The Latest on Interviewing - 3 Tips

Important to know: If you're in job search, NOW is the time to be applying for jobs so that you land interviews AND offers before you start hearing "we'll see you after the holidays".

Many candidates mistakenly believe they should not apply for jobs this last part of the year and they might as well just wait for January. If you do this, you will be competing with even more candidates than you would be now. And missing out on open jobs!

First, establish an application strategy:

An application strategy: How many jobs will you apply for, each day? What you do in this regard determines how many interviews you get. I urge candidates to apply each day Monday through Friday and take the weekend off -- though keep doing your research and selecting of companies and open roles you'll be applying for. Choose a realistic number for yourself. Applying includes cover emails (critical for using keywords tailored for the open job). This could be 5 a day, 10 a day, 3 a day...just be consistent. Five a day, Monday through Friday, means in one week you will have applied for 25 positions; over a month, 100 positions. This is in parallel to networking "into" companies and sending approach letters (see last month's issue about approach letters).

Second, have a "how to approach the interview" strategy: Preparing for interviews means reviewing your success stories and examples of achievements ahead of time, practicing how you'll talk about them. If you have a special situation such as being out of work after a layoff over a year ago, it's no surprise when I tell you that you WILL be asked about that: "What have you been doing?" Answering with "I've been in job search" is not strong enough. So work with a job search buddy or a coach on how to honestly answer without making yourself subject to doubts and concerns about you.

Third, adjust to all the ways of interviewing today:

There are interviews in person, interviews online, interviews with humans, and now interviews with AI-driven bots. Not really "robots" but you'll be talking "to" your laptop's camera, which takes some practice so that you feel more at ease. So, do some practicing. Don't come into it cold.

Tip: When you're being interviewed by AI, speak clearly as in any interview, using the language in the job description, and matching yourself to each requirement. The AI bot will be tracking the language you'll be using and will "listen for" words you use that fit the role. So yes, use your keywords!

A final word

Interviewing has changed so it helps you to stay current with what's in use today. Practicing will make you feel much more comfortable no matter how the interview is conducted. Give yourself that time: you deserve to succeed!