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Top 10 Interview Preparation Tools

At Rove preparation is one of our core components of our missions statement. We want to prepare our:

  • clients for peace of mind and protection for each season
  • team members for meaningful and productive days
  • potential team members to find the best fit for their success

We want each person exploring opportunities to join our team to be comfortable and confident in their interactions. This guide will provide some helpful hints and tricks to make your exploration smooth.

1) Ask questions

Too many candidates for positions enter interviews and other conversations as though they are just one sided interviews. The more you ask questions, the more you can tell if it is a good fit for you. It also makes it more conversational so we can help match the best position for your personality and strengths. (For a list of the top 10 questions to ask, click here)

2) Communication

We want to hear from you and we want to get you the information you need to make a wise and comfortable decision. Is traffic holding you up? No problem, just let us know. Do you have a concern about a duty or part of an offer? Just ask us and we will be happy to see if we can accommodate your needs. Feeling nervous? Let us know and we will try to help alleviate that. The biggest thing to remember is we want to work as a team. The more we know on both sides, the better we will do.

3) Gratitude

Genuine expressions of gratitude have been shown to increase the long-term happiness level of both the expresser and the receiver. When you take time out of your life to explore an opportunity with our team, we truly appreciate it. If your interviewer thanks you for meeting with them, know that it is sincere and truly appreciated. On the flip side, if your interviewer does something to help you or make you feel more comfortable, thank them for that specific action. They will appreciate it and you will feel the benefit too!

4) Honesty

We don’t expect people to be perfect. The more upfront you are with your concerns and struggles, the more we can customize the training. We know that we learn much more from mistakes than anything, so let’s celebrate the opportunity to learn from each other.

5) Listen

Don’t worry about what you are going to say next (or ask next). Just stay in the moment in the conversations. The more attention you put on the moment at hand, the better the results will be. Additionally, we want to listen to you. We will be more than happy to be patient while you gather your thoughts.

6) Nervousness

Feeling nervous? That can be a good sign. We always feel nervous when we feel something is important. Our leadership team that is meeting with you is probably just as nervous. Your experience matters to us and we want to help you in your pursuits. Feel free to just state that you are nervous and you will be surprised at how much it will diminish the tension for both sides.

7) Positivity

While we don’t expect everything to have a positive spin, we do want to head in a positive direction. Just as we aren’t going to speak negatively about you, we hope you won’t speak negatively about previous employers or co-workers You may need to share some negative circumstances and occurrences, but we like to keep the focus on the facts rather than speaking negatively of others.

8) Process

While it may vary with circumstance, we typically follow this process:

  • initial phone call to answer basic questions
  • 1st interview to look for basic fit
  • 2nd interview to dial in details and team fit
  • Job offer
  • New hire paperwork done electronically
  • New team member training
  • Progress through advancement programs

9) Punctuality

We care about your time as well as ours. This means we want to give you as much time and attention as you need. We also want to dedicate as much time as possible to helping our other team members. We will do our best to be on time and ask you to do the same. As mentioned above, if something gets in the way, just let us know. Communication allows us to be flexible and pivot to provide as much help and attention to as many as possible.

10) Take Notes

It is not uncommon to cover a lot of information in some of these meetings. Bringing something to take notes with will help record information you want to remember. It will also help to have something to jot down points or questions you want to bring up when able.