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In this episode of Job Insights Sarlie Drakos, Dacia Vanalstine and Jeff Thompson talk about preparing for the job interview. How quality preparation will build the confidence one needs to succeed in putting their best interview forward. From research, logistics, Mock interviews, Zoom and Teams technology, to dress and attire, the Job Insights team shares their knowledge and experience to help you succeed and prepare for the job interview.
Be sure to contact your Vocational Rehabilitation Services in your state and see what they can do for you.
Sarlie Drakos is a Disability Employment Coach and you can reach her at SarlieDrakos.com and inquire how she can help you land that dream job.
Be sure to check out all of our Job Insights episodes and give us a call at 612-367-6093, we would love to hear from you. Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com or give us a call at 612-367-6093.
Thanks for listening!
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Full Transcript
Job Insights: How Preparation Can Build the Confidence You Need Going Into the Job Interview
Dacia:
How do we address those issues to be best prepared for successful employment?
Jeff:
Job Insights, a podcast to help you carve out your career pathway and enhance the opportunities for gainful employment.
Sarlie:
I work with clients from all over the world to build up their employment skills, like career planning, resume writing, mock interviews, disability disclosure, how to get reasonable adjustments in the workplace.
Jeff:
To help you navigate the employment world and give you job insights to choose the career you want.
Check out the mission statement, go onto their website and look at the press releases and information about it because this is information that you might gather that might be one of those good questions that help build a rapport with the interviewer.
And you can find the Job Insights podcast on blindabilities.com, part of the Blind Abilities network.
Dacia:
If your goal is to get into a company and move up, dress a step ahead of what you are actually interviewing for, let ’em know you’re serious.
Jeff:
Learn about resources for training, education, and employment opportunities.
Dacia:
-throw you off as well too. So you have your phone sitting there next to you, and it might be on silent or might be on vibrate, but you can feel that vibration and that you know that you just got a text.
Jeff:
Now, please welcome Serina Gilbert, Sarlie Drakos and special host Dacia Vanalstine. We hope you enjoy.
Sarlie:
So what is your biggest strength? What is your biggest weakness? Where do you see yourself in five years? Those are questions that you can prepare for beforehand. You just have them ready to go.
Jeff:
From the Blind Abilities studios, this is Job Insights. I’m Jeff Thompson, and joining me in the studio of course is Sarlie Drakos, Sarlie, how you doing?
Sarlie:
Good, thanks. It’s nice to talk to you again.
Jeff:
And as well to you too, and also in the studio joining me from the state of Minnesota, Dacia Vanalstine. How you doing?
Dacia:
I’m doing well, Jeff. How are you?
Jeff:
I’m doing excellent, and I’m so glad you could make it on such a short notice. Dacia, could you give listeners a little bit about who you are and what you do?
Dacia:
Sure. I’m a business and employment program specialist with State Services for the Blind in Minnesota in part of their vocational rehabilitation program. I work with employers and with job seekers and help prepare people for their upcoming careers. I work with the counselors to help people get from point A to point B as efficiently as possible. And I also work with other agencies across the state to ensure that the job seekers that have a vision loss or are deaf-blind are at the table.
Jeff:
Well, thanks, Dacia, for being here, and we’re gonna get to that table, but there’s a little bit of preparation that we’re gonna do first before the job interview. First of all, what kind of interview is it gonna be? Is it gonna be a virtual interview, in-person interview, or is it gonna be one of these video interviews with prerecorded questions? So Sarlie, why don’t you kick it off?
Sarlie:
Yeah, so there’s quite a few different types of interviews available nowadays. You can have a phone interview, which is often in a lot of cases the first step or the first interview that you’ll go to. There’s also, as Jeff mentioned, you can have an interview which is a one-on-one interview with an employer, and that can be with just yourself and one employer, or it could be with a few people from that company. There’s also group interviews where you might be asked to attend an interview situation where you’re asked to participate in group projects together to demonstrate your ability to work in a team and all those other types of skills that they’re looking for. And then there’s also video interviews, which are becoming a lot more common nowadays, especially after the covid pandemic. So that could be over Zoom, Microsoft Teams, all that sort of thing. And then there’s also pre-recorded video interview questions that can happen from time to time as well, which is also becoming more common, and I guess we’ll talk about that a little bit later on.
