How to make a great first impression at an interview by acing 3 questions
In interviews, first impression is extremely important. And because it’s a “first” impression, you never get a second chance. A quick google on how long it takes to make a first impression shows 7 seconds – 15 minutes. Therefore, it is crucial that you nail down how to convey an awesome and confident first impression to your interviewer.
Depending on how you answer these intro questions, they will either set you up for huge success or failure. The worst-case scenario is an immediate fail due to zero preparation. I’m not sure about you but if you are like me, you are gunning for the first outcome.
SO, here are the 3 questions to prepare for that will 10x your first impression.
1) Tell me about yourself
This is the first question you’ll encounter 99% of the time and they come in different variants. Common ones are: tell me about yourself, what’s your story, walk me through your resume, and so on. Since this is the first question, it’s THE most important question that makes or breaks the interviewer’s first impression of you. The key focus here is not so much of the content, but the confidence and communication – and both stems from preparation.
So, that leads to the question: how should I prepare to answer this?
Break it down: 5 Parts
- Basic details about yourself
Example: “Hi, my name is Ray and I’m currently working at DBS Bank in Traded Credit Risk Methods, a team that looks after counterparty risk within the bank. - How you came across this role
Example: “I came across this role in eFinancialCareers and thought it looked interesting and relevant and so, I applied for this role.” - A summary of your professional experiences and qualifications
Example: “So far in my career, I’ve been working in the risk management industry and in particular, market risk and counterparty risk. I also hold a MSc Quantitative Finance from the NUS.” - Your experience in your current role
Example: “In my current role at DBS Bank, I look at internal counterparty risk. One functional task I do is to measure counterparty exposure for structured trades for which a system solution is not available.” - Interests apart from work
Example: “Outside of work, I love to sing and game. These are great ways for me to de-stress and makes life more interesting.”
By the time you finish answering this question, the interviewer should have a good sense of you as a professional and as a person, and what you have done so far in your career.
Remember, confidence and communication is key.
2) Why did you apply for this role?
After gaining some basic understanding of you as a candidate, the next logical question to ask is why you had applied for this role i.e. what are your motivations behind the application. By having a better understanding of the same, the interviewer may assess the degree of fit between what this role offers and what you are looking out for.
To better prepare for this question, ask yourself the following:
What are my interests and strengths?
Identifying and understanding what your interests and strengths are helps you figure out what you want. Once you are clear on that, this forms a fixed reference point that allows you to determine if the role can satisfy you. For example, if one of your interests is “socialising with people”, a sales role would be a good definitely be a good fit.
To what extent is the JD relevant to my interests and strengths?
After identifying your interests and strengths, the next logical question is: “how well does this tie in with my interests and strengths?”. In general, you tend to naturally perform better when you can tap on your interests and strengths. To do this systematically, go down the list of bullet points in the JD and evaluate how much you will enjoy and be good at it. Once this is done, you will have a good sense of the role and its relevance to your interests and strengths.
What do I intend to gain out of this role?
Apart from paying the bills, you should think about what you intend to gain out of this role. Maybe you would like the larger scope of responsibility in this role compared to your current role, or this is something that you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t had the chance so far i.e. new experience. Or perhaps, you want to learn something new that this role offers and your current role doesn’t. Whatever the case may be, have at least ONE thing (apart from money) that you would like to gain out of the role you are applying for.
As your role is what you will be doing on a day-to-day basis, it is important to be able to clearly state to the interviewer (and more importantly, to yourself!) why you are applying for this particular role. Thinking through the above questions will empower you to answer “Why did you apply for this role?” with conviction and focus, like no other.
3) Why this company?
The role and the company are often thought of together as package but they are really two separate things and should be distinguished from each other.
- Role – What you are doing
For example, if you are a salesperson, selling to people is what you do. Sales is your function. - Company – Where you are doing it / Who you represent
For example, if you are salesperson for LinkedIn, you sell <your role> services that are offered by LinkedIn <your company>.
When it comes to considering the company at which you would like to work, consider the following:
What does the company do?
You would want to be clear about what the company does as its core business(s), and how it makes money. Once you are clear, you can then ask yourself if you like or can relate to what the company does. For example, if a company’s core business is in financial services, do you like the idea of selling financial services? Do you believe that these business activities truly adds value to customers? Here, it’s about seeking a purpose and alignment with the company’s business activities and values.
What is the company financial performance like?
You definitely want to join a company that is financially sound and expected to continue to do well. This somewhat ensures you have a good salary, bonus, and most importantly stay employed. So, research the company and their core business to see if they have been doing well and can continue performing through your expected employment tenor there.
What is the company culture like?
Since you’ll be working at the company day-in-day-out, it is important that you enjoy the company culture. One way to think about company culture is the way people work there. Another way to see it is the unspoken rules that people follow. For example, a “facetime culture” is where people are expected to show up and do time. The opposite is a “deliverable-focused” culture that care more about deliverables rather than people physically showing up at the office. The best way to find out about company culture is to talk to someone who has worked there before and is likely to tell you the unfiltered version of his/her experience there. Then, ask yourself if you’ll be happy working in this type of culture.
Remember, you only have ONE chance to make a great first impression
These 3 questions will almost always be asked in an interview and therefore, preparing for them in advance is essential so you can deliver the responses in a confident and persuasive manner.
Now, get started on preparing for your next interview to make a great first impression!
Risk Manager by Profession, Mentor and Coach by Passion.
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