5 Must-Have Interview Skills that Can Turn You into a Successful Candidate

July 8, 2021 Lydia Huang

Interviewing with potential employers can be intimidating, because most job seekers don’t know what to expect in the interview and how to position themselves to stand out from the candidate pool.

After interviewing with countless companies as a job seeker myself, I realized that interviews don't need to be one-way communication. I, as a job seeker, also have the power to choose the company that I want to work for. Once I switched my mindset, I started to feel more relaxed in the interview and have more confidence in telling my stories to the other side. (Check our ultimate interview guide to help you stand out from the crowd)

Keep this in mind - The interview is a two-way conversation, not a one-way domination.

So, how can you have a great conversation with your interviewers and impress them? Focus on using the following 5 must-have skills in your next interview and set yourself apart from other candidates.

1) Asking insightful questions

Instead of asking interviewers generic questions like “what do you like about the company?” start to ask them more specific questions to gain more insightful information about the role and company. Here are a few specific questions that you can ask: “What project do you like the most in your role?” or “What’s the one thing that you would like to change in the company?” or “How does the company differentiate from their competitors?”

Spending time researching about the company will help you generate lots of great questions. This is also a great way to let interviewers know that you’ve done your homework and are ready to bring your value to help the company grow.

2) Showing your curiosity

Curiosity is a great way to show your interest in the role and start a conversation with the interviewer. Pay attention to the environment that you are in—you may find something interesting. For example, if you have a virtual interview, you may notice their unique virtual background. If you have an on-site interview, you may spot a picture in their office. Those are great opportunities to spark a casual conversation and release the tension during the interview.

Side story: While I was interviewing with Amazon, I asked the interviewer about a sticker on her laptop. As it turns out, that’s one of the important values in a company's recruiting process.

Ask these 10 impressive interview questions in your next marketing interview — it will help potential employers remember you as the best candidate and increase your chances of landing your dream job!

3) Listening

During an interview, you want to grab every opportunity to sell yourself. I get it. But it is way more important to show your listening skills. Do not interrupt the interviewers when they are talking—just go with the flow and pay full attention to their messages. This will also give you a chance to come up with insightful follow-up questions or provide thoughtful responses to build trust.

4) Providing real examples

We all know that telling a story is the best way to get people to remember you. Try your best to answer every interview question with real examples. Don’t just tell the interviewer what you will do; instead, help them understand that you’ve done it, so they can picture you as the right candidate for the role.

Use the S.T.A.R. interview method to organize your stories:

S (Situation) - you start with a relevant situation that you encountered in your current or previous work.
T (Task) - you mention your main responsibility in that position.
A (Action) - you talk about what real action you took to solve the problem and how you went above and beyond.
R (Result) - you end the story with a positive result.

5) Being yourself

When you are yourself, you will perform the best. And that’s the ultimate goal in your interview—let your interviewer remember you as a person, not another candidate. That's the way you keep your door open regardless of the interview result.

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Have an upcoming interview for a marketing position and not sure how to present yourself as a best candidate for this one shot? Book a one-on-one interview preparation call with me and get personalized advice to impress potential employers and land that dream job.