HOW TO ACE INTERVIEWS Hosted by ALX VA Program on 8th July 2022
How do you prepare? What are some mistakes you might make? How do you get in there and convince the hiring manager that you are indeed the best match for the job? In this webinar, 3 hiring managers from top multinational corporations revealed what they look for in a candidate, common mistakes entry-level seekers make during interviews, how to make one’s dream job a reality and tips on how introverts can network authentically and successfully. The three speakers were Seth Trudeu – Founder and Managing Director Routine Chaos, Danai Mavunga – Talent Acquisition and Strategy Director of The Room, Mohaned Eltayeb – Chief Information Officer GE Gas Power.
The best way to shine in an interview that was reiterated by all the presenters was the ability to turn an interview into a conversation, not a session of answering back and forth questions. This can be achieved best by imagining a first date and how well one tries to articulate their profile with real life examples. In the case when one is changing roles/fields completely, they need to consider what they have done before that has value for what they’re going to do. Important tips to consider before settling on an organization are: will the problem be interesting to you? Will your colleagues challenge you? Will the manager support your growth?
Some of the common mistakes job seekers make either before or during the interview which affects their general interview performance (if they make it for one) include failing to package oneself well, lack of value-added activities that strengthen one’s profile, typos, grammatical errors and use of generic CVs or cover letters and lack of curiosity. Key skills/mindsets necessary for excellence are learning agility and adaptability, self-drive, growth mindset and grit, self-awareness and possessing a resilient spirit. During the actual interview, one should avoid regurgitating their CV when asked to “tell us about yourself” instead they should narrate the story that hiring managers have not read yet. Instead of providing abstract experience, one can give evidence of how they reacted to certain real-life challenging situations. When asked about one’s weaknesses, one should never shy from sharing their vulnerability, it demonstrates humility and positive self-reflection on improvement areas. It is advisable for one to turn it into a story about growth. On the other hand, however, strategy on sharing one’s weaknesses is key least one shoots themselves on the foot.
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