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Oftentimes when offered an interview we think to ourselves "I've done it! I'm getting a job!" and then we add it to our calendar and go out for margaritas only to show up late, unprepared and completely dazed.

Okay, okay, that was over-dramatized, but I can't tell you how many times I hear of people going to an interview without any preparation whatsoever. It's ridiculous and quite frankly, a waste of time. You might as well not show up.

I would assume that many people don't prepare because it takes time and effort, but what if I told you that through time and effort, we could basically put together a whole cheat sheet of potential questions with relevant responses and experiences personal to you?

Would you do the work then?


In my last post on writing cover letters we talked about the often untapped value of the job posting when it comes to knowing what to write in your letter. The job posting applies just as well in determining potential interview questions specific to the job and company.

Let's go through a series of similar exercises that you can follow along with as you prepare for your next job interview using the example job post below:

Exercise 1## Most job postings have 4 sections and in this job posting we have highlighted this information with different colors denoting each section:

Next, let’s take some time to break apart each section and list the topics from the job posting:

What is RainFocus?

What kind of culture does RainFocus have?

What are the required technical skills?

What would your daily responsibilities include?

Exercise 2##

Ok, so now we have a good list of all the requirements and expectations for this job along with what you'd be doing on a day-to-day basis. Let's now apply this to potential interview questions that could be asked to help a hiring manager determine whether or not you have these skills and experience:





Exercise 3##

After creating a list of possible questions you'll next want to go through the list again and write a response for each question.

If there is a skill you don't know or an experience you haven't had before, no problem. Don't plan on saying "I don't know" instead, start learning that technology or come up with an idea of how you might approach a situation like that successfully.

There are many other common questions asked in interviews like "Tell me about yourself", "What's your greatest weakness" and "Why should we hire you?", thanks to The Interview Guys, I've actually pulled together a folder of cheat sheets that you can use to review questions like these and the best ways to answer them.

Exercise 4##

After writing up a list of responses for each question, the final step is some good old fashioned practice! The more you practice the more confident you'll feel and better luck you'll have with the interview.

Practice your answers in front of a mirror. Role play with a friend. Try it on the phone, in person, everything!

Is this all going to take a lot of work? - Absolutely.

Is it worth it? - Yes!

Don't let this interview opportunity go to waste! You've submitted dozens of applications and put in all the work, now let's make it well worth it.

Some final advice:

Remember, every company already knows exactly what they're looking for and they've listed it all in the job posting. Your mission is to prove to them that you're capable and have what they need. Focus on answers that demonstrate your ability to do the job and meet their needs by tying in the requests in the job posting.

If the question is: "Tell me about an app you recently built" don't just talk about a simple JavaScript todo list when the position is for React. Dive deeper and highlight a JavaScript app that also incorporates React, Redux, and any other technologies they need.

As the interviewee, you really do have the power to lead the conversation by introducing the specific skills you have that are listed in the job posting. -- But you can't really do that if you haven't done the work. ;-)

Now let's get back to work gang! You can do this!

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