After scanning the recruiting websites for the perfect position at a great company, there is finally a fitting position and Ihave been asked to come to an interview at the company. At this point in the interview process, my first question has always been: what do I wear? As a woman being interviewedfor a business role, that has been the eternal question for any and all job interviews, and it is usually the aspect of the interview I feel most nervous about. Men have fewer options in what to wear for these situations, and I doubt most of them think more than a few minutes on this subject. The Dutch dress code is all over the map when it comes to what is appropriate to wear to work, making this even more difficult. My go-to outfit is usually a nice business dress or a jacket and pants. My motto has always been, “it’s always better to be overdressed than underdressed”. I have been in job interviews in the Netherlands where in the same outfit, I look like a homeless person going into one company and out-dress the CEO in another. The expected dress depends partly on the industry of the company as well as the role you are interviewing for. A designer interviewing for a job at a small fashion house most likely has much more leeway to express individuality than an auditor interviewing at a big accounting company. When in doubt, always go for a suit or a nice business dress for women. If you can get some insider information about the expected dress code from a friend who works there or a recruiter who knows the interviewer, your stress level will be lowered quite a bit. I expect this to be an eternal mental conflict I will endure for the rest of my life in whichever country I live.
After despairing about my outfit choice,I move onto research into the company. I want to be ready for any kind of question about the company that can possibly come my way. I look for recent news articles and try to focus on the sector of the business for which I am being interviewed, so I can bring those up in the interview when appropriate. I also make a point to study their mission statement or key values and use the same terminology in my statements. Speaking in the same jargon as those who already work there makes it appear as if I already fit in. Since the Dutch value teamwork so much and take a new employee fitting into a group so seriously, this is even more important in the Netherlands. Some companies will choose a candidate with less experience who fits into their group over someone with more relevant experience, who may seem a bit like a loner or who may not fit into their current team.
In preparation, I come up with some questions I may be asked and determine how I would handle those. I try not to write out every word and rehearse because it definitely comes across as non-natural if I focus on wording more than content. I consider strengths I can bring to the table, especially those that will fit into the job description, as well as weaknesses. Note: please do NOT have “works too hard” or “perfectionist” as your weakness. My thoughts at hearing this come out of someone’s mouth is that they are either a liar and think I am too dumb to notice, or that they are so full of themselves they actually think this is their greatest weakness. I pick something that is true and after telling the interviewer what it is, I speak about how I am working to improve this aspect of myself. No one is perfect so having a weakness is okay, but it is expected that you find out what that is and take steps to at least try to improve it.
My second least favorite part of interviewing, after sifting through my closet, is the situational questions. Name a time when a, b, and c happened to you and how you handled it. I will never know what question they are going to ask, so if they ask me a question like this at all, preparing for it is difficult. I have found the best way to approach these is to take a deep breath, maybe the first one I have taken since I have been there, and really think about the question and what my possible answer could be. Then I can answer with the STAR method. Name the situation or task I dealt with in some detail, the action I took, and the results I achieved from that action.
After I have dressed the part, done the research, and answered the question, the interview winds down and it is my turn to ask questions. I ALWAYS have two or three stock questions ready to go during interviews. “What is the day-to-day like in this role?” is a good go-to and I may have other questions come up during the interview; but regardless, I always ask questions. There is always more to learn before I leave. A big, very important one is “what are next steps?” Imagine you are going through all the work to prepare for this interview and you get home not knowing if or when you will ever hear from these people again. Ask when they plan on contacting you again with good or bad news, or at least with an update. After that, I shake some hands, thank the interviewer and get out of there. Thank God that is over! Not quite. After being interviewed, whether I think I nailed it or Iam contemplating jumping out of the window just to avoid having to endure the pain any longer, I always email a thank you note to the interviewer. This shows great respect, initiative, and could possibly lead to my getting a job I thought for sure was never going to happen.
Last note: no matter what your opinion of how the interview went, you will usually never know how that interviewer actually felt so donot be surprised if a great interview ends with you never hearing from that company again, or if an interview you thought you bombed ends in a wonderful job opportunity.
Ashley Herbert
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