Jeff:
And with that in mind, I think we just jump right into presentation, your attire, what you’re gonna be wearing, how professional are you gonna look, or are you gonna be casual? What kind of background screen do you have? Or is it live? Is it blurred? These are all types of considerations that you have to do because you’re onstage, you’re presenting yourself and you want to be centered on the screen as well. So I would suggest that you do some test or you know, have someone help you out, find the position of your camera in relationship to the chair that you’re in, and when you sit down at the computer or phone that’s on a tripod, whatever setup you have, have the general location so you’re sure that when you hit that button, you’re live and you’re ready and prepared, ‘cause just like technology, something can go wrong or something could be moved and you wanna present yourself the best you can.
Dacia:
I always tell individuals that they should dress the same as if they were going to the in-person interview, regardless of whether it’s on the phone or on a video or if it’s pre-recorded. Just completely, because if you are put together, then you feel like you’re put together and then you are going to come across that way. And regardless of whether or not they can see you, or if it’s over the phone, still you should be smiling, you should be acting as if you’re in person, acting the same way, because all of that comes across to an employer.
Sarlie:
Yeah, I agree. I think even if you’re doing a video interview, I would also suggest a lot of people just go to Zoom interviews or Microsoft Teams interviews with a professional top that they’re wearing and then they’ll wear like pajama bottoms or something like that. But I have noticed there’s been a few times where people have been asked to get up and get something, so maybe just consider wearing a full outfit. So a top and professional bottoms or skirt or whatever is appropriate or whatever you feel comfortable in. And yeah, smiling is a good point. That can really change your tone of voice and that becomes really important when you’re doing a phone interview as well because they can’t see you. So little changes in your tone can have a big impact about the impression that people get from you as well. So if you can’t see what you look like, I would suggest getting either a friend or a family member to have a look at your wardrobe and the way that you are presented, like your hair and everything beforehand. Or you can also do like a video call with someone as well if you don’t have someone that can be physically there to see what you look like before you go to an actual interview in person or something like that well.
Dacia:
And when it comes to dressing, dress for the job that you want, not necessarily for the job that you’re going to be interviewing for. If your goal is to get into a company and move up, dress a step ahead of what you are actually interviewing for. Let ’em know you’re serious, that you want this position that you want, you’re coming there to succeed. And in this day and age with trying to hold on to employees and not wanting that turnover, they want employees that appear like they’re going to stay, that they are invested in this company. So dress for the position you want, not necessarily for the position that you’re applying for.
Jeff:
Yeah. And in presenting yourself, dressing for the occasion, dress professionally, and if you’re gonna do a mock interview, that’s a good time to test it out. Test out your location on this screen, test out what you’re wearing and get some feedback on that. And also, remember, look at the job description over and over. Know that inside and out, and study those key words so you really understand what they’re looking for. So you’re well-prepared, and being well-prepared is taking a test run to the job interview site. So you want to do that on the weekday and during the same timeframe that you’ll be traveling there, whether it be a bus or someone driving you, is there construction, so you want to get all these interruptions that could happen out of the way, so you still remain prompt. Not too prompt, like Dacia said, that was cute, but you just want to get there a little bit ahead of time and you might wanna scope out where the door is in relationship to the front desk, just so you have some familiarity with the situation that you’ll be put in on the day of the interview.
Sarlie:
Yeah, I think preparation is key, especially because job interviews can be quite a nerve wracking experience and I think we mentioned on a previous podcast episode, it’s nerve wracking anyway, so to avoid that stress of trying to find how to get there on the actual day and just running late or anything like that because you haven’t planned out how much time it takes, or you’re not really sure how to get to the actual building, just avoiding any of that stress can make a really big difference on the day because you wanna try and be as relaxed as possible so you can really give a really good impression. And obviously you don’t wanna be running late for your interview because that doesn’t create a very good impression either. So yeah, just doing your preparation can make a really big difference. And preparing for the questions beforehand, as you alluded to, Jeff, as well, can make the whole interview process a lot easier. Like you said, looking at the job description is a little bit of a guide map about what you’re gonna be asked on the day. So if they say that they want someone who’s a team player, then you know that you’re gonna probably be asked a question about when have you demonstrated the ability to work well in a team, or something similar in your interview. So definitely look through your job description or the job ad a few days beforehand and start preparing answers to questions, which we can go in as well.
