The 5 things every HR director wishes you knew

Think back to that time you really nailed an interview. Struggling to recall one? You are not alone.

Interviews are a real test of your nerve, confidence and present a blunt, binary outcome of either acceptance & ‘winning’ or rejection and ‘failure’. 

You would be amazed how many people we have seen and heard of that interview for senior roles and quite simply fail on the absolute basics.  

We’ll let you into a secret. HR directors and hiring managers actually want you to be brilliant. Then they can just hire you and stop spending time with less suitable candidates.  Simple really! It’s a task they need to tick-off. 

So read on and you can be that tick! 

There are 5 insights from our team’s experience that could dramatically improve your chances. They might not be rocket science, but most interviewees fail on at least one in our experience:

#1 Do some proper research beforehand

The company history, glass door feedback, recent news and commentary. And without forgetting checking out their Website, customer satisfaction and recent financial performance. 

Get clear on the big ones. What is their Strategy, are their key challenges a d their culture like? Who are their board, customers and management team? 

Knowing this will put you ahead of the majority of candidates, calm you beforehand and show the interviewer that you are serious and prepared

#2 Be very clear on your strengths and how you best convey them

Most people really waffle and try to throw the kitchen sink at this question in a confusing and slightly desperate way. We’ve all heard them - long, rambling diatribes without any clear focus or structure. Big no-no. 

That will come across poorly for the interviewer so make sure you clearly structure (e.g. the power of 3) with examples & data-points to back-up what you are saying - for example:

“Over time I’ve had consistent feedback that my top 3 strengths are X, Y and Z and these also come out in a profiling test I took where I was an XYZ. I really used and honed my X strength when I successfully delivered Project123 which delivered £m worth of value and really boosted my reputation within the business.”

#3 What are your development areas and how are you addressing your skill gaps?

The flip side of question 2 is this one and it feels instantly negative. But actually it’s not. 

No-one is perfect. And those that think they are or try and convey that sentiment in an interview are doomed to fail. 

Being clear and recognising what you are working on is reassuring to the interviewer…it shows self-awareness and a determination to be the best version of yourself. 

Again, try and find a couple of things to focus on, then convey where you got that feedback / realisation and what you are doing to work on it. Bonus points for what you’ve tried, what worked, what didn’t and what you pivot is for the future to nail it! 

And if you’ve really going for gold, talk about how you have historically built your teams to include individuals who excel at your development area(s). 

For example: 

“One of my gifts is Strategic, big picture thinking and making things really simple. The downside with this sometimes is that the devil might be in the detail and I might be overlooking something. My previous team had a couple of individuals who absolutely loved forensic detail and we found a brilliant way of working together such as [provide example]”

#4 Be clear and realistic on your comp expectations

One of the most feared questions: “what are your salary expectations?”

Remember, this is a business transaction and not personal or a statement about your self-worth. So treat it as such. Which means that it shouldn’t be an emotive or challenging conversation. 

It’s like every sales pitch you’ve ever done or seen:

• I’ve got this, can do that and I think it’s worth the other in the open market

• So are you interested in buying or shall we look elsewhere?  

So make sure you construct beforehand a solid rationale of:

• What you have earnt previously & your history

• What you want from their vacancy pay banding (if available) and why

• Highlight why you believe you are worth that

• Establish the bar for you to move as you are happy where you are (if true)

#5 Always, always have a couple of great questions for the interviewer at the end

We often get asked what’s the single worst thing you can do in an interview. There are a few contenders, but number 5 really takes the biscuit. 

Imagine or remember how it feels as an interviewer when the candidate responds to “do you have any questions for me / us” with a flat “no”?

We are all human. A “no” basically says to them:

• I’m not interested in you or this role in a serious way

• I am not a genuine candidate as I am not inquisitive / serving my needs

• I want to get out of here as soon as possible

• Nothing you have said has interest me

Pretty crushing to be on the end of. And equals and instant “thanks for your application and interest but we are proceeding in a different direction”

So have 2-3 great questions up your sleeve. About the company, culture, job description. Or even better replace those with something about what you have heard in the interview where you are seeking a clarification.

e.g. “so if I’m understanding what we discussed earlier correctly, you said ‘X’ but could you help me by expanding on that comment to make it real for me – maybe with a practical example please?” 

This really shows you were listening, conveys respect and genuine interest. 

Simple as that. The top 5 biggies for an Interview.

And if you knew that already, congrats - you are top of the class and in the minority. 

And if you didn’t then give it a try either side of the table and we think you’ll be surprised at how much it changes the dynamic. 

We hope you found that useful and be sure to check out other blogs to get you firmly on the road to your dream role. Happy hunting!