Meet some of the AIS Recruiting Team – They’re going to talk you through some of their top recommended job interview tips.

(Transcript)

My name is Francesca Hawk. My name is Rana Shahbazi. My name is Kathleen McGurk. My name is Jenny Wan. My name is Denise Kim.

Tip #1: Be Open, Transparent & Direct

I think it’s important for candidates to be authentic and transparent throughout the entire interview process.

Keeping the line of communication open through the interview process is really important for both sides. If you have other opportunities on the table, say that. The recruiters are your advocates and an essence kind of your best friend. Being direct – give us, you know, enough feedback – if you are not interested, or if you if the commute is an issue, or if you want more money, if your clearance was an issue – just let us know.

Tip #2: Know What You Want

So before even searching for opportunities you have to figure out what you’re looking for in a company. And then once you figure out what you’re looking for – whether it’s the culture of the company, the location the company – definitely asked questions with the recruiter prior to the interview so while you’re at the interview you have a little bit of that information.

Tip #3: Be On Time & Be Prepared

You always want to make sure you’re on time. Generally, you want to arrive about 15 minutes before your interview. You know where you’re going to park, make sure that you look up directions ahead of time. And just be prepared in general.

Preparation is extremely underrated in the interview process, so really doing your research getting familiar with the company and the culture there. Go online. Check out, you know, the general website, check out the job description. Make sure you’re aware of the skills and qualifications and what they’re really looking for. Glassdoor always provides really good reviews from the current employees. I think the company website and certainly LinkedIn is a huge aspect – social media in general.

Tip #4: Ask Questions

Ask questions or have questions ready to us ask. Ask about the process ask about the expectations who you’ll be potentially meeting with, what the potential duration could be. The company can’t provide information unless you ask for it.

You also have to make sure that you are interviewing the company just as much as they’re interviewing you. Ask the interviewers is about the culture because you’re going to get a different response from everybody but if they all seem to check out or are the same then that means the culture is pretty good.

Just make sure that you feel comfortable with the environments that, you know, you’re going to be working in.

Tip #5: Make Sure You Understand the Role

Really use the opportunity to understand the position and then to sell your strengths and also kind of tie it back into your accomplishments.

Make sure that you talk about what you were individually able to accomplish in a project. So you were personally able to
bring to the table and not necessarily what the team accomplished as a whole.

Tip #6: Show Your Interest

I think your presentation and the way you present yourself to the interviewers and anybody that you interact within the interview process is extremely important.

So not just what you say, but how you say it. Eye contact and body language say a lot about your interest in the position and the company as a whole.

Showing your interest makes a recruiter feel that you’re confident and that you can certainly do the role, and also that you are
excited about this opportunity.

I think you should be excited about interviewing a company that you’re interested in. And that sounds silly, but I think that going in excited and I think that’s why body language and eye contact are all very important aspects.

Tip #7: Listen

People are so busy thinking about what they’re going to say next that they don’t actually pay attention to the questions being asked.

So making sure that you’re hearing what they’re saying and then taking the time to respond is really important.

Tip #8: Follow Up

Certainly, you know, asking for next steps is very helpful and also that is another way of expressing your interest. You know, definitely being responsive. I would say the general rule of thumb is within 12 hours of turnaround time. If you’re not interested
and that’s okay if we’re not at AIS where this opportunity is not number one and that’s okay, we like to know that as well.

You definitely want to send a thank you note – it goes a long way and it shows you’re very interested in the company and it always leaves a great impression.

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