Over the past few years I have conducted hundreds of interviews. This includes face-to-face, phone, and even skype. Being on the interviewing side of the table gives you a whole new awareness of what interviewers are expecting to hear from an applicant. Here are a few things I’ve learned.

Here are five things an interviewer typically won’t tell you:

1. There usually isn’t much of a plan going into the interview. Interviewers are typically managers who have lots of meetings. They are often coming to your interview from another meeting. Their head isn’t in the game, and they’re likely not too prepared. What this means for you is that they are going to throw out a bunch of random questions. By quickly presenting your portfolio at the beginning your bring focus to the interview and control the conversation.
2. Please keep your answers short. Most candidates are nervous to some degree. Being nervous usually causes them to ramble. Interviewers get bored easy, so rambling doesn’t help you. As a general rule, keep your answers to 60 seconds or less unless otherwise indicated. If they want to know more they can always ask a follow up question.
3. Tell me a story. Please don’t just tell me that you have a dynamic personality or that you’re good at working in teams. Everybody says that. Prove it to me by telling me a short and engaging story. Get to the meat.
4. Don’t ask what the day in the life of position x looks like. Again, everybody asks that. You look pretty average when you look that question. Instead ask something more focused that shows that you’ve already researched the company and the job.
5. Don’t ask when they’re going to make a decision. The hiring process typically requires many interviews and approvals from management. Regardless of what an interviewer tells you, it probably won’t be accurate. Asking only sets you up for disappointment and makes them feel guilty. Instead, just tell them that you’re very interested in the opportunity and that you’ll wait to hear back from them.

There are lots of other nuances to the interviewing process. Let’s get together and talk about what other things we can do to help you get ready for your next big interview.