It can be easy to forget the importance of good interview preparation, particularly if you’re in a busy full time position. Hiring managers and startup founders, however, will always want to be impressed, so it’s important to put yourself in their shoes. Here are some tips to help ensure that you’re well-placed to do just that:
1. Present your portfolio clearly and confidently.
There’s lots of advice available on putting portfolios together, but the explanation and presentation of them is equally important. Check what the interviewer would like to see and imagine you’re meeting a potential client or a difficult internal stakeholder when you practise. The key thing is to make sure your work makes sense when presented, and you tell a good story about what you do.
2. Startups interview differently to agencies – prepare accordingly.
When interviewing for an in-house role with a startup, you might meet an interviewer who is not, for example, UX savvy. Put your UX hat on and think about your audience. It may be important to think about project outcomes and successes to demonstrate commercial acumen. They need to know that you understand the greater impact of your work on the business bottom line.
3. Use your recruiter’s knowledge to your benefit.
If you’re using a recruiter, a good one should know the interviewer. Make sure you ask for a heads up about their personality, hiring priorities and any likes or dislikes. You might be sharing space in a converted trailer or a small studio with your team for several months, so learn as much as you can about how they work and play ahead of time.
4. Do your research!
Read up on the company and job description, and establish some insightful questions about the specific opportunity. This not only shows preparation, but may help to turn it in to a two-way conversation.
When interviewing with a startup, make sure you’re up on the key details – where are they in the funding process? Who is their founder? What is the company ethos? Working for a startup has to be a labour of love, and the person interviewing you will expect you to be passionate about the company.
5. Get the details right ahead of time.
Aim to be at your interview early, know where you’re going, and know who to ask for. If you’re running late, call ahead to warn the interviewer (or your recruiter). Give yourself a ten minute cushion to be safe.
This is your first impression, and you want to do everything you can to ensure it’s a good one. If you’re feeling rushed or flustered, it’s harder to start on the right foot.
You can see that it’s not all rocket science but hopefully that’s a good head start for those who are a bit out of practice, or who haven’t gone for a role with a startup before.