5 Final Stage Interview Techniques

Are you currently interviewing and down to the final stage? More often than not you’ll be head to head with another person who, chances are, might look very similar to you on paper.

So what can you do to differentiate yourself when it matters the most. Well, there are a few things you can try and many of them are surprisingly easy to do these days.

1. The Private Investigator

No, I’m not really suggesting you hire a PI. But doing additional research yourself is my first big piece of advice. You will have already scrubbed through the company website, case studies and looked at the accounts on Companies House at earlier stages of the process. If you’re really prepared you will have probably also considered mapping the market and their competitors.

But research can be so much more effective than this and by dropping in some additional knowledge it can have an amazing impact. So what else can you do to make the different?

a.      Have you checked industry bodies and linked in groups for news concerning the business or the industry in general?

b.     Have you called up any connections in the industry to find out what they think of the business? Linked In messages can open up doors that previously didn’t exist

c.      Do you know what the MD and other key stakeholders are interested in and posting about on Linked In? This could indicate what their focus is on for the business

d.     Do they have a key competitor? If so, you can also research that business in the same way to see if there is anything they are doing differently or better.

2. The Greatest Showman

Unless you are Hugh Jackman you’re probably not going to get the role of greatest showman, but unless I have changed careers without realizing, you probably aren’t interviewing for that role anyway.

You may however wish to add a little PAZAZ to give you the edge, and in a professional interview setting you can do this with a simply presentation.

Often an interview process might already involve a presentation of some sorts as these can be a really good way of testing a candidate’s ability to think for themselves and find solutions to problems. But the onus doesn’t always have to be on the client to prompt this part of the process.

Some of the most dynamic candidates I have interviewed have used a presentation in an interview to demonstrate their capabilities. If you think this will strengthen your application and help make you memorable there are a couple of tips to bear in mind:

a)     Make the interviewer aware in advance that you have prepared something. They may have a strict interview time or process that they can’t deviate from and therefore wish to opt out of your presentation – which is their prerogative; or they may be keen to support you by providing the equipment you need such as a laptop or projector to maximise your impact. Either way – it is polite and you want them to be comfortable rather than caught out.

b)     Be clear why you have decided to do it. There should be a clear purpose and benefit which you hope to achieve from it; not only a benefit to you but to the client also

c)      Keep it concise and relevant. Don’t drag on or go off topic. Make it as interesting as possible and allow an opportunity for questions at the end.

d)     Make sure it looks professional and doesn’t look rushed. At the end of the day, a half-arsed job will have the opposite effect to what you are aiming for. Use their company branding somewhere in the slides and don’t go over the top with a thousand effects.

3. The Power Portfolio

Supporting material can have a really positive impact on the interview process. Similarly to above, some of the most memorable candidates I have interviewed have come armed with case studies, portfolios, reports or examples of spreadsheets/models they have created as supporting evidence of their abilities. “Why take my word for what I can do? I’ve brought this along to show you!”

As above though it is wise to be sensitive to the format of the interview and pick the right time to use supporting material. And don’t let it detract from the overall experience.

4. The Mystery Customer experience

Have you tried doing a “mystery customer experience” on the business to see how they are when they don’t realize they are being watched. This is when you try to experience what life would be like for a potential customer or client of the business.

A candidate of mine did this by ringing the sales team and pretending to be a potential new customer to test their processes. He told the MD about his experience and the feedback he got was that it was one of the most creative things a candidate had ever done in an interview and it secured him the job.

Remember: this isn’t about digging up dirt for your benefit but being able to show your versatility and commerciality as a candidate.

5. The Personal Touch

Lastly, it is important to remember that when all is said and done, the final interview stage is often weighted heavily on personality. By now the business should have assessed if you have the skills to do the job or not, and they may just need to know if they could see you fitting in to their dynamic and adding something positive to their culture.

One of the most important pieces of advice to take into an interview (at any stage of the process) is that the company’s key resource is its people and having the right blend of personalities, attitudes, ambitions, interests, priorities is absolutely paramount to the success of the business.

Don’t be afraid to show your personality to the employer. When all is said and done, it will probably be what clinches it for you!

If you have an important interview that you are preparing for and want some free advice from someone impartial and experienced then please don’t hesitate to get in touch. I’ve been through it myself and guided hundreds more through it.

Feel free to call Dan at Panoramic Agency on 0113 833 5757.