Ten tips for a perfect job interview

As long as it comes to sending a resume, the situation remains under control. Of course, you have to understand how to set it, what to write and what to omit, but while we press the enter key we still feel safe from a possible judgmental look. The speech changes when it comes, if it does, the time for the interview. Whether in person or on a digital platform, at that point the eyes of the recruiter or head hunter unequivocally rest on us. And giving in to agitation and stress is all too easy.

The solution? Arrive prepared. Thus not only do you increase your chances of being hired, but you also reduce the anxiety of the interview and increase that self confidence which all candidates are eager to show. This is assured by Gioia and Guenda Novena, founders of the startup Nextopp, a unique Italian digital platform born at the beginning of 2021 which on the one hand offers companies the search and selection service of personnel (Nextopp Recruiting) and on the other teaches professionals of all ages to prepare for an interview and to search work (Netxtopp Learning). «We are trying to make people understand the importance of the concept of preparation for the job interview. In Italy it is taken very lightly, but it is a stressful situation in which, if you are not prepared, insecurity and the risk of responding impulsively increase ”, explains Guenda.

The two sisters have different paths behind them that find perfect complementarity in Nextopp: Gioia is a professional and certified head hunter with years of experience in research and selection of personnel in international contexts, Guenda is head hunter and has worked in the world of marketing, events and communication. According to the two experts – and this is the basic principle on which the Nextopp Learning video courses were built – those looking for work today “must have two skills: knowing how headhunters and recruiters select candidates and knowing how to communicate well, or knowing how to do personal branding “. Gioia continues: «The de facto interview is the time you have available to put your strategic communication into the streets. If you don’t know how to create your storytelling you can also have all the technical skills you need, but then maybe a candidate will pass you by who, with the same technical skills, has been able to perform better at a communicative level “.

The term personal branding – which in fact indicates the strategies implemented to promote oneself and one’s skills – sometimes makes you turn up your nose, but it’s time to clear it. More: to recognize its potential. “In America, the idea of ​​learning personal branding and using it for job hunting is already cleared,” says Guenda. «In Italy there is still a prejudice on the subject: if you do personal branding, it seems that you ‘pull it off’. It is not so”. On the practical side, they explain, personal branding means creating and sharing content, especially on LinkedIn, which allows you to position yourself as experts in your role and sector. “There are candidates who do it well and who tell us that recruiters and HR have invited them to the interview already knowing about them and their skills. This is a great advantage over candidates who send their CV, but of which there is no trace online ».

In addition to these aspects, how to prepare and how to face a job interview? There are many practical tips (often ignored, the Novena sisters assure) that increase the chances of success and help you to live the experience serenely and expressing your potential to the fullest. Here are some suggested by Nextopp experts.

1. Know the history of the company you are interviewing for

It may seem trivial, but it is not at all: in interviews it often happens that candidates are not very informed on this front. And it shows. Absolutely yes, therefore, looking for information on the sector and on the company by viewing the official website, social channels and any other material available online (videos, interviews with managers, etc.). “This not only allows you to be prepared and make a good impression in front of those who are selecting, but also to intercept information on the company’s culture”.

2. If you can, try to figure out who will be interviewing you

Know the background of the person conducting the interview. “If you have to be interviewed for an IT Director position, so you have to manage all the company’s information technology systems, it is important that you know if the recruiter who will select you in the first step was an IT Director in the past or has always done the recruiter », explains Gioia Novena. In the first case you can use a very technical language, in the second no. Even looking for the recruiter on LinkedIn before the interview should not be perceived as a strange or intrusive thing: “You may find that you both worked in the same company years before, studied Russian … These are subtleties, but they can help break the ice. »Adds Guenda.

3. Predict the questions (and prepare the answers)

«Look at the job description and the skills that are required. Start from here to imagine what questions could be asked and formulate 15 lines of answers »suggests Gioia. Do the same with standard interview questions, such as the classic “Tell me about her”. The answer can be difficult: «People begin to range from work, to private life, to travel, to a passion for animals …. everything. There it is evident that the candidate has not mentally structured the things to say. My advice is to prepare a strategic response that will strengthen us as professionals with respect to the application », clarifies Guenda. In short, it makes sense to structure an answer that, beyond the minimum information on the academic and professional path, highlights in particular the experiences (working and not) that are in line with the position for which one is applying. More rare, but possible in some contexts, is the question that asks you to indicate the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate: the advice, in this case, is to respond by giving concrete examples, without remaining vague.

4. Practice speaking as if you were in front of an investor

Once you have imagined the questions and formulated the strategic answers, you literally have to train yourself to expose them aloud, as if you were «in front of a customer to whom you need to sell or an investor to whom your startup is presented. We see the interview like this: let’s face it, it’s pure performance! ».

5. If you are changing jobs, be prepared to explain

Another common question, for which it is useful to study an ad hoc answer, is: why do you want to leave the company you are in? The advice of Nextopp’s experts is to avoid impulsive replication, criticizing bosses, colleagues, collaborators or corporate strategy. Better to respond positively and focus not on the past (what doesn’t work or doesn’t like now) but on the future (what you want for your career, what you look for in your new job opportunity …).

6. Don’t know an answer? Don’t go around it

A frequent mistake, often dictated by agitation – and from which not even the most experienced managers are saved! – is to miss the answer to a question. “We often find ourselves asking the same question three times and it is very annoying. It is better to say that you are not knowledgeable about a certain point, if you really can’t find anything to say ”, explain the experts.

7. Do not describe your duties in a generic way

It is good to be specific and comprehensive (but not verbose!) When it comes to work. “I deal with social media management” sounds excessively generic if it is not followed by a simple but effective: “I coordinate with the marketing director and specifically I take care of developing the contents for Instagram and Facebook”. Again, structuring the answer in advance is of great help.

8. Don’t go too far in replying

There is no need to add too many details, especially if they are not required and superfluous. The ability to summarize is a much appreciated quality, but in addition to this it must be remembered that the recruiter and the head hunter must interview tens or hundreds of candidates and do not have an infinite time to carry out our interview.

9. At the end of the interview, evaluate the pros and cons

“Everyone, after an interview, should get a table of pros and cons,” explains Guenda Novena. The one between company and candidate must be a perfect match, but the agreement must be triggered by both parties and it may be that, during the interview, one becomes aware of attitudes or aspects of the corporate culture that annoy. Take the case of questions about age, religious and political orientation or the intention to have children: in theory they should not be asked in the interview, but it could happen. “An HR department of a structured company does not ask them, but it may be that they occur in contexts where the interview is done by the office manager, the CEO or the founder,” explains Gioia. “The fact that they are asked should set off an alarm bell in the candidate if he feels deeply touched by the question. I am not for angry responses or pointing out that these are illegal questions. I would respond normally, but then I would reject any job offer by giving feedback ».

10. Wait for feedback and then give yours

After the interview, allow time for the recruiter or head hunter to screen your application – it could take days or weeks. You can send a follow-up email (perhaps as early as the day after the interview) and then, after a few weeks, another email to ask for feedback, if it hasn’t arrived. It is a good idea to notify via email if you are no longer interested in the job offer or if you are accepting or evaluating other offers in the meantime. Last, but not least, any refusal must be given due weight: “We often say this to candidates, even if it is not easy to make them understand: if you do not pass an interview, it does not mean that you have a negative stamp”, they conclude. the experts. “There are many factors why companies reject candidates, not necessarily because they are not valid.”