After applying to a few positions, having an interview sometimes feels like a rare occasion when competition is so high. So if you have managed to secure yourself an interview (even if the outcome wasn’t the one you wanted) is still the opportunity to learn about the entire process. Remember that interviews are a way for you to get to know a company aside from their projects and website, as people. We can get so consumed about making the best first impression that we forget that it is for both sides, not just the candidate that is making an impression. Whether done via zoom or in-person you still need to prepare for them. In this week’s article, as I look back at unsuccessful job interviews here are five things I wish I knew before my first job interview.
Arrange a time for an interview that suits you and the employer
In this current climate, as you send out countless applications an email for an interview can send you into panic mode for a number of reasons. You don’t have a portfolio ready. And it is too short of a notice to prepare for. I know what you are thinking, you really want this job and you want to show your eagerness for this role so you accept the given time and date realising that you aren’t prepared for it. If there is an option to pick a given time that is reasonable for both you and the employer interviewing you, you will save yourself the stress of being unprepared. You’ll never feel completely ready for most things but being prepared will give you some confidence to go through with it.
If you have work experience work, show it at the beginning of your portfolio
Mentioning that you’ve had work experience (short term or long-term) in your CV should be evidenced in your portfolio. With appropriate annotation and in line with the house style (theme) of the rest of your portfolio, you want to show that you’ve produced work or used software within a professional environment. I say show the work at the beginning because you are applying in the context of working in a professional environment, sure you might have the design skills they are looking for in your university projects, but they want to see that you can work in a professional context. Although there are various ways to go about organising your portfolio, having your recent work first or industry work in a category will help you organise your thoughts as you present your body of work. Make sure you can understand your own work in a concise and clear order to make talking about it easier when nerves can be at an all-time high.
Don’t downplay any of your skills, achievements or work
If you’ve gotten to the interview stage then you should realise that they liked what they saw in your application. If you have demonstrated the skills on your CV or portfolio, don’t focus on what you don’t have as skills even if they ask you. Being honest about what you do have as skills is what you should focus on. You are the only person who can talk for you, don’t underestimate or lie about knowing a programme or how to do a particular design skill if you don’t. Unless they haven’t mentioned it in the job description, don’t expect to always be able to know why they use a particular software if you haven’t worked for them to begin with. If you have the design skills they are asking for then be confident in your ability to use them. If they mention that they can provide training being honest puts you in a better position than being dishonest. You’ll always be learning so showing you have the design ability but also the willingness to work on the skills you don’t have is important especially if you haven’t had experience before as a Part 1.
Pay attention to the interviewer during and after the interview
You want what you are talking about whether on your CV or portfolio, to be engaging for the interviewer. Keeping an eye on the body language or responsiveness of the interviewer is a great indication for you to speed up or slow down to particular points of discussion. If your interview is via a zoom call you’ve got to make sure that you are being as interactive as you can, as it can be more difficult to read body language so making sure that your set up isn’t hindering you and that you are pacing yourself well will help you out. Making sure that you speak clearly and indicate what programmes you’ve used throughout the portfolio is a good way to make sure that you’ve shown your application of software in a design process. As you get towards the end, if you’ve prepared questions to ask (which you should always have) paying attention to the answers that they give, because not only will this allow you even more insight, you’ll be able to come up with even more relevant questions and show that you have been listening to the interviewer. Listening is a great skill to have and this comes in handy when you have prepared to ask with the intention of getting an answer and not to simply talk about yourself in the interview.
Follow up with an email for feedback especially if the outcome wasn’t successful
The relief of a completed interview feels so much like the end of presenting your crit. As long as you have done your best, you should be proud because if you don’t get the job you’ve got the experience to do better next time around. Should you wait for a response? If they have mentioned a time frame that they will get back to you it would be sensible to wait for a response. If there was no mention of a time frame, emailing a response and thank you follow-up email is a way of ending on a positive note even before you are told whether they got the position or not. If you do receive the outcome and you weren’t successful this is a good time to ask for feedback, show that you are keen on improving yourself. You never really know whether they have the time to respond with feedback but it's worth trying as they might provide you with feedback that you can work from for the next time you do get an interview.
There may be a lot of silence in the process after being interviewed. Some companies are good with responding to candidates and others not so much. Although this may seem disheartening especially with the effort you make to prepare for it, but there are many things out of your control, and sometimes it might not be the right practice or job role for you. Understanding that things take time and that eventually if you do your best, you’ll find a role and an employer that is right for you.