Ace Your Interview by Mastering These 3 Pillars

Navigating the interview process can be both exhilarating and nerve-wracking.

You may have found yourself leaving an interview thinking ‘that went well!’ and surprised to have had your candidacy rejected. A lack of feedback in today's recruiting cycle often means you miss out on checking for blindspots. While a lot is up to chance, there are factors you can control within your narrative during an interview and improve your chances of landing an offer.

After working with thousands of candidates as a Career Coach and hundreds of employers as a Recruiter, I’ve recognized a pattern in the interviewing process.

To help you breeze through your next round with confidence, consider the following three pillars that most interview questions stand on. Each pillar represents the underlying motivation behind an employer’s prompt during an interview.

This guide will help you position your responses more thoughtfully.

1. Mutual-alignment

In a job interview, mutual-alignment refers to ensuring that your goals, values, and expectations align with the employer.

It goes beyond evaluating your qualifications and skills. It involves a two-way assessment to determine if the company's culture, timeline, compensation range, and daily workload are suitable for you. It also helps assess if your aspirations and career objectives align with the company's vision and mission. It’s tricky to maintain context and tie your answers back to the role, so remember why you’re in the room (or on zoom!).

What it sounds like in an interview

Tell me about yourself?

How to respond: When faced with this question, resist the urge to share your life story. Instead, focus on a concise and impactful response that highlights your professional journey. Mention your relevant work experience, key accomplishments, and how your skills align with the role you're applying for. Always keep the company's needs and values in mind and tailor your response accordingly. Make them feel like you’re the one they’ve been waiting to hear from!

What inspired you to apply to the role?

How to respond: This question offers an opportunity to showcase your research and genuine interest in the company. Discuss specific aspects of the company's mission, culture, or recent achievements that resonate with you. Check their ‘news’ or ‘press’ tab on their website to share something recent and meaningful. Be authentic in your response and avoid generic answers. You may get asked ‘Why are you leaving your role?’ and it’s best to reframe it similarly to what inspired you to apply to the role. That is, tell a story of what you’re aiming for and how the opportunity matches that criteria rather than what you might be running away from.

2. Competence

You’ve got to have the skills to perform well on the job.

The competition can easily pull you out in this arena. Some people may be less likable but they’ve got the right credentials, pedigree, and perhaps more experience that may overpower your answers in this domain. Study up on your accomplishments as best as you can. Use the STAR method ((Situation, Task, Action, Result) or CAR method (Circumstance, Action, Result) when relevant to tell a story about your skills and how impactful your performance has been in the past.

What it sounds like in an interview

What are your top 3 strengths?

How to respond: When discussing your strengths, choose qualities that directly relate to the job requirements. When prompted to share examples, back up each strength with tangible results from your professional experiences to demonstrate how you've applied these skills and aren’t speaking hypothetically.

What is an area of improvement you are working on?

How to respond: This question is an opportunity to showcase self-awareness and a growth mindset. Choose an area of improvement that isn’t a core component to performing the job well but don’t mask the truth with a backhanded compliment either. Demonstrate your commitment to personal and professional development with an action plan on how you are learning/improving.

3. Likeability

Liking the people you work with is only a plus.

We spend a ton of time with our coworkers and deserve to hold each other in high regard, and to find them interesting enough to want to work together and learn from. While you’re not there to make friends it's a blessing when it happens. It doesn’t hurt to be friendly aka personable when meeting someone new that you hope to spend a lot of time working with. While you’ll want to be likable in an interview, keep it professional and avoid cracking jokes.

What it sounds like in an interview

What do you do outside of work?

How to respond: People want to work with others they find interesting. You don’t have to be the most interesting person in the room, but you do need to showcase you’re well rounded or have thought about what brings you joy outside of working. Consider what activities you may bond over or what’s something you can teach others about.

What kind of work environment do you thrive in?

How to respond: You’ll want to have studied the company’s values (and non-values) to share how you are a culture fit or perhaps a culture add. A good company will tolerate differences provided they aren’t dealbreakers. For example, thriving in ambiguity is a good sign for startups.

Preparing for the Ride

Let's put this into perspective with a relatable analogy: carpooling.

In a carpool, you seek fellow passengers who meet certain conditions:

1. Mutual Alignment: You want them to be heading in the same direction as you.

2. Competence: You hope they can contribute in some way - perhaps by splitting the gas cost, helping navigate, or even taking turns at the wheel.

3. Likeability: You'd prefer them to be good company, making the journey more enjoyable.

However, carpooling isn't always a smooth ride. You may encounter unexpected roadblocks, like having the wrong address, getting into an accident, or discovering a clash in musical tastes with your co-riders.

The journey of our careers can be just as unpredictable.

Much like in carpooling, our professional paths come with their own set of surprises and challenges. The key lies in being prepared. This can help us navigate around potential bumps and allows us to remain resilient when we find ourselves veering off the anticipated route or pace.

To practice your interviewing skills or share your thoughts on this article, email me at [email protected], connect and drop me a line on linkedin.com/in/neha-khurram or on instagram @coach.neha.