You know it’s often said that your resume gets you in the door, but the impression you make during your interview determines whether you’re offered the job. Your resume summarizes your potential, and the interview is your chance to describe how your skills and experience can solve a company’s problems. For candidates, the interview process can be tricky because if you highlight the wrong skills, you will be eliminated as a candidate, and if you highlight the right skills but fail to demonstrate how they will be an asset to the job role, you will also be eliminated as a candidate. So, how do you ensure this doesn’t happen to you?

During your interview, you will have limited time to answer each question. Typically, the hiring manager expects your answer to be 2-3 minutes at maximum. Why is this important? Because a longer answer tends to get boring, and you will lose the concentration of the hiring manager. Not to mention, during a long rambling answer, you may also say something which negatively impacts your chances of landing the job. So, what can you do?  

We have outlined 3 SECRETS to pass any interview regardless of the job and industry. Use this method when preparing your answers to be targeted, relevant, and make a positive, long-lasting impression on the hiring manager.


READ OVER THE DESCRIPTION 

That’s right! The job description is a hidden gem because it provides you with all the information you need to prepare the perfect answer. Here are a few things you can LEARN by simply reading the job description.    

First, the job description will help ensure your answers are relevant to the job role. For example, by reading the job description, you can find the KEY skills required for the job. Here is an example using two (2) random job descriptions. Now, towards the bottom of the description, you will find a section with the KEY requirements for the job. First, let’s highlight the KEY requirements…

EXAMPLE 1

EXAMPLE 2

Secondly, the job description is an excellent way to remove distractions while PREPARING your answers. How? By highlighting the KEY skills required for the job, you can now focus on your work experience, and the skills you feel will add the MOST value to the job role and the organization.

Let’s look at the same example; once the KEY skills are highlighted, you can focus on these critical skills and avoid anything irrelevant to your qualifications.

Third, the job description gives you some RED FLAGS to AVOID in your answer. For example, if the hiring manager asks you the following interview question: What is your GREATEST weakness? You can choose a weakness that is NOT a KEY skill requirement for the job.

Now, PREPARE answers where these KEY skills are my strengths, NOT my weaknesses.


WHAT VALUE DO YOU PROVIDE

Always show the VALUE you can provide for them, meaning what you can do for the organization. When preparing your answer, your objective should be to highlight to the hiring manager how you will add VALUE to the job role. Here’s an example, if the job requires someone who will excel in a team, then emphasize in your answer how your 5+ years of experience managing and motivating team members will help increase productivity, ensuring that all deadlines are met on time. Or, if the job description is looking for someone who excels at multitasking,  highlight how your ability to manage multiple projects will help increase productivity because you can assist your team members with their workload without affecting the quality of your work.

To provide a bit more context into SECRET #2. First, here is a job description for a Customer service Role. Now, here are the KEY SKILLS required for this job.

We’ve highlighted two (2) key skills in the job description: time management and organizational skills. Let’s use both in a sample answer to show how you can add value.

Suppose the hiring manager asks you the following question during your interview: Why Should We Hire You?  Here is the answer:

“You should hire me because I am passionate about helping people solve their problems, and my experience aligns perfectly with the job role and the requirements. For example, I pride myself on ensuring that all deadlines and tasks are completed on time. I know that a company’s success depends on its employees being responsible and trusted to complete the job they are required to do.  As a matter of fact, to help me manage my time and organize my projects and assignments more efficiently, I have a system I use where I prioritize the most important tasks that need to be completed earlier in the day. When I am most productive and efficient, this way, my focus and time are given where it counts most. Not only that, but by organizing my work this way, I ensure that fewer errors are made, leading to greater productivity, quicker turn-around times, and more satisfied customers.”

To reiterate, the SECRET is to continually demonstrate to the hiring manager how your SKILLS and QUALIFICATIONS will add value to the job role and the company culture.


WHAT DOES THE MANAGER WANT TO HEAR?

It is essential to understand what value the hiring manager is looking for in a candidate and hear their answers. Doing this will ensure you go the extra mile to research the company and the job role. Let’s do this together:

Visit the company’s LinkedIn page and/or website. Head to LinkedIn, type the company name and skim through the entire profile. Then, click on the different tabs, like the insights tab, posts, jobs, and more.

Learn as much as possible about the company so you are PREPARED for those common interview questions like Why Do You Want To Work Here? And What Do You Know About Our Company?

Now, go through the job requirements and highlight the KEY skills required.

Now that you have gathered the information about the company and job role, it’s time to pretend you are the hiring manager asking the following common interview questions to the candidate:

Tell me about yourself?
What do you know about our company?
Why should we hire you?
Why do you want to leave your current job role?
What is or are your greatest strengths? 
What is or are your greatest weaknesses?
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 

Think about ways you can use what you know about the company and the KEY SKILLs for the job role to prepare answers to these questions. Then, find creative ways to incorporate this information into your answers. And, don’t forget the interviewer’s job is to find a candidate who is the RIGHT FIT for this job by matching their skills with the job requirements, so align your answers as perfectly to the job you are interviewing for.


Now it’s time to start preparing your answers using what you LEARNED here today. Here is an easy-to-follow ACTION CHECKLIST to help you get started.

1) Print out the job description and highlight the KEY skills required for this job role.

2) Visit the Company’s LinkedIn page to understand more about the company culture, people, and recent events, just like we did in the video.

3) When preparing your answer, align your KEY skills with the KEY requirements for the job role. Remember, hiring managers want to know What makes you the BEST FIT for this job compared to another candidate.

4) In your answer, emphasize the company’s values and how they align with your career goals. For example, your plan to stay with the company long-term and progress into other roles with them in the future.

And

5) Go back, review the job description and your answer so you can continue to PERFECT it before your interview.


What Is Your GREATEST Weakness? |13 Weaknesses To Use In Your Job Interview
Why Should We Hire You? | 6 BEST Answers To Pass Your Interview
What Are Your Strengths? |15 GREATEST Strengths With Sample Answers
TOP Interview DO’s And DONT’s (SHOCKING) – Video And Transcript



Possible Follow-Up Questions

Why Should We Hire You? | 6 BEST Answers To Pass Your Interview
What Are Your Strengths? |15 GREATEST Strengths With Sample Answers
Tell Me About Yourself Interview Question With 5 Sample Answers (Video And Transcript)

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