At this point, most of us know you shouldn’t bring your dad to your interview (something one of our candidates did once!), but you may or may not know that you shouldn’t show up with an iced coffee in hand or swirl it while you’re talking. We’ve talked to our recruiting team and put together some of their top tips for how to interview!

Be Mindful of Your Environment

Beth Kitzinger, vice president at Chaloner, urges candidates to be on time and test their technology beforehand. Both are easy ways to make sure you aren’t accidentally presenting yourself badly before you’ve even had a chance to speak. Make sure you’re not somewhere with a lot of background noise or where there’s a lot of activity happening around you. 

Ask Questions

Amy Segelin, partner and co-leader of the mission-driven practice here at Chaloner, said if you’re really stumped about what to wear, ask your contact what their attire policy is. (You can also check out our blog post: Ditch the Suit: Confidence Over Conformity When Dressing for Your Next Interview!) It’s also ok to ask about the full interview process.

Do Your Research

Jenn Saldarelli, vice president and executive recruiter at Chaloner, encourages candidates to be prepared. For in-person interviews, make sure to bring copies of your resume. Look up bios and LinkedIn profiles of the people you’ll be interviewing with in advance with a focus on shared experiences and mutual connections. 

Similarly, Beth recommends doing your research on the organization itself. Go in ready to mention some news, facts, and/or observations. Don’t say it’s all great either if they ask you about their materials. You need to be able to show up with a point of view, including critical feedback. This is a chance to demonstrate your knowledge and the value you can add to their team. 

Bring Questions

All of our Chaloner recruiters agree that you need to have questions prepared. None of the questions should ask them repeat information they’ve already told you, and they need to be more in-depth than just “what is the next step in the process?” and “what is the timing of this search?” You have to have more substantial questions about the role, goal, success metrics, challenges the organization is facing, or the position. You can always ask the interviewer what made them join the organization. 

Write a Thank You Note

Beth and Jenn also flagged the necessity of sending a thank you email. Be ready to send a follow-up within 24 hours (although ideally sooner, within 12 hours if possible). Send individual thank you notes even if you interviewed with a group of people! Many of our clients won’t advance candidates to the next round until they’ve received a thank you note. 

We hope these tips help you as you prepare for your next interview. Looking for more resources on interviewing? Check out the article we partnered with PRSA on: Lights, Camera, Interview. 

Elizabeth

Elizabeth Houde is a Project Manager at Chaloner. After graduating from Guilford College where they majored in English and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and minored in communications, Elizabeth started their career in New York City in publishing as an editorial coordinator.