Q: For interviews and cover letters, I've heard that the best way to show interest in a firm is to give historical facts (founding date, important deals) or logistics (number of employees). How often should we work these in?

Yikes, what bad advice. That is the last thing I want to hear. When I am reading your cover letter, I do want to know that your letter has been written specifically to answer my job description, and that it is not a form letter. Likewise, when I am assessing you in both your cover letter (and resume) and during your interview, I am looking for evidence that you would want to work for me and my firm.

But, regurgitated facts are not the way to show it.

Experiences and skills that are aligned with what I do are much more relevant to me. I am never going to leave an interview thinking, “Wow, she was able to name all three of our founders and knew when their birthdays were!” But you will be heading towards an offer if I am thinking “Wow, that research project she worked on covered exactly the type of problems we deal with every day!”

Dazzle me with your skills and evidence of interest in my industry; don’t bore me with memorized facts about my firm.

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Q: If an interviewer asks if I have applied to other companies, including competitors, should I be frank?

Yes, it is okay to tell them that you are interviewing with their competitors. This will actually give them some level of comfort, since it shows that you are focused on their particular industry.

But, don’t elaborate on the point; this is a common mistake. Keep it short and sweet. Since this is a general question, you only have to give a general response. Specifically, don’t go into detail about your other opportunities, their relative fit, and your assessment of them.

If someone asks you this level of detail—which they may near the offer stage of the process—keep it positive. Never “diss” another company – even to a perceived rival. This would be viewed as unprofessional.

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Q: Should I make a new resume for each company I apply to? How different should each cover letter be?

It is perfectly fine to customize your resume and cover letter for each opportunity. Your goal when doing this will be to highlight your particular skills and strengths as they relate to the individual opportunity. For example, if giving presentations will be a key part of the job, make sure your presenting experience and skills stand out over less related information.

Just be aware of the logistical problem of remembering which version went to whom.

With regard to cover letters, once you have done four or five of them, you usually have covered most iterations and can cut and paste the right pieces together. Keeping your information general, but tayloring it to each particular opportunity, is the best combination.

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Q: I keep being told that good interview skills are equivalent to good social skills. Isn't preparation basically for people who cannot carry on a normal conversation? I mean, we are just giving a few soundbites and talking about ourselves, right?

Well, I guess that would be equivalent to convincing yourself that you don't need to study for finals, because you "know the material". If you ever talked yourself into this frame of mind, you know how well it turned out. Expect the same level of success if you do not adequately prepare for your interviews.

Interviews are not a normal form of interaction. They are one of the most uncomfortable, nerve-wracking experiences you will ever endure. When caught off-guard with a question one is not prepared to answer, a common response is panic and a spewing of blabber from one's mouth. No social skills or any other innate ability will help you after this, but the confidence of being well-prepared will save you.

Be aware that you have very little time during an interview to present your case for why you should get the job. You have to be ready to articulate your top selling point under all the possible scenarios your interviewer may throw at you. You have to practice answering many iterations of possible questions and be able to deliver your message in a fluid--but not over-rehearsed--way.

Like everything else in life, you get better with practice. Interviewing is no different.

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Q: How should I answer the infamous "Why are you interested in this field?" question?

First off, the general reason for this question is that the interviewer wants to determine how serious you are about the particular field he or she is interviewing you for. You typically will get this question if you are new to the field (for example, a career-changer or recent graduate). This is the number one uncertainty that we recruiters face with first-time job seekers; are they really serious about a career in health care or consulting or zoology? You guys are a big risk because most of you lack a track record that we can point to for guidance.

We are looking for you to mitigate this risk with your answer.

You want to address this concern head-on with proof that you understand what it means to be “a health care professional” or “zoologist”. You can do this by reiterating past experiences--or even conversations--that you have had that show that you are aware of what it will take to be successful in this career path. If you can speak to your passions and how this particular field touches them, all the better.

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Q: Should we Google our interviewer before an interview? I want to make a connection, but recently my interviewer seemed creeped-out.

I think the problem stems from the impersonal nature of the interviewing process. What is the average success rate for interviews? Over my career, it has to be in the low single digits. Your interviewer knows this, too.

Aware that the odds are pretty high that she is going to say “no” to you, she rightly does not want to get too personal - saying “no” to people is more difficult if you have a personal bond with them. This is why she may have been “creeped out”. Other than the obvious concern that you may be a stalker.

Personally, I applaud taking the initiative and trying to find out information about your interviewer. This is a good trait of successful people. Keep it up, but in light of the “creeping out” factor, we have to explore a better way to use this information to help you land the job.

One way is to search for experiences or aptitudes that you have in common with your interviewer. Then, focus on less personal ways of bringing these out in the interview. If you find out that your interviewer was an accounting major, when she asks, “tell me about a project that you worked on that you really enjoyed”, give her an analytical one that she can relate to.

Or, if she is from your home state, find a way to weave this into your conversation. If you can do this without seeming like a brown-noser, you will help her get comfortable with including your name on the callback list.

Don’t shy away from doing these sorts of things. Much of the interviewing process is intuition and feel. It is not devious or dishonest to create positive rapport with your interviewer. It is good self-marketing.

Information is power. Don’t be afraid to use it to promote your own cause - just don’t get too personal!

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Topic: Excellent, Superior and other Superlatives

When describing their skill levels, I often warn job seekers to refrain from using words like “excellent” and “superior” for four reasons:

1. These words are their opinions not mine. I don’t want to hear opinions. I want to see facts and examples and formulate my own conclusion.

2. Chances are I have a different, and likely higher, expectation of what it means to have “excellent communication skills” or “superior understanding of business marketing”. If there is not corroborating evidence to support these statements, they are likely to go in the “no” pile.

3. These statements of opinion are extra words that make it harder for me to find their relevant skills.

4. If they do make it to an interview, you can be assured that I am going to drill down very hard on this area and see if they meet my interpretation of these words.

Of course if you meet my definition of what an expert is, I want you on my team, but trust me, unless you have at least 5 years of work experience under your belt, you won’t . Best not to go there.

Btw, here is an easy fix. Change “excellent” or “superior” to something like “honed my”. This simple change makes the statements actions not opinions.

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