05 Master the Key Points during an Interview #

Hello, I am your interview course teacher, Yang Yukun. Welcome to Lesson 05: “Mastering Key Points in Interviews”.

Following the tips from the previous lessons, you have finally received an interview invitation from your desired company. You are excited, but also a little nervous (inner thoughts: How should I handle the interview?). In the following sections, I will discuss how to present yourself from the moment you enter the company to the end of the interview. By doing so, you can capture the attention of the interviewer and grasp the key points of this job opportunity.

Preparation before the Interview #

Let’s start with the preparation before the interview. I believe you are already familiar with the general preparations, such as creating an attractive resume, dressing professionally, and tidying up your hairstyle. I have already discussed resume preparation in detail, so I won’t go into it here.

Now, let’s talk about the preparation related to attire. Many people think that attire during an interview is not very important, as the interviewer is more concerned about personal charm and knowledge reserves. Of course, this is true. However, if it is your first meeting with the interviewer, before any formal conversation begins, they cannot perceive your personal charm or knowledge reserves.

If the interviewer sees a messy appearance or strange attire during the first encounter, how do you think they will label you? First, they will assume that you do not respect the interview, leaving a disrespectful impression. Then, if there is an unpleasant smell coming from you, they will be unable to engage in meaningful communication with you. Finally, the interview will hastily end without even getting the chance to understand your personal charm or knowledge reserves. I believe this is not the result you want to encounter, right? Therefore, maintaining a clean and well-presented appearance is a crucial part of the interview.

The interviewer will also judge your personality through your attire, as well as your compatibility with the company’s culture and the team’s atmosphere. At this point, you may ask: How can I determine what to wear on the day of the interview that aligns with the company’s culture or the team’s atmosphere if I haven’t joined the company or the team? Of course, we cannot take into account every minute detail of the interviewer’s perspective.

However, different attire will undoubtedly reflect your personality, and some expressed personalities may not be widely accepted. Let’s briefly discuss several types of attire that can showcase your personality:

• People who prefer simple and plain clothes often give the impression of being composed, sincere, and easy-going. Whether it is in work or study, or in life, they convey a sense of diligence, eagerness to learn, honesty, and efficiency.
• People who prefer complicated styles, various colors, and flamboyant clothes tend to have a strong vanity. They enjoy expressing themselves and are fond of showing off. They come across as assertive and arrogant.
• People who prefer light-colored clothes have a lively and active personality. They are talkative and give others the impression of being sociable and friendly.
• People who prefer dark-colored clothes have a more reserved personality. They appear to be deep and discreet, giving others the impression of being silent and thoughtful in their actions and decisions.

If you hope to display less aggressive characteristics or a more friendly and composed personality during the interview, I recommend wearing simple, plain, and single-colored clothes. This will make you look refreshed and approachable, and I believe the interviewer will be willing to engage in a conversation with you. Of course, in addition to a clean appearance, personal hygiene should also be taken into consideration. It is best not to have a strong body odor or use heavily scented perfumes. As for makeup, I do not recommend heavy makeup. A natural and light makeup look will make you look energetic.

How to Introduce Yourself Thoroughly #

Next comes the interview process. The interviewer will start by saying, “Please introduce yourself briefly.”

The interviewer has two purposes: (1) to verify your description with the experiences listed on your resume, and (2) to assess your logical thinking and summarization skills through a simple introduction. Therefore, the self-introduction is also a very important part, and a good self-introduction should achieve the following:

1. Self-introduction during the interview

You must manage your time properly. A self-introduction during an interview should generally last around 3 to 5 minutes, and try not to exceed 10 minutes. If it’s too short, it means you don’t have a clear introduction about yourself, making it difficult for the interviewer to understand what you have done. If it’s too long, it’s likely that many of the contents are not the information the interviewer needs, and in this case, most interviewers will interrupt you, leaving a less favorable impression.

So how can you manage your time well? It is recommended to include the following parts in your introduction: (1) an overview, including educational background; (2) an introduction to your work experience; (3) an introduction to the most valuable experiences. With these parts, a self-introduction can be effectively controlled within about 5 minutes, allowing the interviewer to have a clear understanding of your situation and showcasing your strengths.

2. Key points to highlight during the interview

During the interview, it is important to highlight the following key points: what you have done, what achievements you have in your work, and what your strengths are. This will present yourself well.