Dacia:
I know one of the things that a lot of individuals get caught up on are some of those questions that have to do with, like you had said, work as a team, but also ones that have to do with conflict. I know a lot of the job seekers that I work with get a lot of questions, you know, can you tell me about a time you had a conflict with a supervisor and how did you handle it? Can you tell me about a time you had a conflict with a coworker and how did you handle it? And so having some of those kind of in your back pocket, just ready to go, having those scenarios and making sure that you hit all the points, so when you’re asked situational questions, to make sure that you think about these ahead of time so you can say, okay, so this is what happened, this is what I did and this was the result. So it’s always good to have those ahead of time. And if you do run into a situation where you have a really good example, but the result maybe not- isn’t the best. I mean, you don’t wanna use something that’s gonna make you look bad. But if you have a result that’s not perfect, you can always say, you know, this is the result and this is what I learned about this situation and what I would do different next time, you know? So really having those conflict questions ready to go, it’s going to alleviate a lot of stress too, because you’re not gonna have to stop and go, uhhh, you know, oh my gosh, I don’t know what to say. You’re not gonna get stuck. You’ll have those ready to go. Yeah.
Sarlie:
A lot of questions repeat, so it doesn’t really matter what industry you’re applying for or what type of job. Chances are you’re gonna be asked a lot of the same questions, so things like, please tell me a bit about yourself, as you mentioned before, the conflict resolution one is a really common one. People often ask for you to show that you have customer service skills. There’s a lot of different questions that you can be asked that just get asked over and over again. So what is your biggest strength? What is your biggest weakness? Where do you see yourself in five years? Those are questions that you can prepare for beforehand, and you just have them ready to go whenever you have a job interview coming up.
Dacia:
And I think one of the big things that people forget is when an employer invites you for an interview, it doesn’t matter if it’s a phone interview, a virtual interview, recorded, in-person, doesn’t matter what kind of interview it is, if an employer has requested you in for an interview, they’ve already decided on paper that you’re qualified for that position. So now it’s your opportunity to show them how you’re qualified and that you fit in, so now this is your chance to sell yourself. And so with that, tell me a little bit about yourself, really, that’s your time to go in and make it all about your skills and abilities. What do you have to bring to this position and to this company? Sell yourself. Because at the end of the day, you’re the only person that can sell yourself in that interview. The employer’s not gonna sell you for you. If you don’t know why they should hire you, how are they supposed to know? So it’s your job to really sell yourself. Show them that you are the best candidate. You have the skills and abilities, that’s already been proven because they want you in for that interview. They’re not gonna call you in just to waste your time and their time. You’re already qualified. So show them how, sell yourself. Go in there and with some of these things, having these ready ahead of time and doing that test run and making sure that you’re dressed appropriately, all that stuff, you’ll have confidence and you’ll be relaxed. And so go in there and sell yourself.
Jeff:
I think confidence is one of the biggest components of a job interview. Instead of just thinking about all the little points that you have, you know, juggling them around and hopefully you throw the right one at ’em. It’s more of a comprehensive overview of how you’re gonna present yourself. You’re comfortable in the situation of having these questions asked, so a mock interview is something great to go through and having someone that you don’t know conduct a mock interview would probably be a lot better so you don’t fall into some tendencies that you might have with someone that you do know, and they might catch you off guard. So that’s a little bit about the preparation that can help with a mock interview. And I know Sarlie and Dacia, you do this a lot more than I do, so I’m gonna hand it off to you.
