My career has been a wild ride. I quit my first job without knowing my next step after being stiffed for a promotion with Manhattan rent looming over me. My first day of freedom, the Monday after my two weeks notice ended, I was working out on the elliptical at Planet Fitness and received a call from a recruiter: I was being offered a promotion and a 37% raise to work for an ad agency downtown (it’s the agency Mad Men was based on 😉 ).
I’ve job hopped a lot, which allowed me to make six figures by 27. I had 6 jobs in the first 7 years of my career. I was laid off from 3 of them and quit 2.
When I’m asked for advice on how to advance ones career in today’s world, my first nugget of wisdom is to have no loyalty (why should I when companies don’t?) and job hop to your heart’s content. That’s how I got where I am today and is one of the big reasons I’m on track to retire next year. I never got comfortable and if I found some corporate bullshit that was intolerable – I left and found something better.
Friends have told me that it’s not that easy to find a new job and that the one month of concentrated effort it’s always taken me is unusually short. During my last stint of funemployment, one friend pointed out why I might be an outlier.
They watched me go through a fairly standard process (for me) of prepping for an interview – it involved hours of research and 32 pages of notes. I was told this was not normal. They pointed to this diligence as a reason for my outlier status and mentioned that they usually didn’t do anything to prepare for interviews besides shower and show up. Hmm…
So I’m here to give the details on how I approach interviews in case it can help someone else shorten their job hunting time. Here’s what I do:
Create A Story
Besides having a standard elevator pitch of my career, I have also written several pages of notes describing my job history – not the specific functions I’ve performed or wins I’ve achieved like what’s described on my resume, but what I learned and how I grew from one job to the next. It’s my story and it’s the tale I weave when someone says the typical “So tell me about yourself.”
I’m not personally good ‘on the spot’, so having all this laid out makes it a lot easier for me to give that initial pitch and recall a piece of my history that applies to specific questions being asked. In addition to creating my own story, I also write stories around the company I’m interviewing with to have the answers to “Why are you interested in [Company]” and “Why do you think you’re a good fit” at the ready.
Research Everything
When I do research for anything: school, a friend or a trip I go DEEEEP. My job search is no different. I put my Columbo hat on and get into it!
Here’s my usual research process for the company as a whole:
- Read all the main pages of their website
- Read their recent employee reviews on Glassdoor (along with the Interview and Salary sections)
- Read posts on all their available social media
- Look at their employees on LinkedIn
I look through the above and take notes while I’m doing so. That’s how I’m able to build a long ass dossier about the company. I am equally as attentive to the people who will be interviewing me. First I grab a picture of them from LinkedIn or another social media site for my files, which sounds a little silly, but it helps to know if you’re sharing an elevator with a person who is about to interview you for example. Then I look for all the information I can about them online, which is often (understandably) a lot less than is available for a company. However, there’s still a lot to learn about people.
As an example of how deep into research I’ve gone in the past I was told a funny tale after being hired at my second company. Apparently I actually scared 2 people I interviewed with because I asked one about an old company he created that I found in the footnotes of one random site that mentioned his name, and asked another person about something he did in high school that was posted online…they still hired me though 😉 . They said they were more impressed with my investigative skills than they were creeped out (but they were still creeped out…). Since then, I’ve reigned in those kinds of questions, but knowing who your interviewer is, in and outside of work, helps form a connection and dive past the usual conversational fluff faster.
Ask Very Specific Questions
There are standard questions I ask companies to gather the information I need and assess if there are any red flags before continuing down the interview process. Here are examples of standard questions I ask everyone:
Company
- What brought you to [Company]?
- How would you describe the culture?
- What do you think makes [Company] unique?
Role
- What qualities does a person need to thrive here (personally and professionally)?
- How would you describe your client service style?
Account
- What is the team structure?
- How would this role fit in with the current structure?
- How would you describe the clients?
- What do you love about this account?
- What is the biggest challenge of working on the account?
- What is the biggest challenge of this brand?
Interviewer
- What are your goals for the remainder of the year?
- What are your biggest challenges right now?
- What were your biggest accomplishments recently?
- What do you like to do outside of work?
- What was your work day like on Friday?
Those are the broad strokes, but interviews happen all the time and can get very repetitive. So I then like to add in very specific questions based on the person, such as how their experience at a previous company (which I name) prepared them for this role or (if they’re a beer tour enthusiast for example) where they’re going on their next hop-filled adventure.
An interview goes both ways. Back when I thought a corporate job could bring me fulfillment I asked a lot about things that I thought were important to me, such as company culture and career growth potential. Now I ask more about things like working from home, vacation time and work/life balance.
Study Like You’re Having An Exam
Once I have all the elements above – I review the dossier I’ve created for that company over and over. I basically memorize it so I can recall specific questions and facts about the company and interviewers when we’re just chatting. I usually have a notebook with me (mostly as a power move 😉 ), but I don’t want to have my notes out or anything like that to change the casual vibe I’m trying to cultivate. Also a pro tip: the bolding used in the questions above is how I make my notes more scannable and help myself remember specific questions by triggering my memory with a specific word that’s embedded in them.
