Let’s Discuss How To Ace An Interview

Let’s face it—interviewing is hard and stressful for everyone! Whether you love to interview or absolutely dread the idea of presenting your skills and experience to an employer, there is going to be some degree of stress. The team at Supply Chain Tomorrow came up with some thoughts and tips that might ease the taxing process of interviewing. With that, let’s discuss how to ace an interview!

1. Confidence—There is definitely a fine line between confidence and arrogance and employers can see it when they are talking with a candidate (especially if they are doing a marathon of interviews back-to-back). It is important for candidates to express confidence in abilities while also not giving off the perception of over-confidence or arrogance. On the other hand, employers want to see confidence and not nervousness. Something to remember about an interview is that the subject of an interview is something you are the expert about—YOURSELF! Who knows you better than you?
2. It’s a conversation—Never forget that while an interview has important implication in your career, it still is simply a conversation between a couple of people. At the end of the day, we are all just people trying to make a good impression on each other. An interview should be seen as a conversation between two people. This perspective can take away a lot of the stress. I always tell people at the start of my interviews, “Don’t consider this an interview, but more of a discussion to get to know each other better to see if you and the role are the right fit.”
3. Interviewers—Interviewers, in many cases, are just as or more nervous than you! He or she may not be used to having to engage with people in an interview setting, so you and the interviewer can be on the same wavelength. Furthermore, an employer needs to impress you if they really want you to accept their offer.
4. ASK QUESTIONS—Along the same lines of the employer needing to impress you, you must ask questions! This is your chance to understand the role better and see if you are truly interested. Maybe that logistics coordinator role isn’t offering the analytical experiences you are looking for… that is something you want to know before you accept the offer and start your new job! Also, try to get a feel for the culture of the organization. More and more, employees care about company culture and how the work environment operates.
5. Research—Don’t forget to do your due diligence on the company and come to the interview prepared. Ensure that you have read and full understanding of the job description and objectives (this is a great place to find some questions). Look into what they company’s products are, why this company is interesting to you, and why you would want to work for them. Do they have innovative, cutting-edge technology? Are they an incredible corporate citizen that you admire? These are all great talking points in an interview.

​
With these simple tips and tricks, you are on your way to ace your next interview!