💯 A few interview tactics based on 300+ observations

TalentGeist Newsletter

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Hi everyone —

Over the past 2-3 months, we’ve helped hundreds of students land internships & junior roles across Singapore, Hong Kong, and US (many were part of our Work Simulation Program, backed by the Singapore government).

A few observations, particularly on interviews, that we’re confident will be helpful for a larger audience — to sharpen your own skills going forward.

Observation 1: on enthusiasm / energy.

Enthusiasm is contagious. Interviewees who show up with low energy (sometimes lower energy than the interviewer!) starts off on the wrong foot. You don’t have to be extroverted, but showing up excited and bright-eyed as if you really, really want to be there sets you off on the right foot. Trust me, it’s easy to spot & makes a difference.

Observation 2: don’t hold out based on what you think the interviewer will ask.

One example — the framework we preach for ‘tell me about yourself’ is:

• Present — what you’re doing now, and your proudest recent accomplishment (this makes what you say more tangible, impresses interviewers early, and goads them into asking you more about your best piece of work 💯).

• Past — what you did before that led you to your current career decisions.

• Future — why you’re here interviewing with the company/role.

Some folks would oddly leave out the ‘proudest accomplishment’ or ‘future’ part. Their rationale — “oh, I left it out in my intro because I assume they’ll ask me about it later.”

Don’t do this. Proactively lead with a strong response.

Observation 3: on asking questions (at the end of the interview).

At this point, everyone knows you have to ask questions at the end of every interview. But many treat it like a box to tick — ‘okay, as long as I ask 1-2 questions, I’m good’.

Not exactly.

It’s not optimal for the interview to end because you didn’t think beyond 1-2 questions (interviewer: “any other questions?”…..you: ”um no I’m good”).

The best way to end an interview is for the INTERVIEWER to cut it off — “ah I’d love to keep chatting, but I have to run to my next meeting.”

Your job is to have as awesome of a conversation with them as possible before this.

• Pay close attention when they talk during the interview — for example, when they’re giving you a brief walk-through of their past. Dig into this when you’re asking questions later — genuinely get to know them, why they made certain career choices, etc.

• Prepare 3 or more questions before the interview starts. Not basic ones you can find online. ‘Smart’ questions we’ve encountered before include a) “What’s the difference between a good vs. great intern?”, b) “I saw this morning that Google’s acquisition of FitBit took place. Presumably this will have YY impact on the company as a whole. How does this translate to impact for the Android marketing team specifically, if at all? Will the roadmap include more integration of the acquired products, for example Android ecosystem embedded into smartwatches?”, c) “Besides XX which we spoke about earlier, is there anything else about the business that keeps you up at night?”

Continuously engaging with brilliant questions will end your interview in a great note; you want the interviewer to think “wow, you’re really excited about the role; too bad I have to run to my next meeting, but I love the energy!” If/when they cut you off because they have to run, you just respond with something like “oh so sorry, I totally lost track of time!” (because you’re so engrossed in the conversation, of course!).

Also, if an interviewer goes beyond the allotted time with you for an interview……this typically bodes well (nobody wants to spend extra time with someone they DON’T like).

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Best,

Vincent (feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn 🙂)