• What you have done: Introduce yourself and clarify what you have done in the past. For each work experience, mention the company name, position held, and job responsibilities at each time point. It is especially important to focus on what you have done in your two most recent positions, and you can briefly mention work experiences from earlier times. You should emphasize the principle of “highlighting the key points.”
• Achievements in your work: Clearly introduce representative project experiences that you have achieved at different stages. However, it is important to note: (1) Focus more on achievements that are relevant to the position you are applying for and skip or don’t mention those that are irrelevant, as the interviewer is concerned about achievements that are beneficial to the employing company. (2) Focus on introducing your personal achievements rather than team achievements, and highlight the most impressive one or two achievements. Of course, be well-prepared to respond to questions from the interviewer.
• Highlight your strengths: When introducing your strengths, make sure they are closely related to the position you are applying for, mainly focusing on your professional expertise. Besides professional expertise, you can also highlight other strengths, but do so concisely.

For example: “Hello, I’m [Your Name]. I joined XXX Company in March 2018 as a product manager, primarily responsible for the planning and design of the company’s core products. During this period, I independently completed the product follow-up and launch for the XX project, which increased the product’s data by 30% and received recognition from the company. During the project, through learning and communication with external experts, I obtained information about the new XXX strategy and actively tried it, achieving my goals.”

3. Reasons for leaving each job

During the interview, it is important to highlight the logicality of your career planning, which means you need to convey to the interviewer that each job change was for personal growth and a well-planned transition. Therefore, when expressing this, it is best to clearly state the achievements and growth points you had in each job. If you can also reflect your personal reflections while discussing these contents, it will be even more impactful.

How to Answer Questions in an Interview #

I believe you often encounter the following questions from interviewers, which serve as tests for you. Providing better answers to these questions may become the key to entering your desired company.

1. Why did you choose our company?

This question is likely to be encountered by many candidates. Your reasons may include casually applying, the company being close to your place of residence, high salary, no overtime work, or various allowances offered by the company. If these answers appear in your interview response, the HR department may reconsider whether to hire you.

So, when answering this question, you need to be prepared:

• First, describe the fit between your abilities and the job requirements, showing that you have the opportunity to show your strengths in the position provided by the company.
• Mention several advantages that attract you to the company, and explain how these advantages can benefit your future work.
• Summarize your career development and the company’s prospects.

I believe these answers can easily grab the attention of the interviewer. However, in the early stage, you also need to do some research on the company and the position you are applying for.

2. Why did you leave your previous company?

Perhaps you felt wronged in your previous company, or the personnel relationships were complex, which is why you left. However, no matter how bad your previous company was, you must never mention it in the interview. The reason you left your previous company will make the interviewer wonder if you will easily leave the new company if you encounter difficulties. Moreover, the interviewer is not actually concerned about why you left, so it is only necessary to provide an answer that everyone in the room can accept.

For example, you could answer: “I left for better development opportunities.” Remember, when answering this question, do not belittle your previous company or damage the image of your former leader.

3. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

I believe many candidates are troubled by this question. It may seem arrogant to talk about too many strengths, but who is willing to talk about their weaknesses in an interview? Here are a few simple directions to help you resolve this awkward dilemma.

Strengths: You can describe your strengths based on your previous work experience and achievements. For example, “I participated in a certain project, and I believe my experience can help the company in solving certain problems.” Of course, you can also illustrate your personal qualities or character strengths through examples. Which company can resist a candidate who has both good character and abilities?

Weaknesses: No one is perfect, so you should bravely face your weaknesses. You can explain to the interviewer what changes you have made to overcome your weaknesses, thereby showing that you are actively working to become a better person.

4. What is your career plan for the next 3 or 5 years?

When the interviewer asks this question, they want to see your self-learning ability and the driving force behind your future career. People who have no clear career plan are unlikely to succeed and will not stay in a position for a long time, so they are not the most suitable candidates for the company.

When asked about your career plan, you can set a short-term plan that can be achieved and a future goal you hope to achieve.

For example, “In the next 1 to 2 years, I hope to participate in several complete projects to learn and see the progress of the entire project. This will enhance my work ability and project experience. In the next 3 to 5 years, I hope to independently handle projects and create a usable and well-received product that benefits everyone.”

This kind of answer will make the interviewer think that you are a down-to-earth person who wants to grow through learning, and that you have a strong motivation to achieve success in this job.

5. What do you value most when choosing a job?

Many candidates find it difficult to answer this question, but it can be assumed that the interviewer definitely values your personal growth and development space more. Although you may be thinking about salary or training, implying that you are a materialistic person with no long-term development potential will not lead to a favorable interview outcome.

6. Do you have any questions?

This is the last question before the end of the interview. It can be considered a procedural or formal question. At this time, you can ask questions based on your performance during the interview, such as company benefits, working hours, team atmosphere, or personal career development. However, try to avoid asking questions that can be easily found online about the company.