Thread by @BanjiAlo

I recently helped 3 professionals prepare for job interviews.

They landed their dream jobs at:
- JP Morgan, UK
- Australian Government Health Department
- International Research Institute, UK

They couldn't thank me enough.

Here's how I prepared them:

[steal my template]

1. There are 3 key stages in a job interview - entry, process and exit.

The entry and exit are the most important.

#1. The Entry

You need to put your best foot forward for the entry by ACING your first question.

It's crucial

I call the first interview question the "Smoke Alarm Question'.

Most interviews start with "Tell me about yourself" or similar.

It's a warm-up question to get to know the candidate. Sadly many don't use it to their advantage.

Here's what most people do:

- Talk a bit about themselves for 30 - 60 seconds
- Wait for the next question [they want the panel to ask them the next set of questions so they can then reveal more about themselves]

Wrong approach.

You have one task here:

For this first generic question, you need to provide a concrete response such that you will be the preferred candidate if the building's smoke alarm were to go off and the panel decided to use this one question to evaluate all applicants

You must provide a strong response to this first question for the panel to decide that you are their candidate.

How?

Start using the lines, business jargon, your strengths, and values from their job description (and how they match your background and experience) to answer the very first question.

Remember to keep it to 2 mins max.

Why wait until prompted in the next question to reveal crucial information?

You need to build their interest and curiosity from the very start.

Remember, the smoke alarm might go off, and you might not get another shot.

For example, as a data guy: I start talking about my background in data science, the tools I use, processes I improved, and results right from the start.

I don't wait to be asked specifically.

#2 . [During] The process

They need to like you and see you as part of them

A panel will only hire those they like. Nothing more.

Though not yet in, they need to see you as part of them [already]

You need to have a high similarity and familiarity score

How can you do this?

- Research everything you know about the each panel member - background , interests,
- Research the team
- Research the company

Use some of this information as you answer questions from each individual by leveraging their interests

For example, if I notice most of the team members love a particular programming language, then I will use it extensively in discussions.

#3. The exit

- I don't care what you already know about the company, the team and the role. You might not get the job if you don't ask questions at the end.

It turns out that asking questions shows you are:

- Genuinely interested in the role
- Did some homework before showing up at the interview

Never say NO when asked if you have questions. I won't like it as hiring manager

The final exit hack?

Send a thank you note as soon as possible after the interview. It works wonders.

If you enjoyed this thread:

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@AaronAkpuPhilip