Follow Up Often
After every interview, I write thank you notes to everyone who interviewed me and include specifics from each conversation I had so these notes are more personal and less generic. I used to write these as hand written letters that I would drop off at the company, but have since gone digital. Finding the email addresses of the people who interviewed me can involve some investigative skills, but I enjoy that kind of thing.
And in case my weekly #TheAccountabilityBeast tweets didn’t give me away, I’m a bit of a persistent person. If I haven’t heard back from a recruiter or hiring manager in a week, I follow up. Oftentimes these people are just busy and having an extra nudge from me in their inbox helps speed up the process. I’ve yet to have anyone be annoyed by this kind of prodding so I’m going to keep it up 🙂 .
Conclusion
Those are my super secret and shocking tips for slaying job interviews 😉 . I hope they help you find a job that you enjoy – and quickly. Now get after it!
How do you prepare for job interviews? How long do your job searches usually take?
Where were you 17 interviews ago and a unbroken heart. I wrote 36 pages of notes for one because I, too, am not great on the spot. But it’s like I’m too afraid to say my answers. I still freeze! Or they ask the 3 questions I didn’t have a response for. Trying to think of it as a story might help… but I’m guessing not. I can’t seem to mix functions. I can either be my sociable self. Or I can be my work self- which is focused and no time for nonsense.
I look up people mostly to predict how I think the interview is going to go, but never thought to bring up my findings. Google-stalking is my favorite! You’re the second person who’s mentioned bringing up internet findings (after I’ve already interviewed).
Not sure where I was, but I’m sorry about your heart. Afraid to say your answers? Do you know why that is? I get feeling uncomfortable talking yourself up, but it’s gotta be done 🙂 . I’m with you on the questions I didn’t have a response for though overtime I just add those weird outliers to my prep document so it can never catch me off guard again. Learning experience! That’s so interesting you have a work and sociable self – it might be because of client service, but I have to be both so I’ve never thought of them as separate.
Totally bring up your findings! It sounds like you have a lot of them with all those notes and your love of Google stalking haha. Glad you heard it from someone else too – my claim has been substantiated 😉 !
As someone who just went through this on the interviewer side, I can absolutely say that you’re an outlier. But also that there’s a reason why you impress the companies you interview for.
And also a reminder why I have no interest in a new job 😂😴
Good to know 😉 . And aww shucks thank you lady. Maybe they see my neurotic tendencies and are like yep – that’s what we need in a program manager 🙂 . And fair – interviewing is tough. So much rejection – I imagine it’s a tiny taste of what it’s like to try and break into acting.
i just march in there in a dirty shirt and tell them i’m honest, capable, and fearless and they need me more than i need them.
I need to try this next time 🙂 !
Some interesting tips for sure! I’ll have to keep that in mind if I ever interview for a job again. 2010 was the last time I interviewed for a job. I was recruited for my current job based on my skills and there wasn’t really an interview at all. My current boss wanted me to replace someone who was retiring, but then when someone else left for another job, she FB messaged me to say, come on board! We talked pay, which was a raise (and later led to huge raises as the market for new talent dried up and I took on more responsibility). Nearly every job in my field was like this, because in my line of work one’s work essentially is one’s resume.
I wish someone would write a post like this for employers. The market has changed to favor workers, but you wouldn’t know it on how employers recruit. I’ve had a few reach out to me this year and they’ve either mismanaged the hiring process (one told me, after I’d been recruited, that there were no positions when I applied at the request of the CEO), or they can’t tell me the salary range, or they underpay (one told me I should consider a paycut to pursue my passion – um, I’m already in that job, and it pays more!). Many are using old recuiting forms that are a nightmare to navigate and weed people out – not wise in a employee’s market.
I guess the biggest thing that has helped me over the years is age/experience. I’ve interviewed governors, doctors, economic experts, famous musicians, authors, directors, etc; after awhile I just got to the point where I am just not intimidated. I go into interviews or the process with the attitude that they need to impress me, and would be lucky to have me. I have the experience to back it up too. I’m not arrogant about it, but confidence goes a long way.
Oh wow – that sounds like a lovely sequence of events! And that’s really cool that your work is your resume – I love that idea. Oooh that’s a great idea to write something like this for employers. I don’t have the knowledge to do so myself, but would love to read that. It routinely shocks me how some employers act. I have a giant draft post about all the weird shit I encountered during my last search. I doubt I’ll ever finish it because I don’t want to relive it despite the happy outcome…
That’s an impressive list and I LOVE the confidence! I need to act more like that 🙂 .
I’m surprised about that last line because from the post you seem like you have a pretty confident handle on things!
I can totally understand not wanting to relive it. I spent a lot of time interviewing for job in my 20s and it sucked. Blah. I guess at the time I thought the process seemed odd an unproductive, but it also hadn’t occurred to me yet that I didn’t have to participate – I could shape the interview how I wanted to. I think you illustrated some of those techniques nicely above.