Sarlie:
I just wanted to quickly mention before you talk about mock interviews, your point about confidence is really important because employers can tell if you feel confident and you show that in your answers, then they’re gonna wanna hire you. They’re not gonna wanna hire someone who’s not sure if they can do the job or not. So that really does come through quite strongly, so that’s why you should always prepare before an interview, because then you will be more confident and employees will be able to see that in your answers, in the way that you present yourself. But yeah, mock interviews. I love mock interviews. It’s my favorite thing to do with clients. It’s really helpful because a lot of the time, interview situations, they’re- it’s quite awkward. It’s not something that we do on a regular basis. It’s quite a one-sided conversation a lot of the times. I mean, if you have a good interviewer, then it won’t feel so one sided. But a lot of the times you might be going to an interview and you’re just asked a lot of questions about yourself that you don’t really think about or you don’t really talk about on a daily basis. So doing a mock interview can really help with that feeling of confidence and helping you to feel a lot more prepared, and you can really start to workshop answers together. Once you realize what questions you’re struggling with a bit more, you can start working on those questions a little bit and get other people’s feedback, because sometimes they might realize things that you’re not aware of yourself, so that can be really important. So you can find someone who’s a family member, but I would recommend getting a mock interview done by someone that you’re not close with. You can get an employment consultant or someone like myself to do mock interviews with you, but if that’s not an option for you, then maybe try and find someone who is not super close and is gonna give you honest feedback, ‘cause that’s really important.
Dacia:
I know we find a lot of times if you need a mock interview and you’re, you know, you don’t want someone close, you can ask somebody that you know, hey, would your boss be willing to do this? Or would their coworker, someone that you don’t know? Because what they’re gonna find is a lot of times we do things that we don’t realize that we’re doing, especially if we’re nervous. So things like, if you do these mock interviews, you’re gonna find that maybe you’re not comfortable with silence. And so when you’re asked a question and you give an answer, you may be uncomfortable, so you might talk too much and just continue, kind of ramble your answers, even though you don’t mean to do it. You may be uncomfortable with that silence and in the middle of everything, just start trying to fill that awkward silence that happens sometimes in job interviews. And those are the things that you’re gonna find when you are interviewing with somebody that you don’t necessarily know really well.
Sarlie:
Yeah, definitely. I’ve seen that a lot of people, yeah, they’ll stumble. And that silencing is a really big one because a lot of the time people think that you have to answer the question straight away, but it’s okay to pause and have a think about your answers first. It’s completely fine, and if you do stumble, just know that the interviewer or the hiring manager is gonna not expect you to be perfect, like we are all human, we’re gonna make mistakes and that’s fine. Just do your best, but just don’t try and let it rattle you too much, I guess. I was speaking to a client earlier this week, just on the topic of pre-recorded video interviews. as soon as he made the slightest little stumble, he would just quit the video interview process. So just know that it’s okay to stumble. It’s okay to pause. Take a few deep breaths and think about your answer. If you’re in a face-to-face interview and you’re offered a glass of water, then that’s a really good thing to accept because then that gives you a little break to have a think about your responses beforehand if you take a sip of water. So that’s another little tip that I’ve learned over the years that might help you as well if you just need to collect yourself and collect your answers beforehand as well.
Dacia:
That’s a really good point, because you’re right. when you go and you interview, they don’t expect you to be perfect. They’re not interviewing robots. They know they’re interviewing humans, and it doesn’t matter if they’re doing two interviews or ten interviews for a position, everybody that comes in there is nervous and they know that. So they’re not expecting you to just be on everything, and the minute they ask you a question, you have an answer just that’s perfect and shining and ready to go. They know that. So that’s a really good point.
Sarlie:
A little bit of nerves is okay because it shows that you care about the role. It’s just when your nerves become too big or too strong that they start impacting your ability to think clearly. Then it becomes a problem. But a little bit of nerves actually shows that you care. So employers don’t see it as a bad thing. It’s just, as I said, you wanna be able to still be able to think clearly and be calm and collected as much as possible so you can perform as well as you can.
Jeff:
One of the questions I hear the most out of people that go to a job interview is when they ask them, what is your greatest weakness? How would you address that? My approach, and you might have something to add to this or you might disagree, but my approach is always to talk about a skill rather than a personality trait when you’re talking about your biggest weakness. And the reason why is because skills can always be learned and your personality doesn’t really change as much, so always talk about a skill in terms of your biggest weakness. And I always suggest talking about a skill that you have actively been working on. So you could say, for example, my biggest weakness is public speaking. However, I realized that this was something that I wanted to improve on, so I started attending Toastmasters workshops to develop better public speaking skills or to gain more confidence, so that still expresses that you have a weakness and acknowledges that, but then it also shows that you’re taking active steps to develop it, so that’s my approach that I suggest taking. Obviously don’t say things like, I work too hard or I’m just too loyal or anything like that because employers see right through that, and they want genuine answers. But I think that’s a really good approach, because it shows that you have that self awareness, but then you’re also willing to work hard to improve and to grow.
