Your Progress

Week 8 :Ace Your Interviews REMOTELY

Charming Your Audience is Just Another Way of Interviewing

Play Video about Two magicians shaking hands after the job interview, one having a trick up his sleeve

Video Time: 6 Minutes Action Time: 10 Minutes

Video Time: 6 Minutes

Action Time: 10 Minutes

Now that you understand the unique obstacles you may face interviewing remotely, it’s time to learn step-by-step how to ace an interview from your living room.

How to Ace Your Remote Interview: Prepare, Practice, Connect

An interview from your living room. An interview is not like a trip to Disney World as a kid, where you just show up and have fun. It’s like a trip to Disney World as an adult-it requires research and planning , or you won’t be able to get on Space Mountain. In the case of your interview, Space Mountain is the job. There are three main steps to acing your remote interview: preparation, practice, and connection.

Step One - Preparation: It's an Interview, Not an Improv Troup

If you want to have a super interview, you’ll want to be super prepared. You’ll want to be knowledgeable about the company you’re interviewing with and the position you’re applying for. So, it’s time to start researching! Pull up the job listing you applied through, the company website, and the company’s LinkedIn, and follow these steps:

1Search for keywords in the job listing, such as “organized” or “collaborative”.

These give you ainsight into what qualities they are searching for. Make a list of the qualities you find! You can then refer back to these qualities during the interview by giving examples of how you represent them.

2Next, check out the company’s website and LinkedIn.
Look for an “about us” tab or their “mission statement,” if there are any promotional videos, WATCH THEM. This will help you gain an understanding of the company’s values. Add these values to your list from step one.

3Now that you have a list of the company’s values and the qualities they’re searching for, highlight any that applies to you!
For example, if they’re searching for someone who is “tech-savvy,” and they value “giving back to the planet” and you’re streaming this through your VR goggles while sitting in your garden, you have those qualities and values.

4Use all the information you have to predict what kind of questions they will ask you.
Since you are applying for a remote position, they may ask you questions to gauge your self motivatation and communication skills.

1Search for keywords in the job listing, such as “organized” or “collaborative”.

Step Two - Practice: Practice Makes Job Offers

By now, that job listing is burned into the back of your eyelids, and you can reenact the company’s “about us” video in your sleep. You know what they’re going to ask, so start coming up with answers.

1Take those values and qualities that you identified and think of examples from your life that relate.
Yes, you can say I’m very resourceful, and they’ll probably believe you. But, if you tell them about the time you saved your team from a witch using only a bucket of water, then you’ve proved how resourceful you can be. (But remember to use examples from your life, not Dorothy’s. Trust me, mentioning any kind of magic slipper will be a dead give-away.)

2Find ways to work those examples into the list of questions you’ve created for yourself.

3Practice. Out. Loud. Interviewers are not mind-readers.
But even if they were, they’re probably looking to hire someone who can articulate their ideas. So don’t just let your ideas sit in your brain. Make sure they can come out of your mouth too.

4Enlist a buddy to practice with.
Practicing in front of a mirror is great, but talking to another person will better simulate an interview and allows you to ask for feedback.

5While practicing your 35 questions, find ways to “throwback” those questions at the interviewer.
For example, if you are asked “What strengths do you have that will help you in this position?” after your answer, ask “What strengths are you searching for with your team members?” Know you can focus your answers on showcasing how you have those strengths.

2Find ways to work those examples into the list of questions you’ve created for yourself.

4Enlist a buddy to practice with.
Practicing in front of a mirror is great, but talking to another person will better simulate an interview and allows you to ask for feedback.

Here’s a Conversation that Utilizes Throwback Questions

Another throwback question you can practice before your interview regards one of the most intimidating numbers you’ll ever see—the salary (cue Psycho music). But don’t worry. It won’t be as intimidating if you’ve done your research and have the average salary for that position etched into your brain. We’ll teach you about salary offers and negotiations later in the program, but if the interviewer brings up the salary at all, throw it back at them. Have them make the first offer, and go from there.

Here’s a Conversation that Utilizes Throwback Questions

6Prepare for the “Tell me about yourself” question.
We all have to answer this question eventually, so be ready. Don’t just recite your resume (they’ve read it). Tell them what’s unique about you that drew you to the position. You didn’t just zoom bomb this interview. Prove to them that you’re passionate about the position and the company. And add something fun about yourself too, it makes you feel more like a human and less like a job-seeking missile.

7Practice using the platform your interview is on.
The better you know the app, the less likely you will make a mistake, like making an embarrassing picture of you into your background mid-interview. In fact, be safe and delete all of those photos before the interview.

Step Three - Connect: They Say "Hire your Friends"

Making a connection with your interviewer is the most important part of an interview. The whole reason is to get to know each other! Interviews shouldn’t feel like filling out a questionnaire at the dentist’s office—and you should probably be more honest with your interviewer than you are when your dentist asks you how often you floss.

1Follow any social media accounts that the company has, especially their LinkedIn.
This shows that you’re a fan of their work without you having to wear a foam finger to your interview. Unless you are interviewing to be a seat filler for The Mets a foam finger probably isn’t the best interview attire.

2Look up your interviewer on LinkedIn.

See if you can learn more about what they do with the company or any of their achievements. If an OSCAR winner is interviewing you, you’d probably want to know.

3Come up with questions to ask at the end of your interview to fuel your interviewer’s conversation.

Maybe even let them talk about themselves for a second. If this would be your first remote position, ask for their advice! What do they love about remote work? What makes them successful?

4During your interview, try to find things you and your interviewer have in common, like a hobby or a place you’ve lived.

Building personal connections with your interviewer will help them to see you as the awesome human you are instead of just a resume in a stack. But, make it natural. No need to memorize the exact dates and times they made posts on LinkedIn. Stalker alert!