IT hiring is on the rise again. And with demand oustripping supply, IT professionals with particularly hot skills might find themselves overwhelmed by opportunities – and inundated with job interviews. But just because companies seem to be vying for someone with your skills and capabilities doesn’t mean you can get too casual about the interview.
“I see clients being pretty picky about finding solid all-star employees vs. showing any leeway due to more demand,” says Courtney Bettridge, technology recruiter at Mondo. “Candidates need to show they’re truly interested and engaged, or they won’t get the job.”
Even veteran IT professionals with long tenures might be taking advantage of the larger number of openings; these individuals often need some reminders to shake the rust off their interviewing skills.
With that in mind, we spoke with several recruiters about common mistakes IT professionals make when interviewing for a new job, as well as how to avoid them.
Mistake 1: Not knowing the company
The biggest mistake candidates make, recruiters say, is arriving at the interview without adequate knowledge of the company, the position or the industry in which the company operates. This is particularly unforgivable in the age of social media and easily accessible information. “You can search on the company’s name online and get tons of information, even insight into the area of the company you’re interviewing for,” says Shravan Goli, president at DICE. “If you walk in without researching the company, its culture and its products, it sends a message that you don’t work hard, aren’t curious or aren’t utilizing what’s in front of you.”
It can also convey a lack of interest, says Ajay Kaul, managing partner of AgreeYa Solutions. “IT professionals might be able to crack technical interviews based on their knowledge and experience, but when it comes to knowing about an organization’s business, history, culture and competitors, they can sometimes miss the mark.” Candidates should read white papers, press releases and know what’s going on in the news so they have some idea of how the company is doing, says Jen Doran, consultant program manager at TEKsystems.
Being prepared also ensures you can hold a two-way conversation throughout the interview, adds Ed Meindl, senior vice president for National IT at Addison Group. Candidates should understand some of the challenges the company or industry faces and even why the position is open in the first place. By leveraging press releases, social media and your own personal networks, candidates can find out who held the position previously and where they went, or whether it’s a new role.
“LinkedIn is a great way of seeing what folks in the organization are working on,” Meindl says. “A lot of folks budget for the interview itself but not for the prep work, but it’s still a critical piece of making sure you’re successful.”
Mistake 2: Not researching the interviewer
Candidates should also find out as much as they can about the people on the hiring team. “If you’re lucky enough to have the name of the person you’re interviewing with, check LinkedIn to find out their background and skills, and do a quick Google search to find out more,” Bettridge says.
Basics include work history and experience, and depending on the level of the interview, you may also run into blog posts, articles and interviews, Goli says. “It even helps to know what the person looks like,” he says. “Try to get a 360-degree profile so you can engage in a meaningful way, and even find common ground.”
If you can find out how long the hiring manager has been in technology, how he or she has moved up the ranks, what they’ve accomplished, even where they went to school, “you’ll be better able to ask questions,” Doran says. “A VP doesn’t want to be asked whether he’s a project manager, when it turns out he’s leading a division or region.”
Mistake 3: Coming across as a stalker
At the same time, candidates need to avoid looking like they know too much. “You want to avoid the two extremes,” Vik Nath, regional recruiting director, Mondo, says. “Searching on Facebook and talking to them about what their kids are doing and where they went on vacation goes to the extreme of doing too much on the personal side.”
Mistake 4: Showing up way too early
Some candidates are so focused on not being late that they arrive early to the interview, which can be fine – as long as it’s not too early. Fifteen minutes is appropriate, but 30 minutes is verging on the intrusive. “Arriving late makes a terrible first impression,” Goli says. “But showing up too early can be an inconvenience to the hiring manager. You can wait in the lobby, but they’re not going to feel good about keeping you waiting so long and might feel pressured to rush through something they’re trying to get done.”
Mistake 5: Talking about responsibilities rather than accomplishments
Hiring managers will be more impressed if you share what you’ve accomplished in your job rather than detailing your role and responsibilities. “Talk about what set you apart from your peers, or your contributions to a successful project,” Nath says. “Highlight your accomplishments, and have specific examples ready.” This is a level of detail that most candidates don’t always think about beforehand, he says.
“Paint a picture and tell a story rather than just walking through the bullet points,” Bettridge adds.
Mistake 6: Not asking questions
Interviews should be a two-way conversation, Nath says. They are not only an opportunity for the interviewer to assess whether you’re a potential fit; it’s also your chance to determine if it’s a match for you. That means asking questions to understand the role and the company — what sets it apart, why should you work there?
Hiring managers actually like when candidates ask challenging questions, Bettridge adds. “An interviewer is more likely to remember someone who asks challenging questions rather than surface-level ones.” Examples from Nath and Bettridge include, what will this project look like 30, 60, 90 days out? What factors would make a person successful in this position? What needs to be done immediately, and how could the new hire be ready to hit the ground running? How do you think you’re going to grow the business? “Such questions ensure the client understands that you as a candidate want to make a contribution,” Bettridge says.
Mistake 7: Dominating the conversation
The other benefit of asking questions is that you ensure you don’t dominate the airspace. “If I ask one question, and it takes 20 minutes for you to answer, that’s a negative sign,” he says. “It shows you’re full of yourself or unwilling to listen.” Such verbosity can happen when you don’t completely understand the question and find yourself rambling in your response. A better approach, Goli says, is to ask for a clarification. “It’s OK to ask, ‘Did you mean XYZ?’” he says. A rule of thumb is that about 70% to 75% of the interview time should consist of you talking, he says, and the rest should be the interviewer.
