How to Win Over an Interviewer (Before the Interview)
There’s an old saying in the theater: “Your audition starts the moment you walk in the door.” This means that people begin to form an idea of you as soon as they interact with you, even if you are not technically “on” yet. The same adage is true for a job interview, but the interview starts before it’s even scheduled . As Brooklyn-based tech recruiter Alicia Whitney shared in her Instagram post , how you handle the logistics involved in scheduling and scheduling an interview can seem like a stretch beyond the interview itself, but it can make a difference in how the interviewer sees you — even before you started listing your strengths and experiences. So what can you do to be successful before you even cross the threshold? Be generous with your availability. A little flexibility goes a long way. When scheduling interviews, offer interviewers as wide a range of available dates and times as possible. This is understandable if you have the constraints of your own work schedule, but if you find windows that go beyond the early morning or late afternoon, you will put yourself in a good light with a potential hiring manager. If you can avoid it, don’t offer lunch time as your only availability – you don’t want to try to make a good impression on someone who keeps glancing at their sandwich.
Be polite to the interviewer, even if they are not a hiring manager. Even if they don’t make the decision to hire you, your attitude towards the person coordinating the interview will be noticed. Kindness to the coordinator will not, of course, get you the job on its own, but being rude to the coordinator can certainly cause you to lose it. Who has ever been worse off treating people with kindness ?
Make sure they have all the required documents. Before starting the interview, make sure you have submitted all required documents. You don’t want to end up in the situation where you’re awkwardly waiting for a Zoom call because your interviewer is waiting to receive your resume PDF. If you are citing previous work, make sure your portfolio is in their hands. Yes, you most likely downloaded all of this information when applying for a job, but it doesn’t hurt to save them time by including it in any email correspondence. They may even be impressed by your attention to detail.
Don’t be afraid to ask clarifying questions. If you have a question about what the interview will entail, how long it might take, or who you will be talking to, ask it. You are less likely to look stupid (of course, compared to the chances of you looking even dumber if you go to an interview unprepared because you didn’t ask the right questions beforehand). As long as you don’t overdo it – try to ask all your questions in one short email rather than spice it up with multiple answers – they’ll appreciate your curiosity. Don’t miss out on a job opportunity because you’re too nervous to ask the questions you need to be properly prepared.
Use Reply All. A simple but important reminder: use the “everyone” response in any communication regarding the interview. This will keep their internal communications running smoothly and is as easy as pressing a button. Don’t worry about cluttering up someone’s mailbox; if someone other than the person coordinating the interview is marked with copies in the email, it is safe to assume that whatever you reply is information that is relevant to all parties. There really is no downside to keeping everyone on the same wavelength.