In my whole career as a People & Business Partner, I've conducted dozens of recruitment processes. While thinking about my most challenging recruitment situations, these interviews came to my mind: my gut told me that I was dealing with talent and potential; still, the candidate's answers could not give me any proof of it. In such cases, I asked additional questions and sometimes even made an extra meeting. It extended the recruitment process for both parties and was unfavorable for the candidates because there were others about whom we had no doubts.
All those stories have a few things in common. And based on that, I will share pieces of advice on how to succeed in a job interview with you. Implementing these few tips will make a great impression and increase your chance of landing your dream job!
Tip 1: Show passion
In a startup environment, passion plays a significant role and is the mother of many innovative ideas. Without it, it is challenging to maintain dynamic growth, which is key to the survival of a business. That is why passion is one of the crucial features of our Tidioers. It is exposed in work engagement and development efforts. If you efficiently contribute to the company objectives, care about the team goals, work on side-projects, and are familiar with the latest industry trends, you can call yourself passionate. And be already halfway at joining Tidio.
Tip 2: Engage in the conversation
For many, an interview is seen as an exam. You sit in front of expressionless people who ask many questions and don't know if your answers are what they want to hear.
We, recruiters and hiring managers at Tidio, treat the interview as a chance to get to know you better. Especially as a person and future colleague. We don't want to examine you or ask tough questions to make you feel less knowledgeable. Our job is to assess if you have all the qualities to work efficiently and happily in our company. And the best way to do it is by simply having a conversation in a friendly atmosphere. It works both ways. The interview is a chance for you to check if Tidio is a good place to grow. So during the interview, try to be open and curious, and share what you know and what is vital for your professional life.
Tip 3: Be precise
Considering that job interviews do not last forever, your success needs to use time as efficiently as possible. Therefore, it is crucial how you answer the questions. Remember, a recruiter doesn't read minds, and a good recruiter doesn't make decisions based on assumptions about you. We assess your potential on what and how you tell us.
How to talk about your experience at the interview? One of the best interview practices is to use the STAR model, an interview technique that gives you a precise structure you can use to tell a story based on the Situation, Task, Action, and Result:
- Situation: Describe details of the situation you give as an instance.
- Task: Explain your responsibility and tasks in that situation.
- Action: Describe steps you decided to take to handle it.
- Result: Share what results you achieved.
With the STAR method, you will equip your answers with all the necessary details, which helps you make a great impression on the recruiter, showing you might be a great fit with the job and the company.
Remember to stay focused on what the question is about. If you are not sure if your statement is sufficient, ask the recruiter if he/she needs to go deeper into the details. This is definitely a better solution than overdoing it with information - such communication noise makes it difficult to assess your competencies.
Tip 4: Connect the dots
An influential group of attributes that we usually check during the process of recruitment is skills related to processing, decision-making style, and strategic thinking. All this can be checked by asking detailed questions. However, if you want to have an advantage over other candidates, show us that you can use the accumulated knowledge about Tidio (product, business model, etc.) and combine it with your experience.
Do your homework and research the company–maybe you will even have some comments or hints for us? Share them in an interview. If you give examples of tasks, present those that are closest to what we require. If you want to complete your statement the day after the meeting, feel free to send us an email.
Tip 5: Small things matter, so be prepared
For many of you, it may be obvious, but it is always worth emphasizing the importance of preparing for a job interview. And I do not want to repeat the same cliche that you need to research the company and the position. You can read this on other blogs;)
Since 2020, we have been working at Tidio 100% remotely, and our recruitment processes are online. In times of remote work, preparation for an interview takes on a different dimension.
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Technical preparation: a good internet connection (or a backup source of access to the network), knowledge of the application used for the call, a working webcam and audio function
- Take care of your surroundings: if today is not your cleaning day, use a background filter.
- Set a good view: in online meetings, it is essential to present yourself from the best perspective. Position the camera so that your face is visible.
- Think about the convenience: the conversation can last up to 1.5 hours, so a comfortable chair and a glass of water may come in handy.
Good luck! Especially if you take time to prepare, job interviews can actually not be that bad 😉