Dacia:
I agree with that. I usually tell people to make sure that it’s not a skill that’s listed in the minimum qualifications. So if the minimum-
Sarlie:
Oh yes, definitely.
Dacia:
-if the minimum qualifications say that you must be able to work with Microsoft Office suite, you don’t want to tell them Microsoft Office suite is your biggest weakness.
Sarlie:
Yeah, that’s a good point. I forgot to mention that. Yeah, that’s very important.
Dacia:
But yeah, usually I tell people about this. They don’t, you know, they know the cliches. They can see right through the cliches. They’re gonna know that that’s really not your weakness.
Sarlie:
Yeah. Yeah, a hundred percent. It just feels like if you give a response like I work too hard or something like that, the employee’s just gonna be like, well, why are you here? Like, just answer the question honestly.
Dacia:
Right.
Sarlie:
And it shows that you don’t really have that self-awareness as well, and they want someone who is self-aware and knows what they struggle with and can improve on and what their strengths are as well. So that’s really important.
Jeff:
I wanna back up just a little bit. We were talking about what type of interview it may be, whether it be virtual, or being a video recording. I highly suggest, and it’s very important to understand the technology that you’re using, whether you’re using Zoom or Teams, you wanna be able to know that your headphones are working, your microphone’s working, your speakers are working. We talked about the location and everything like that, whether the camera’s on you, but you wanna do a test run of this. Do a mock interview virtually with a friend or something, so you can test this out and they can give you feedback and familiarize yourself with seeing which microphone is being used. Find the settings and go in and make sure these are set up right. And once it’s all set up, leave it that way. But you know, like anybody else, you may set it up and three days later you have a Teams meeting, then you have a Zoom meeting or you have something else, you wanna make sure the day of the interview to go through a test run an hour before or a half hour before, so you have time to work out some kinks in it or something, and just do a test run to ensure that you’re ready and well prepared. Oh, and be sure to look at that invite to that right away so you know if it is on Zoom or Teams as well, ‘cause that’s good to know.
Sarlie:
Yeah, that’s a really good point.
Dacia:
Yeah. And I really would recommend using some sort of headset or microphone or something, not the system, because a lot of times when you’re talking, if you’re not right up next to your computer they can’t hear you or it’s jumbled. Make sure you have the right equipment. It’s so important to do that ahead of time to just get that set up and you know, the people that you do that with don’t necessarily have to be right there. You can Zoom a friend or Teams in another state or another country or wherever.
Jeff:
Yeah, and they can square you off right away, whether you have to lower your chair or move to the left or right and position yourself. Get your key location set and super glue everything down into that right spot right there. No, but as I mentioned before, having the confidence is very important and going through that mock setup like at 9:00 AM if your interview’s at 10:00 AM with a friend, will relieve you of the worry of everything’s gonna work. so you can just slide right into that interview and lessen the nerves, as you mentioned, Sarlie, that come with the job interview process in itself. So having the relief of knowing that everything’s working is one more piece to help you with the confidence.
Sarlie:
Yeah, definitely. I think one of those things that people will think about is going to an interview early if it’s a face-to-face interview, but I think it’s also good if you’re having a virtual interview to try and log in a little bit early. So as Jeff mentioned, it’s good to test it beforehand, the morning of or the day of. But even if you just try and log on to whatever the meeting is being hosted on, whether it’s Zoom or Google or whatever it is, just try and log in a little bit early because I’ve had so many experiences where I’ve had an important business meeting and I use Zoom or other software every single day, and then the day of the meeting just, I don’t know what happened, but all the technology just doesn’t wanna work. So even if you’re very comfortable with using it and you’re like, no, I know how to use it, still try and log on a bit early so you can troubleshoot any problems that might happen because it still does happen, even if you are quite confident with using that software.
Dacia:
Technology can be great, but it can also be finicky and it can just stir you up at the last minute. It’s also good anyways to log on a couple minutes early just because you never know if their clocks are the same as yours, and so you don’t wanna appear late, even if you’re not.
