5 things to do in a job interview to almost guarantee getting hired

“When can you start?” the company owner asked.

This was the last company I worked at before becoming self-employed, and he hired me on the spot in the first interview. I found out later that they had decided to hire me from my application, and the interview itself was to make sure I would fit in. Less than 30 minutes after arriving, I had a handshake, salary offer, and a start date.

At the company before that, the hiring manager fast-tracked me to the next stage without taking the interview assignment that applicants were supposed to complete. (I’ll explain how I did this in step 5, but it only works if you also do steps 1–4.)

The company before that didn’t hire me for the role I applied for. I got to the final two and lost to someone with more experience — can’t argue with that. But I’d made a good enough impression that they hired me for a slightly different role, and matched the salary.

None of this is bragging — I’m not an exceptional candidate. But what I have to my advantage is an awareness of a formula to standing out in interviews. With that formula, you’ll drastically increase your chances of getting hired.

I’ve been on both sides of the interview table, and I’m going to tell you how to get into the top 1% of applicants.

1. Nail your application

Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” — Abraham Lincoln

The application is your axe. It’s easy to think that productive job hunting means sending out hundreds of applications quickly, but that’s inaccurate. You’ll be busy applying for jobs, but you won’t be productive in applying for jobs.

You’ll have much more success by sending out fewer applications that have been tailored for the role.

According to a Forbes report:

On average, approximately 118 people apply for any given job. Of those 118 applicants, only 22% will be invited to interview for the position. Therefore, for every 118 job applicants submitted, roughly 24 people will advance to the interview stage of the hiring process.

Reading things like that is scary. How do you compete with 117 other people?!

Well, you don’t have to. The naked truth is that not all of those applicants are remotely qualified for the job (that’s why only 24 get selected). Speak to hiring managers and they’ll confirm it, but a lot of people just fire off applications for any job they find. It’s incredible how many haven’t read the job spec, or don’t have any interest or background in the area.

So first step is get your resume updated and tailor it for the job. Include a very short summary at the top that mentions specific things you want the interviewer to know about you, and 3 bullet points of key skills. This doesn’t mean tell them you went travelling on a gap year to find yourself, it does mean tell them in a concise manner that you’ve got such-and-such qualification and a proven track record in getting results.

When you’re sitting in a pile of 118 applications, you can’t expect the recruiter to read every line. So make their life easier and boost your chances by telling them the pertinent facts at the start.

And remember, their main concern is how you can help them and why you’ll be a good fit. Remember at the start of this article I said the company decided to hire me before I arrived at the office? It’s because my application was strong. I shared some of my relevant successes and experience, but I also wrote like a human — these are people you’ll share an office with, and they need to like you.

As a pro-tip, I always end my cover letter with a sentence about how I want to help the company reach its goals. You get hired to help a company grow, so demonstrate awareness of that in your application. (For great information on writing a resume they can’t ignore, I recommend following Ramit Sethi’s advice.)

2. Dress smart

I remember hearing from one hiring manager about an applicant who turned up looking scruffy — “he hadn’t even tucked his shirt in.”

Or consider the time I was talking to the head of my department. We were standing outside a meeting room with a glass wall, where we could see an interview taking place inside. He turned to me and said, “I can’t believe someone has come to an interview wearing trainers.” (Or sneakers, for my American readers.) This applicant had arrived wearing a suit, but with bright red sports shoes — and this wasn’t a trendy new startup, it was a conservative financial organisation.

This point is contentious to some people. If you feel you have the right to turn up looking scruffy or casual because it doesn’t influence how good you are, that’s your prerogative. And you’re right, it doesn’t reflect your capabilities. But first impressions are hugely important and managers are also looking to hire people who will fit in with the culture. As a member of staff, you represent the company.

Making a professional impression is very rarely going to work against you. So shine your shoes, brush your hair, and for the love of God tuck your damn shirt in.

3. Relax, smile, and have a firm handshake

When you’re interviewing, you’re competing with other people. Some of those people might be better than you at the tasks required, so any advantage you can gain is critical.

