Job Interview Tips

I had the chance to participate in a panel to help students at the local tech college get an IT job by providing the perspective of an employer – I thought I’d try to impart all of the pieces I remembered from all of the panel members (including myself).

Applying for a Job

Minimum skills lists are wish lists
- Similar skills are close enough
- A good employer will help quality candidates fill in gaps!
If you’re interested in the job – apply for it!
- There are a ton of unfilled IT jobs nationwide!
Technical skills can be taught, soft-skills (or “power skills” if you’re pretentiously inclined) are much harder to come by
If you’ve got interests related to your profession, start a blog/YouTube channel/write about it on LinkedIn and point to it in your resume

Crafting a Resume

Spend a lot of time on your resume
- This is your first impression
Keep your resume to a single page
- A full CV is for full work/education history
Focus on making your resume easy to read
- Use headings to break up text
- Avoid creating giant blocks of text
- Be concise
- Don’t use technical jargon – the first person to read your resume will probably be HR
Have a lot of people read your resume
Focus on experience relevant to the job you’re applying for
List some hobbies/accomplishments outside of work/school
Try to imagine being the person reading your resume and write it accordingly

Submitting a Resume

If submitting a resume in person:
- Be polite to the person you’re handing your resume to
- Print your resume on heavier paper
- A subtle off-white color will help stand out
If submitting a resume via a job site:
- Preview an uploaded resume to verify formatting
- Use common formats: PDF, doc/docx, rtf
If there’s a cover letter option:
- Write a cover letter!
- Pay attention to who it should be addressed to
- Emphasize why you want to the job and what you can do for the company in the job

Preparing for an Interview

Do research on the company you’re applying to
- Learn what they do some bits about the history of the company
- If you know the name of the person interviewing you, look them up on LinkedIn!
- How do they dress?
Prepare a list of questions about working for the company
Find out how many people will interviewing you and prepare extra copies of your resume accordingly
Be ready to provide a demo of your skills such as being able to write pseudo code or answer technical questions on the fly
If doing a virtual interview pay attention to the background
- Do what you can to to keep background distractions from interfering
Do research on salary ranges for the same/similar job titles in the same area

Interviewing

If possible, take a power nap prior to the interview
Pay attention to grooming:
- Shower
- Clean face/shave
- Wear deodorant/antiperspirant
- Go EASY on cologne/perfume!
- Brush your teeth!
- If your eyes are red, use some eye drops to clear them up
Dress a cut above the dress code, if t-shirt and jeans is the norm, wear a collared shirt slacks, collared shirts, wear shirt a shirt and tie
Arrive 5-10 minutes early
Make sure your phone is set to silent or leave it in your car
Don’t chew gum!
Listen to something to put you in a good mood prior to the interview
When answering questions:
- Breathe slowly to control your stress level
- Pause for a moment and construct an answer
- Avoid filler words like “uhhhh”, “ummmm”, and “like”
- Focus on controlling your rate, pitch, and tone of voice – slow and low, with an authoritative but not aggressive tone
Have a portfolio/notepad on hand to take notes during the interview
- Take down names and questions that come to mind
Ask your questions that you prepped/came up with
Ask about next steps in the process!
Let your passion for the job come through!

Post-Interview

If there were questions you didn’t ask/forgot to ask, call back or follow-up via email!
Using the notes you took, hand-write some thank you notes to those that interviewed you
- If you can’t send a note, write a thank you email, or call back and thank the interviewer(s) for their time