Sarlie:
Yeah, that’s a good point. I never really thought about that before, but that’s a really good point.
Dacia:
I mean, the worst that’s gonna happen if you try to log in a few minutes early, it’s going to tell you that the host hasn’t started the meeting yet, and will log you in when they attend, you know, sign on. So it’s not gonna be really bad if you get in early.
Sarlie:
Yeah, definitely.
Jeff:
It’s just a good feeling, you know, you’re all set up, your environment is set up, meaning that your door is shut, your windows are shut, so you don’t have some lawn mowers going off and your fans aren’t blowing. It’s a good feeling to sit there and you know, you’re three minutes early and you’re just patiently waiting to start the interview. That’s a relief, knowing that you’re not late.
Sarlie:
Yeah, you have everything ready to go. You can even go over your questions again and your responses or go through the job ad just beforehand if you have a few minutes just to sit and wait, or just do something that helps you feel more calm and collected. So I know before a job interview, I’ve spoken to a lot of clients about doing things like listening to music or this will be, you know, maybe like half an hour before, maybe not as you’re sitting waiting on the meeting for the people to rock up, but maybe listen to music or if you feel like you need to get rid of some nervous energy, you can, you know, go for a little walk or just do anything that you feel helps you calm your nerves and gets you into a really good space beforehand is a really good thing to do as well.
Dacia:
And make sure to use the bathroom.
Sarlie:
Yeah. Yeah.
Dacia:
You wanna use the restroom plenty of time before your interview, just in case.
Jeff:
Good point. And I highly suggest that you learn how your Do Not Disturb works. Make sure you have Do Not Disturb on. Make sure your phone is out of reach, out of sight. It can be distracting, and make sure you’re on mute. All those little precautionary things, ‘cause I’ve been in situations where I can hear system sounds come through from people ‘cause their email’s coming through. I shut off my email once I’m in that job interview. If you get there a little early, go over, make sure you close down your other programs so they’re not running, they’re not attracting any attention, bells, whistles and buzzes and stuff like that. So putting your phone out of reach is a good thing ‘cause I don’t like anything near me. I will fidget and I just like to clean up my area so I can fully concentrate on the job interview.
Dacia:
It could throw you off as well too, so you have your phone sitting there next to you, and it might be on silent or might be on vibrate, but you can feel that vibration and that you know that you just got a text or you know that you just got an email, you know that you just got a phone call, and you don’t wanna be tempted to look at that. You know, really, you’re not gonna be in the interview that long, so any of that stuff can wait. So it shouldn’t be anywhere near you to distract you. Especially, you know, you could be answering questions and you’re doing really good, and then the next thing you know, you get a text message coming through, you know you get a text message running through and then you lose your train of thought.
Jeff:
Yeah. Be prepared. Any distraction, especially for me, I know I will fidget, I will do all that stuff. So be prepared so you can listen and give your utmost attention to the job interview that’s happening.
Sarlie:
One thing which hasn’t really been mentioned yet is I think we kind of alluded to, you know, if you’re in a job interview, then the employer or the hiring manager or recruiter, whoever’s doing the process, already thinks that you are qualified and have the skills for the job. But one thing that I wanted to mention just on top of that, because they’re gonna be interviewing a lot of people with similar skills and experience, that’s when it can become really important to try and build that rapport with the interviewer, because they obviously want to work with someone who they like and get along well with. So building rapport can be really important, and you can do that- the formal interview starts, often when you log in, they might ask, how was your day? So if you can try and make a little bit of small talk before they jump into the questions, that can be really good. Also, the question, can you please tell me a bit about yourself, which is quite common, that’s a really good time, as mentioned earlier, to really showcase your skills and how amazing you are. But then you can also, at the very end of that answer, I always suggest talking a little bit about your interests and that sort of thing, or your hobbies, because that could also help build a connection with you and the interviewer. I’ve had a lot of times where I’ve mentioned, you know, where I grew up, or I mentioned very briefly an interest or a hobby that I have, and then the employers ask me more questions about it, or they’ve had similar interests, so it can really help build that connection, which can be really important as well.