Mistake 8: Overselling yourself
When you’re trying to show yourself in the best light, it’s all too easy to tip the balance toward overplaying your actual capabilities, knowledge and skills. “Don’t show off about being a subject matter expert if you’re not,” Meindl says.
“Be honest about what you know,” Kaul agrees. “Just putting a technology buzzword on your resume or even mentioning it in passing, and not being able to speak about it during your interaction sends across the wrong message to the employer.” And if you don’t know about something they ask, he adds, answer honestly. “Employers don’t expect you to know every piece of technology in this world. If there is something you haven’t worked on but are familiar with, just be candid about it. There is no point beating around the bush assuming that the interviewer sitting across wouldn’t notice.”
This advice extends to your resume, Doran says. Some candidates include what their team was responsible for, “but what were you responsible for – did you use MS Project?” she asks. “If you took a one-day course on it but never used it on the job, it shouldn’t have been on the resume in the first place.”
Mistake 9: Failing to show enthusiasm
Do you really want this job? Then show it. Too often, candidates are stymied by the formality of the interview itself and fail to express their enthusiasm for the opportunity. “If you’re interested and excited about the job, communicate it to the interviewers,” Doran says. “Look them in the eye and say, ‘This is my dream job, I’m super-excited, I can’t wait to hear back, I want this job.’ It shows initiative, decisiveness and a go-getter attitude.”
Mistake 10: Not being yourself
On a similiar note, Doran says, it’s important to show some personality. “Loosen up, don’t be a statue, let your personality shine,” she says. But while it’s OK to laugh and show a sense of humor, don’t get so loose that you use foul language or answer a phone call in the middle of the interview, she says. “Laugh when appropriate, but don’t be the one starting the joke or the guy ordering a beer at lunch.”
Mistake 11: Being negative about your current or past jobs
No one likes sour grapes, Doran says, so no matter why you left – or want to leave – your job, don’t badmouth the company, the team or your manager. “Maybe there was a personality conflict, or the company was poorly run, but find a positive way to handle questions about that,” she says. “Don’t say that the company was terrible. It leaves a bad impression and kicks off the interview poorly.”
Instead Goli says, you can stress how much you learned and achieved and that you’re looking to build on top of that. “Position it within a positive framework as opposed to saying what you didn’t like,” he says.
Mistake 12: Leaving your cellphone on
We’re all so accustomed to setting our mobile phones on the table when meeting with a friend or even during a business meeting. But such behavior is still off-limits during an interview, Goli says. “Turn it off, and focus instead of trying to do three things at the same time,” he says.
Mistake 13: Not prepping for common questions
Because many interviews cover a similar set of questions, it just makes sense to have a response prepared, as long as you can avoid sounding overly scripted. For instance, Doran says, definitely come to the table knowing your strengths and weaknesses, as well as how you’re working on any areas that need development, Doran says. People without this level of self-awareness come across as difficult to manage, she says.
Another deceivingly simple-sounding question is “Tell me about yourself,” Goli says. This shouldn’t be a 15-minute dissertation on who you are, he says, but a crisp response that is tailored to the context of the job you’re interviewing for. Feel free to ask the interviewer to detail more of what the job is about before answering, Goli says, or have a short response prepared and then ask for further clarification of the role before filling out the rest of your response so you can better map your experience to the job.
When preparing your response, think about what your passions are and what you love to do. If it’s coding, you can say that you’re about solving new problems and building new things, emphasizing your creativity and knack for dealing with abstract concepts and ambiguities. “Focus on inner qualities instead of a history of your experience,” Goli says.
In addition to being prepared with responses, you should also line up some specific experiences in previous positions that you can use as examples in your questions, Kaul says. All of this preparation will pay off because you’ll come across as a good communicator, he says, which is a trait that businesses really prize today. “Because IT is so heavily integrated into today’s businesses, employers are looking for technical professionals who can speak to and work well with their employees who are not technology experts,” he says. “You aren’t expected to be a splendid orator or a presenter, but make sure what you convey is what you mean, and be specific while responding to questions rather than going around in circles.”
Mistake 14: Not prepping for hypothetical questions
Hypothetical questions are more difficult to prepare for, but it can be done. These types of questions are centered on how to resolve a particular issue or what you would do in a certain situation. The important thing, Doran says, is to show how you think rather than giving the “right” answer. “They want to see how you would tackle the challenge, that you’re resourceful and can think things through,” she says. “Nine times out of 10, if you say you would first understand the current state, the current players and where the resources are going to be, you can address that type of question.”
It also helps, she says, if you can plant the seed that you’re up for that type of challenge, and have a systematic approach to addressing something you haven’t done before.
Similarly, Meindl warns interviewers to be wary of seemingly simple questions. Instead of giving a straightforward response, he says, you should always suggest a couple of options, along with the advantages and disadvantages of the solutions you suggest. “As you’re giving your answer, you should convey that you understand the complexity of the problem and even ask whether it would work within their environment,” he says.
Mistake 15: Forgetting to follow-up
Of course, it’s de rigeur to send a thank-you note following the interview. But rather than just writing up a generic thank-you, this is also a good time to tell the hiring manager how enthusiastic you are about the opportunity and even reflect or expand upon what was covered during the interview. “Tell them what you thought about the company culture and the job,” Meindl says. While an e-mail is acceptable, there’s nothing better than a short handwritten note, he says, addressing something very specific that you interacted with them on, he says. “Personalizing your communication and what was discussed is absolutely key – you don’t want it to come off like a form letter. Make it personal, and tie it back to specifics,” he says.
Brandel is a freelance writer. She can be reached at marybrandel@verizon.net.
