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by evansolomon
6034 days ago
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I do lots of hiring for technical positions (marketing and other business-y tasks) but I couldn't agree more with these two points, and I think they are relevant no matter what job you are applying for. They really make a HUGE difference in whether or not I pay attention enough to remember you, which in turn is probably the biggest factor in how likely I am to hire you. - Any effort you make to show interest in the company goes a long way. Use the software, come prepared to talk about what you did/didn't like, and have questions for me. Are you interested in working here? Then you should be full of questions! - Work on cool stuff. This is the #1 differentiator (and it's all about differentiation). If you have 3 links to something really neat you worked on in the last 3 years, that places you well above most other candidates -- it shows that you love what you do. |
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I was interviewing someone for a mid-level systems engineering position, and the interview seemed to be going well-enough. I always wrap up with a few minutes for the candidate to ask questions about the company, and the only question this candidate had was "Have you guys ever considered building a website where people can design and order business cards?"
Blink; blink; WTF? Uh, yeah, we did about $250M in business that way last year, so I'd say we've given it some thought.
An employer is going into the interview with some need that they're hoping you can fill. That need is almost certainly not "I need to make sure the next person in the door can pay rent and buy food." so you shouldn't go into the interview focused on that either. By all means, you have your own set of needs that you need filled, but in the interview, focus on the employer's need, not your own.