Dacia:
And those connections are what they’re gonna remember. When you go and you interview a bunch of people, when I’ve interviewed people for positions, when it comes to their actual answers, you know, I have to go back to my notes with every single person. It’s those type of interactions that I remember Those are the things that stick out.
Sarlie:
You remember how you feel when you’re around someone. So if you can, you know, have a really good conversation with someone and it flows and you know, you’re just talking, even if it’s not work related before your interview starts, if the person who is doing the interview asks you questions about your personal life, what you’re interested in, what you got up to on the weekend, then really lean into that because then that can help them really remember you and build that kind of fun energy between the two of you.
Dacia:
That’s a really good point. I’m glad you brought that up.
Jeff:
Yeah. This may be an interview for you, you know, you’re scoping out a company, but remember you are scoping out this company too, so you are interviewing this company as well. Take note of how you receive their information, what they’re about, and make sure this is the way you really want for fit. So you’re actually interviewing the company as well, so just don’t go in it like it’s a one-way street. You’re actually checking out this company that you may be committing to for years to come.
Sarlie:
Yeah, that’s a really good point. It’s- interviews are, even though a lot of people think it’s about the interviewer deciding whether you are the right person for the job, which is true, it’s also an opportunity for you to decide whether you actually wanna work there, because maybe you don’t think it’s the best fit for you after going to the interview, and preparing questions to ask the interviewer is also really important. A lot of the times they’ll ask at the end if you have any questions for them, and a lot of my clients, when I first start working with them, they’ll say, oh no, I don’t have any question, because they think that that shows that they’re confident and they know about the job, but actually it can often give them the opposite impression. So if you ask questions to the employer, then it shows that you are really keen and excited about the job and wanna know more. So it’s really good to prepare a few questions before you go into the interview and make sure that they’re well thought out questions, not really general questions or things that you can find from a quick Google search about the company. You wanna try and find something that shows that you’ve really thought about the role, or maybe done a little bit of research or something about the company that shows that you’re really interested in any projects they’re working on or what they’ve done in the past, anything that shows you have that extra knowledge and interest in the company.
Dacia:
I usually tell people to have like four questions-ish, because inevitably the employer’s going to answer a couple of those during the interview, but you never wanna ask more than like two or three, three at the very most. To have more than that ready, just in case they do answer your questions during the interview.
Jeff:
Sarlie, you mentioned something really important here, research. Check out the mission statement. Go onto their website and look at the press releases and information about it because this is information that you might gather that might be one of those good questions that help build a rapport with the interviewer.
Sarlie:
Yeah, definitely. It can leave a really good impression with the interviewer. So looking at, as you mentioned, articles, like news stories, or even if you go onto LinkedIn and look at their LinkedIn page, you can see things that they’re posting about. So they might have had events happen recently, or they might have been working on a fundraising project, or they might have hired a new, I don’t know, new board member or something. So that can help you to find things to ask them about as well. And just the more you know about the company, the better chance you’re gonna have, because they’re probably gonna ask you what do you know about our company as well, but that will come through even if they don’t ask that question, just your knowledge of the company and what they do can really help you during the interview process.
Dacia:
I definitely agree with that.
Jeff:
Yeah. This is preparation for the job interview and once you’re in the job interview, there’s a few more things and then the follow-up for the job interview. So there’s a lot more that we can dive into and we probably will do that on the next episode of Job Insights. So Dacia Vanalstine, thank you so much for joining us.
Dacia:
Thanks for having me.
Jeff:
And Sarlie Drakos, thank you as well.
Sarlie:
Thank you. Until next time.
Jeff:
And for more podcasts with a blindness perspective, check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com, on Twitter @BlindAbilities, and download the free Blind Abilities app from the App Store and Google Play Store. That’s two words, blind abilities. And if you want to leave some feedback, give us some suggestions, give us a call at 612-367-6093. We’d love to hear from you. A big shout out to Chee Chau for his beautiful music. You can follow Chee Chau on Twitter @lcheechau. And from all of us here at Blind Abilities, through these challenging times, stay well, stay informed and stay strong. I want to thank you for listening, and until next time, bye-bye.
[Music] [Transition noise] -When we share
-What we see
-Through each other’s eyes…
[Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence]
…We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities.