Tips and Tricks to Get the Most Out of Your Interview Experience 

There has been an incredible amount of hubbub surrounding the recent NY Times article about Amazon and their culture.  This conversation is dominating cubicles, offices, water coolers, gyms – really, anywhere groups of people gather to connect and engage.  I’ve even heard it from my grade-school age children, because the ire has moved that far down the food chain.  While I don’t disagree that the Amazon culture is tough, there are lots of corporate cultures that are tough to survive in.  There are also plenty of great corporate cultures in place, too.

As a job-seeker, it is important that you are able to discern the right company where you can thrive or dive. The best place for you to do that is the interview. The job interview provides a great way for a prospective employer to assess you as a potential fit in their organization.  It is an equally great way to determine if that potential environment is a good fit for you, too.

So, here are some important steps to take to ensure that you are assessing all of the things you need to make that most important decision about where you land next:

Preparation is Everything

I am always surprised (and let’s be honest, a little disappointed) when I ask a candidate why they are interested in my company, and they don’t have a solid answer.  Just as I review a candidate’s resume, develop thoughtful questions to ask about their experience, and review them on social media (hello, LinkedIn!) I would hope that they would do the same.

So, at the very least, as a candidate, you should check out the company website, and see what they focus on. Google the company name and see if there is any buzz around latest happenings or key hires/acquisitions. In addition, check out rating sites like Glassdoor and Yelp. While these shouldn’t be your single-source for information, these sites do offer a point of view that you can incorporate with other listening systems to help you shape an overall impression of the company.

Extra points for those candidates who look up each of their interviewers and gain insights or potential connection points to those people that can be used in the interview. You can tell a lot from someone’s linked in profile that may provide insights about who they are and how they contribute to the company’s culture.

Engage in Social Media

Social media isn’t just for looking up those you are going to encounter in your interview.  Instead, reach out to others who work at the prospective firm in the same role (or group or department) you are looking to get into, and ping them for a quick chat or coffee.  In this way, you can gain insight to the culture of the organization, the specifics of the job (good and bad) and what you can expect from the mouth of someone that is already there, today. Some people may not be open to sharing, but in the event they are – what a great source of information!

Also, sometimes it makes sense to start by looking at your own network to see if there is anyone you already know connected to someone in the prospective company. Showing initiative and a deep desire to understand the culture says a lot about a prospective candidate.

Another good option: if you are at offer stage, there is nothing preventing you from asking the recruiter to set up a separate meeting for you with a peer group as a condition of “offer acceptance.” In this way, you can talk with a few people who are at the same level and perhaps receive some information that is different than the interviewing group. I also inquire about the company’s internal listening system; if they do an employee survey or satisfaction poll, ask to see the results, even in summary format.  (Sometimes this requires a non-disclosure agreement, which should be fine to sign for an interview. If a recruiter is hesitant to do this – there may be other problems afoot.)

Listen Closely and Carefully

Once you know the names of the people with whom you are meeting (if you don’t get a list of people ahead of time – RED FLAG), it is important to spend some time crafting questions that are thoughtful and intelligent. The questions need to show that you understand their business and their need. More importantly: these questions should elicit answers that will help you frame your experience in a way that is relevant and timely for them.

So, when digging into the environment, I have often prepared open-ended, culture-based questions, just as they would:

• “Tell me about when you hired a strong candidate for this role. What was it about them that made them special? How did you know it was a good fit?”
• “How would you describe the environment here? What makes it special? Why did you make the choice to accept a role here?”
• “How does the company deal with change? What does change management look like here?”

Note: It’s important that you align the questions to the functionally correct person you are interviewing with – i.e. you wouldn’t ask a finance person something about production.  Also, be sure that each of your interview questions aligns with the appropriate stage of the interview; if you ask something during a phone screen that is appropriate during a second- or third-round interview, you can risk looking professionally immature.  (Unless, of course, the question has to do with a “deal-breaker” for you, and you want to qualify the opportunity based on that item.)

Interviewing is your quality opportunity to evaluate whether a role, a team or a company is right for you. The company certainly takes advantage of it, and there is nothing stopping you from doing the same.  Bottom line: your due diligence on career choices is important – for them and for you!