How To Interview Better | @MargaretBuj on The #SocialRecruiting Show

Taking Control of the Interview Process and Interview Better

This week’s guest was Margaret Buj. She bought tons of advice on how to interview better. So how do we improve our interview technique?  She also exposed a few myths about interview best practices. With over 13 years of experience as an Interview Coach, she knows how to set individuals on a path to repeatable interview success.   

“There are so many people that are qualified and have a good experience, and yet, they are just not that good at selling themselves.”

As a result, we jump straight onto the topic of discussing achievements within an interview.  Margaret says, “I’ve had so many clients say I don’t want to boast about myself or come across as arrogant”. However, she thinks “there is a difference between coming across as confident or coming across as arrogant”. After all, “you are just being factual”.

Focusing on how recruiters can present themselves when applying and interviewing for opportunities,

“There are metrics you can use. Like the number of roles you have filled, types of positions filled, time to hire, the percentage of direct recruitment filled”.

In short, know your numbers and be prepared to discuss them at the interview stage.

 The fundamentals of interview preparation

We ask Margaret for the fundamentals of interview preparation and  “of course you can check the company website”. However, “you should be looking at their news, check their financial reports, look at any 3rd party commentary on the organisation. Look at their social media profiles, and look at Glassdoor to see what current and previous employees say about the company”.

Discussing how the dynamic changes if the interviewer isn’t particularly experienced. 

“They might not ask you the questions you have prepared for”. In this scenario, “you need to have prepared before the interview and decided what it is you want them to know about you”. Furthermore, “you need to find a way to weave that into your answers”.

Margaret also advises not to overlook preparing to discuss “what do you bring to the table”. At interview, “it’s so important to prepare examples and stories. The more examples you have that you have where you can demonstrate you’ve added value, the higher your chances are” of securing that role!

If that wasn’t enough, below you’ll hear Margaret talk about:

• Be comfortable discussing your achievements
• How can recruiters interview better  
• Preparing for out-of-the-box interview questions 
• Interviewing based on company culture and values
• Requesting feedback as payment for your time 
• Answering challenging questions and being honest about failure

Thank you to our fabulous sponsor EnterpriseAlumni