Before the Interview

When I was a Recruiting Associate for LinkedIn, I got a glimpse of the other side of the interview. I was particularly struck by how immediately apparent it was whether a candidate was adequately prepared, or decided to "wing-it". Here's a piece of advice: Don't wing it.

You "winging" an interview is like an athlete showing up to the Olympics without training and still expecting to earn a spot on the podium. Both the Olympics and interviews are infrequent, host competition among top-performers, and only offer one chance to score. Because you are a top-achieving candidate (you have to be, or else you wouldn't be spending your free time bettering yourself with this Guide), you probably already know the value of preparation.

However, not all preparation generates equal results. Too often, people will over-prepare and become too rigid. 

Let me elaborate. 

Sometimes, you might find it easier to map out how you think the interview will go, what you will be asked, and how you will say answers word for word. Although you may have the right intentions, preparing in such a way makes it easy to lose sight of the bigger picture and the important, relevant themes underlying your answers. Additionally, having a rigid plan can throw a wrench in your impending success if the interview deviates from what you had originally planned for. 

Instead of rehearsing for potential outcomes, it is a better plan to have a nuanced understanding of your abilities, a 360-degree view of your experiences, and such thorough knowledge of a company that no matter where the conversation goes, you will be able to answer naturally. Having a keen awareness of these three aspects, you will be able to come up with an answer that is both personal and memorable, on the spot.

Here is how you can do exactly that....