With only two percent of applicants getting their resumes pulled from the stack, you might be wondering how to stand out in a job interview. It’s not easy, especially in today’s competitive market. After interviewing many candidates over the last few years at Choozle, I have five job interview tips for you that are sure to impress any hiring manager and set you apart from the crowd.
How to stand out in a job interview
1. Research
The more you know, the more prepared you will sound. Following the company on social media–Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram–will give you more nuggets of information about what the culture’s like, news they have been sharing, etc.—even Googling the company before the call will help you get a better understanding of their recent success. Also, looking up whoever you are meeting with on Linkedin could give you more information on their role with the company, how long they have worked there and if you even have mutual contacts.
2. Know Thyself
Be prepared to talk about your career–this is, after all, an interview–but be sure it is under three minutes and that you are not reading off your resume. Taking a personality or strength test beforehand can help you be more specific about your strengths as an employee and areas you would like to grow in. Crystal Knows and the app Luminalearning are two great resources to use.
3. Use “I,” not “we”
The interviewer wants to know what you bring to the table as an employee, not what your team has done. Try to think of specific examples of how YOU improved a process, solved a problem, or made an impact in a previous role. The more specific you can be, the more you will stand out.
4. Do you have any questions for me?
Again, interviews should be a two-way street. You have gotten the call and should have a lot of questions about a potential employer. If you don’t have questions, this could be a bad sign to an interviewer. Try to make the questions you ask can not be found on the website (this shows that you’ve done your homework). Great questions could be: What do you like about working at the company? What does success look like in this role? How will this role help you in your position?
5. Stay Classy
Thank you notes are not dead, and often, many interviewers expect them. This is a great way to follow up and clear up questions where you may not have liked your answer or simply say thanks for their time.
What I look for in job candidates
In addition to the more general job interview tips above, I’ll let you in on how we go about the process here at Choozle.
Interviewing at Choozle is a two-way street, and we want to learn as much about you as you want to know about us. Our interview process is well-thought-out, and our goal is to make sure you get the best representation of the role you will be doing and the team you will be working on.
We want to make sure you see yourself in the role and be successful. We’re a small but mighty team, and every role we hire counts. We want you to join our team and do big things and enjoy the work you will be doing.
Often I am the first step of the interview process, and my goal is to learn about your background and why you want to work at Choozle. I usually set up 30-minute interviews and, in that time, I want to figure out three things:
- Why do you want to work at Choozle?
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- It’s always interesting to hear how you learned about us and why you want the job. No two answers are ever the same, and it’s always great to see how we end up on a candidate’s radar.
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- Do you have drive?
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- We are a growing company, and as our company continues to grow, we will have lots of new opportunities and different problems to solve.
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- Are you curious/want to learn new things?
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- We do not have a perfect company playbook. The programmatic advertising business does not sleep and is ever-changing. I also look to see how you will keep up with the growing industry and bring new ideas to your team and company.
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Are you interested in a career at Choozle? We want to hear from you! See our current openings here.