A firm handshake tells people you’re confident. It helps with trust. A limp handshake turns everybody off. (This doesn’t mean squeeze their hand like a vice — just have a firm grip and look them square in the eyes.)

And smile! Smiling is contagious, so you’ll put the interviewers in a good mood. Plus, we all want to be around people who make us feel good. Being happy and polite in the interview will make the interviewers see you as bringing a positive energy to the team. Believe me, as most people are nervous in interviews, this can have a huge impact on your success.

4. Be on your best behaviour

A few years ago, a female colleague and I were interviewing a strong applicant. He gave good answers and he was confident, but we detected some mild hostility beneath the surface, almost like he felt it was beneath him to be interviewed. He spent most of the time looking at me to give his answers and avoiding talking to my colleague.

Then in response to a question from her, he started his response with, “Look. Listen.”

Needless to say, he wasn’t hired. You need to be unbelievably exceptional to get hired while also being rude in an interview — unless you did something remarkable like build and scale Amazon, you can’t simply expect to get hired on your experience.

Be polite, make eye contact with each interviewer, and don’t act like they’re wasting your time.

5. Bring out the showstopper

The first four points in this article are the basics — the foundational components to a good interview. The components that will cost you if they’re missing. And they’re strong enough to get you hired in a lot of interviews. I’ve saved this point for last because it’s less effective if you’re using it without the previous points, just like how you won’t win many basketball matches with fancy moves if you never learned the fundamentals like dribbling and passing.

With the previous points understood, this fifth one is what elevates you to elite status. The top 1% of applicants.

Before we get to it, I’ll explain why it’s so powerful: because the vast majority of people turn up to interviews prepared to answer questions. They give the control to the interviewer, planning to simply do as they’re asked — “answer this question, complete this task.” And on top of that, many, if not most, know very little about the company or its ambitions.

So how impressive do you think it is when an applicant turns up demonstrating they’ve done their homework?

Very impressive! Instantly, you’re a stand out candidate.

I learned this from Ramit Sethi, and he calls it the Briefcase Technique. Here’s a video where he explains it, and I’ll summarise it below:

Basically, you’re putting some time in before your interview where you look into the company and come up with ideas for what you’d do. If you’re applying to be a Digital Marketing Manager, this might mean looking at their existing online strategy and suggesting improvements.

The Briefcase Technique is powerful because by doing it, you’ve:

1. shown a strong attitude by spending time researching the company
2. reflected awareness that the job is about what you can do for them, not the other way around
3. demonstrated what you would bring to the role, which completely de-risks you. Hiring people is expensive, so there’s always a risk to a new member not being a good fit. This technique removes that risk

While other applicants are there to answer questions and do the assignment given to them, you’ve shown motivation and initiative. You’ve also shown you’re an asset because you know how to look for ways to make improvements. Now you’re not just someone who’s good at specific tasks, but you’re someone they can talk to for ideas, someone who can be brought into strategy discussions with insightful contributions.

This is the technique I used to bypass the assignment other applicants had to do. The manager asked me what I would do if I got the job, and I pulled out a sheet of paper with my ideas. It stopped him in his tracks: not only had I taken the time to do it, but they weren’t generic suggestions like “post on social media more often.” They were specific to the company’s problems and goals, with clear and defined actions for what we should do and why.

With one move, I made myself the best applicant for the job — which is a reminder that we don’t always have to play by the same rules as everyone else. While my competitors went home and felt good about how well they’d answered the task questions, I had essentially removed them from the running by asking myself “What does this manager really want from this new hire?”

And that is the million dollar question:

What does the manager want?

Too many people are focused on their own wants and needs in an interview. Yes, we all need a salary. But you’re not being hired out of charity. You’re being hired on the strength of what you can contribute to help that company. The more you can demonstrate that, the easier it is to hire you over everyone else.

In conclusion

It boils down to this:

1. Craft a strong application
2. Show the hiring manager you’ve researched the company and have ideas to benefit it
3. Be relaxed, calm, and friendly (with a smile!)
4. Look and act professional

That’s it!

Master these elements and you’ll immediately improve your interview success rate. Even if you don’t get hired, by being friendly and impressive you can still form new relationships with the hiring managers, which can enhance your career later on.

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