Or maybe you have a job, but you’re dreaming of finding a new role at a different company, one that’s more aligned with your strengths, interests, values, and goals. But the thought of going through the interview process makes you want to hide in a corner and never come out.
I get it. I’ve been there. And, I’ve been on the other side as well – looking through tens of thousands of resumes and LinkedIn profiles, interviewing candidates, and partnering with CEOs to build companies from the ground up.
The interview process can be scary and intimidating, especially when you’re out of practice. But it can also be empowering – you just need the right preparation and the right mindset. In this week’s newsletter, I’m going to help you with both. Before you know it, you'll be shining in your interviews.
Do Your Research Beforehand and Find Commonality
Many people research the company before an interview, but what about the interviewer?
Before every interview, I spend at least 15 minutes researching the interviewer. I put on my “Sherlock Holmes hat” to figure out what commonality we have.
Do we know some of the same people? Have we worked at the same companies or in the same industry? Are we involved in the same non-profits, or did they go to the same college? Or maybe we both live in the same city and we can talk about our favorite coffee shop.
Why is Doing Your Research Before the Interview Important?
Put yourself in the interviewer's shoes. You may be the third or fourth person they’ve spoken to on Zoom today. Your interviewer could be dealing with serious fatigue. And many of these calls have been as stale as last week’s Wonderbread.
My objective in the beginning of every interview is to spend the first five minutes warming up the environment to establish a personal connection and turn the interview into a conversation.
Using an icebreaker to find common ground is the best tool in my arsenal to accomplish this goal. Having a mutual friend with a positive reputation can be advantageous due to "affinity bias." This unconscious bias inclines us to favor individuals we perceive as having a connection or similarity to ourselves. Also, the old adage, “people do business with people they like” still holds true today.
What Does This Look Like in Practice?
Here’s a practical example:
Interviewer: Hi Derek, How are you this afternoon? Thanks for taking the time to meet with me today.
Derek: Hi Jenn, I’m doing really well. Thanks for making the time to meet with me today. I imagine that you’ve been busy with a lot of these interviews.
I’ve been looking forward to our conversation. I did a little bit of prep for our call and looked at your LinkedIn profile. I saw that we both know David M. from Uber. How do you know David?
Interviewer: Ah, I know David from back in my ride sharing days. He’s a great engineer who was fun to work with. But I haven’t caught up with him in a few years.
Derek: Oh yeah, David was a pleasure to work with. We became good friends when we worked together at Helix. He was one of the early engineers I hired at Helix. I caught up with him a few weeks back and it sounds like he’s really enjoying his time at Meta.
Interviewer: Oh, you worked at Helix? That’s a good starting point, I’d love to learn a little bit more about your career:
Derek: Sure, I’d be happy to. [Insert elevator pitch tailored for the interview]
In Summary – Connect with Your Interviewer and Shine in Your Interview
Your number one goal at the beginning of the interview is to create commonality, positively bias your interviewer, and warm up the interview environment.
Finding an icebreaker based on your common background helps you solve this problem. You’re also signaling to your interviewer that you’ve prepared for the interview, you're interested in them as a person, and that you’re interested in the opportunity.
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I’ve helped dozens of clients nail their interviews by preparing them for the interview process with tips like this one. I’ve spent more than 20 years in the recruiting industry and have led the Talent function at three different high-growth tech companies building companies from the ground up.
I'm passionate about sharing my insider knowledge to help you simplify the job search process, expand your network for more leads, and increase your conversion rate and compensation when you change jobs.
Whether you’re in need of refreshing your resume, LinkedIn, and job search strategy, or in the final stages and comparing and negotiating offers – or anywhere in between – I’m here to help you meet your career goals.