Summary

The author shares a personal anecdote about the importance of researching before a job interview, emphasizing how a lack of preparation can lead to undervaluing oneself and missing out on a potentially great career opportunity.

Abstract

The article recounts the author's experience with a job interview where insufficient research led to several critical mistakes. Despite being excited about the opportunity and the company's prime location, the author failed to prepare adequately for common interview questions, such as salary expectations, and did not consider the actual work location, which was an hour away. The author also neglected to find out who the interviewer would be, missing the chance to tailor their responses and questions appropriately. These oversights resulted in the author underselling their skills and turning down a job that was not a good fit, despite being offered the position. The story serves as a cautionary tale about the necessity of thorough interview preparation.

Opinions

The author believes that adequate research before an interview is crucial for understanding industry-standard salaries and demonstrating one's worth.
They suggest that candidates should provide a salary range based on evidence and indicate flexibility in negotiations.
The author emphasizes the importance of knowing the actual job location to account for commuting time and its impact on salary expectations.
They highlight that understanding who the interviewer is can help anticipate questions and tailor the conversation, especially if the interviewer is a high-level executive like a CEO.
The author reflects that the job offer was not aligned with their personal needs, partly due to their own lack of preparation, which led to them declining the position.
They imply that with proper research and preparation, the outcome of the interview could have been different, potentially leading to a fulfilling career.

Why doing research before an interview matters

Believe me - I learned the hard way

SPOILER ALERT: This is not a story of how I couldn’t get a job because I didn’t do research before my interview. This is a story of how I got the job but ruined it because I hadn’t researched enough.

It was years ago when I was younger and eager to find a job that I applied for everything that could save me from my unstable life. I was very excited when I got the call from one company- they were expecting me for an interview.

It was great, the location was right in the city center, very close to where I lived. The office was cozy, and everybody was smiling. I could easily adapt to working there.

As I sat waiting, they brought me a form to fill in, asking more or less what was already on my resume. And there at the bottom of the page was the question: What is your salary expectation?

What I should have done

Bahar2020 knows that this is an expected question in a job interview. She also knows that employers tend to ask this question to understand if you are within their budget or to get a sense of how much you value yourself and how much you know about the industry you are willing to work in. My younger version, however, was clueless. (sigh!)

When answering a salary question, you must provide a number that is appropriate for the task, based on actual evidence. You need to know what is normal for the industry, the bargaining margin, etc. If I had studied the industry before coming in, I could have given them a range and added something like “negotiable” to show I was flexible. This would give me a great edge in the interview. But of course, I didn’t do that.

What I did

I hadn’t done my homework and I was desperate to find a stable job. I will go further and say I was blinded by my desperation as I couldn’t evaluate what I was worth and how it was difficult for them to find someone with my skillset. So, I wrote a number that seemed to be a little better than what I was earning at the time. But, I was yet to understand that I was underselling myself.

Which brings me to my second big fail in this interview.

Remember when I said, “the location was right in the city center, very close to where I lived”? Nope, that wasn’t where I was supposed to work at all. It was actually one hour commute away.

What I should have done

I should have learned the location of the position and taken that into consideration. Salaries differ not only by career and company level but also by location. So, when investigating the typical salary range for a position, you need to consider where the position is located. This could be great leverage to negotiate a better salary and other benefits.

What I did

As unprepared as I was, I said the distance didn’t matter. Seriously? Losing 2 hours of my time 6 days a week didn’t matter? Of course, it did. It hit me after I got two more interviews (one in Italian and one with the whole board).

Another mistake I made by not doing enough research was not knowing whom to meet.

What I should have done

Having background information about the person you are going to be interviewed by can help anticipate questions and set the tone. If I had asked about it over the phone and got a name, I could have done a little LinkedIn research and find out the things that matter to my interviewer. I would have also realized that I was not going to be interviewed by HR but the CEO himself. That would definitely make a difference in the way I prepared for the interview.

What I did

I had no idea that I was shaking hands with the CEO of the company until he introduced himself and how I would be working directly for him. (gasp). I have to admit I adapt easily but avoiding the shock would have definitely helped, especially with my shaky mood as I answered the famous “Tell me about yourself. I was also unable to ask anything at the end of the interview, as all the questions I had in my mind were intended for HR.

You already know that I got the job no matter how unprepared I was. But the problem wasn’t there. I was perfect for the job, but the job was not perfect for me especially after how I handled the salary question and distance issue. It was all on me. I felt so trapped that I refused the job a week before I was supposed to start. With the right preparation, I could have made it into a great career. In another life it could have worked out; the job that got away.