3 MUST-KNOW Interview Tips from Hiring Manager Alishah Novin

Alisha Novin is a close friend of mine. He’s also a hiring manager. I had him on my Guidance Counselor 2.0 liveshow last week to talk about the interview process. You don’t want to miss these top 3 tips!

1) Do mock interviews

I do a lot of mock interviews with candidates, and my feedback for them is remarkably similar. That’s because interviewing is a skill, and skills require repetition to master. If you get an opportunity to do a mock interview--take it! Or better yet, seek them out.

2) Learn how to introduce yourself and tell your story

For the interview, it’s even more important than coding. People these days have multiple jobs. All of your career moves to this point explain who you are. As a hiring manager, I want to know how you’re going to be valuable to the team overall, which is far more than just your technical knowledge. Are you going to be reliable? Are you teachable? Are you capable of mentoring new people later on? I’m looking for all of these things.

3) Actively engage in the interview process

I’ve interviewed thousands of people. You’d be surprised how many candidates don’t bring any energy into the interview. I posted on LinkedIn that I’m doing mock interviews. All someone had to do was reach out. The post got a TON of engagement, but very few people took me up on the offer. If you’re interviewing, you need to communicate your energy in the interview, but also through the job-seeking process. I want to see how your past experiences led you to tech and how your energy translates to the work environment.