PREPARING FOR AN INTERVIEW

Preparing for an interview is almost as important as the interview itself.  When a call comes in to schedule an interview with a company, the first step is, of course, celebration!  The second step is preparation.  Confidence during an interview is key to presenting your best self, and preparation encourages your confidence.  Arriving at an interview with information on the company, your interviewer, and the position at hand will ensure confidence, and ensure a successful meeting.

 If you’ve applied to a job at a company or organization, you’ve probably already completed research before submitting those applications.  When faced with an interview, you’ll want to complete further research to prepare further information, and ask intelligent, leading questions.  In your research, look into the history of the company.  How did they form?  Is it a young company, or a large organization that has grown through the years?  Knowing a brief narrative of the organization, it’s goals and services, will allow you to ask questions and contribute to a productive conversation. 

Research into the company’s hiring processes, and job availability can also support a successful interview.  Look online to see if the department has been hiring coders recently, and the job descriptions that are listed for available positions.  This information can give you insight as to the team structure, and whether or not you will be hired in a group of coders. 

 The relationship between an interviewer and a job candidate can begin well before the face-to-face interview.  Check out your interviewer’s LinkedIn profile or company biography, to get an idea of their history and experience.  Is this person new to the company, looking to make changes and prove their ability to grow the department?  Or, has this person been in this position for a long time with a proved track record for growth and success within the department or code team?    Get to know a little bit about the professional journey that led your interviewer to your meeting and interview.

WHAT ABOUT PHONE INTERVIEWS?

 Phone interviews are very popular, and have been conducted for many years by companies of varying size.  The purpose of a phone interview is to expand on your resume information. The interviews are usually conducted by a Human Resource Representative, or another representative who is assisting the hiring manager with candidate selection.  The conversation will include questions about your experience, discussion about your education, and expansion on your resume content.  The call truly will be more of a conversation than an interview; use that to your advantage.  Be honest about your experience, your salary requirements, and your aspirations regarding management or supervisory roles.  The phone interview is your chance to give a clear picture of what you want from your next position.  If the interviewer doesn’t think that the current position is a good fit, they will most often forward your name on to a position that is more appropriate.