I had an interview for a new job I turned down this year because the pay was too low (and would have required me to be on call – no thanks!), that went something like me making them sell me on the job. I was otherwise pretty confident in my experience and laid out what I brought to the table and after that it was all them selling me. I think part of it was that I already had a job. I imagine getting close to a FIRE number would have that same impact too!
I still have a healthy amount of self doubt 😉 . But also after having been on so many interviews I have seen how a lot of getting a job is random nonsense behind the scenes that has nothing to do with me – so even if I prepare like a wild woman I can still be rejected.
That’s awesome you realized you could make interviews what you wanted and I LOVE having them sell you on a job, but yeah lower pay for more responsibility (on call) sounds like a lose/lose situation. Still having a job definitely shifts my mindset while interviewing a bit yep. I imagine getting close to my FIRE number would have similar effects, but I hope I won’t have to test that out 😉
Based on my experience job hunting I can say my success rate has been much higher when I’ve done LOTS of research and prep. Like you, preparing competency based answers (examples of where I have displayed skill x,y,z), researching the role, the company , the interviewers.
A couple of job interviews I went to half heartedly I, super unsurprisingly, didn’t get offered the job! That was years ago. These days I wouldn’t waste my time on opportunities that don’t speak to me in some way.
Interesting – I’m glad it’s not just me with the correlation between research and success! This process definitely takes more time to prep for each company and can be tiring, but I figure since it helps me find a job more quickly it’s probably less effort overall than a longer job hunting time frame.
Whelp. This is super, super helpful as I contemplate going BACK to a full-time career (after 3 years off).
Great stuff. Seriously.
Thanks purps!
🙂 🙂
So glad you found it helpful! And oh REALLY are you?? That’s super cool. Also I think this is the first time I’ve been called “purps” and I LOVE it!! Thank you for stopping by Pete!
Very timely! I have another interview on Friday. I mostly stick to investigating people on LinkedIn and coming up with questions based on their information there. You just dramatically increased the number of questions I can ask!
I must have known and wrote it specifically for you 😉 . And yes ask ALL the questions and get that cheddar!
Such a useful and detailed post! We’re very similar in our approach, especially the researching and investigative skills however I love the additional angle you add with your questions to the interviewers.
Other difference is that for gov. positions here the hiring process can take YEARS, it is such a frustrating joke.
Great post!
YEARS?! Yikes. I would hate that – I don’t even like when it takes a month haha. Glad you liked it lady! And yay researchers unite!
I find this so interesting. I’ve stayed at the same company my whole six year career.
If you get into the right company, right timing, with the right benefits, and the right career trajectory, it can be a less stressful but equally rewarding in total compensation.
More often, I’ve seen people at my company get stuck and stagnant. Job hopping seems to be the answer for the majority but I wouldn’t discount loyalty if the company gives you a path that is the best option.
Interesting! It sounds like you found a gem of a company – the likes of which I’ve (unfortunately) never heard of. That’s awesome.
You’re right about all of this! Very inspiring post…thanks for putting it together. I found I lost my “mojo” around this type of effort, but you just gave me a kick in the butt, so thank you for that too. When I move to NYC in 1996 my wife laid down the challenge that “If I found a job, we could move.” I swiftly set to developing my own Access database that was tied into my internal FAX/Modem (think…sceeeech…beep boop beep) and I was faxing off resumes and logging replies, etc. I had a job by the end of the Summer, making more money than I was currently making. I’m pushing to get that back at a much different stage in my career but all the same it’s about renewal, you can never give that up. It will always serve you well.
Yeah it’s definitely tiring, but worth it. I’m sorry you lost your mojo and am happy to provide a kick in the butt 🙂 . That’s an awesome story – nothing like a great incentive 😉 . Thank you for stopping by!
This is definitely something they should teach at grad school because I’ve never heard of these ideas before. I thought I used to do my research well but I’ve never thought of going through LinkedIn profiles or asking those types of detailed questions.
I’m saving this list for future reference. Why not make an infographic and share that like crazy? I’m sure people will value it.
That is a great idea – I’m all for us learning more practical skills in school. And good to hear some of these ideas were new to you – it’s hard for me to parse the difference between what I know and what others know. I expected one comment along the lines of “no duh 😉 “, but none yet!
As for an inforgraphic, that’s a fun idea. I’ll add it to my long list of things I’ll look into in retirement 😉 .
I thought this was normal but from reading the other comments clearly not!
In my notebook I have tailored interview questions that I think the company will ask and several back up stories/scenarios in case they ask something I hadn’t considered.
Also I always have back up questions if I’ve asked my deal breakers in the course of the interview and you get to the end and they still ask if I have any questions. For some reason I am not comfortable answering with you’ve already answered all my questions…
Guess we’re part of a weird subset 🙂 . That’s interesting about always having additional questions. If they have answered all my questions and I’m not particularly interested in the job I often say I don’t have any more.
I agree with you and it’s great you’ve learned this at a young age. Switching jobs is a skill set.
I’m in my late thirties and this is one of the biggest mistakes I have made – staying at a company too long. I tell people the best way to get salary increases today is to be flexible and leverage job hopping to your advantage. Best of luck when you finally leave the corporate life.
Great post and advice.