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"New to the Online Job Interview?  Here's How to Ace It"  The New York Times, 08/04/2020

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"New to the Online Job Interview?  Here's How to Ace It"  The New York Times, 08/04/2020

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A handful of classic techniques and some tips unique to the work-from-home era can help you land that next job.

Credit... Joohee Yoon

The in-person job interview went away when offices emptied this spring because of the coronavirus pandemic. On the plus side, no more flying out to company headquarters and staying at a hotel, just to spend a day of meetings in an uncomfortable suit and then heading right back home. On the downside, common technical snafus and fewer body language clues can make the online process feel fraught. To successfully make the jump to team member from virtual job seeker, brush up on classic interview techniques and adapt them to the new world of internet interviews.
Research the Company and Your Interviewer
Interview basics still apply, so start by learning about the company, delving deeply into its website, related news coverage and employee reviews like those on Glassdoor or Indeed. Know why you want to work there, because you are sure to be asked.

To research publicly traded companies, Amelia Ransom, senior director of engagement and diversity at the tax compliance software company Avalara, suggests delving into their online 10-K forms, which summarize annual performance, paying close attention to the key challenges a company is facing in the "Risk Factors" section.

"Connect how hiring you can help them solve those challenges," she said.

Check out your interviewer's LinkedIn profile, to understand his or her background and perhaps find things in common. Make sure that your own LinkedIn profile is up to date and that you've asked past managers to post a recommendation in case your interviewer is checking you out, too.

Set the Scene
For video interviews, make sure your lighting, camera angle, outfit and background all help you look polished. Best bets for lighting are sunshine from a window that's facing you, a lamp bouncing light off a wall that reflects softly, computer screen clip-on lights or an inexpensive ring light. The New York Times Wirecutter site provides a video with more details.

Place your computer's camera at eye level or slightly above and tilted down (a stack of books underneath can help). Wear a professional-looking top that makes you feel confident.

Virtual backgrounds can be tricky, so it's best to find a clean uncluttered space, with nothing to distract the interviewer. Shut the door in case someone walks by.

"Do the best with what you have," Ms. Ransom said, "but don't worry too much about it."

Recruiters understand the limitations of home-based interviews. "Don't beat yourself up" if your child wanders by looking for a snack or the dog bursts in, she said. The interviewer is sitting at home "dealing with the same things."
Double-Check the Tech
Technical difficulties are understandable, but do all you can to avoid them, said Eliot Kaplan, a former vice present of talent acquisition at Hearst Magazines who is now a career coach. Start by ensuring your Wi-Fi is as strong and reliable as possible. That might mean setting up your video call in the part of your home that gets the best reception, asking housemates to stay off the network during your interview or even paying for better Wi-Fi for a few months while you are job hunting.

Make sure your laptop is fully charged. Keep your cellphone by your side (on "do not disturb") with the interviewer's phone number handy in case you need a backup communication method. Close other apps on your computer so you are not distracted by pop-ups. Double-check what will be in sight, because video software programs differ in how they crop web camera views.
Practice Your Answers and Your Presence
Think ahead about common questions and how you will answer (without sounding too rehearsed). So-called behavioral questions are in vogue: asking for examples from your experience, like a time when you overcame an obstacle, led a team or creatively solved a problem. It's important to answer concisely and listen closely, especially on a phone interview because you can't see the interviewer's responses and other visual cues, said Karen Amatangelo-Block, a talent acquisition executive at a global hotel company and a private coach. "You'll definitely lose them after five to seven minutes."

Practice your posture as well, Ms. Amatangelo-Block said, because it's important to communicate that you are engaged in the video conversation and excited about the opportunity. A tip she learned from newscasters is to "sit on the edge of your seat," which helps you to sit up straight. Pull your shoulders back to convey confidence, she said.

Even phone interviews should be conducted this way. "If you don't think about your presence," Ms. Amatangelo-Block said, "you'll be more likely to start slouching, feel less engaged and be more likely to ramble."

Set up a video call with a friend to check on setting, posture and to practice questions.
Convey Your Value
Think of the three things about yourself that you can bring to the job that are not on your résumé, Ms. Ransom said, and communicate those. "Maybe you are going for an engineering job but are also a great public speaker." As an interviewer, Ms. Ransom said, she wants to know the candidate beyond the résumé page and understand "their motivations and communication style, their personality: How will they expand the company culture?"

Some of the qualities that companies have traditionally looked for - adaptability, flexibility, showing up as a self-starter and an independent worker - are more important than ever in a work-from-home world in which the boss isn't around to see what you are doing, Mr. Kaplan said. One way to demonstrate those qualities in the interview is to talk about what you've done during the pandemic.

"If you've used the extra time at home to pick up a new skill or take on extra work responsibilities to help out your team, let the recruiter know," he said. If you relearned 10th-grade geometry to help your high schooler pass a math class, that's impressive, too.
Questions for the Interviewer?
Interviewers often conclude by asking, "Do you have any questions for me?" Let your curiosity shine through and ask something that will help you decide if the position will be a good match for you, Ms. Ransom said. "Asking something like 'Tell me how you got to where you are' feels like a template question" and won't help your decision-making process, she said.
After You Hang Up
Always send your interviewer a thank-you email and make it as specific as possible, mentioning a topic you discussed or something that inspired you. If you don't have the interviewer's contact information, send the email to your recruiter and ask her or him to pass it along.
Each Experience Helps Prepare You for the Next
Emily Chang, a recent graduate of Duke University, interviewed with 10 companies by phone or video before recently accepting an offer to work as a researcher for Rubius Therapeutics, a cell therapy biotechnology company in Cambridge, Mass. She said she was nervous when she began interviewing and after each interview would "think of something that could have been done better and file it away for the next time."

Ms. Chang said signing into the interview web link 10 or 15 minutes in advance to make sure it was working, and to take some time to collect her thoughts, helped her avoid feeling rushed. She also placed a glass of water just off camera and set up slips of paper she could glance down at with notes she had prepared, such as how her skills matched the job requirements.

After being interrupted a few times, Ms. Chang started letting others in her household know when she would be interviewing so they would be quiet. Specifically, "I had to ask my dad not to play the piano," she said.

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A handful of classic techniques and some tips unique to the work-from-home era can help you land that next job. The in-person job interview went away when offices emptied this spring because of the coronavirus pandemic.

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We can't read minds, unfortunately, but we'll give you the next best thing: a list of 50 of the most commonly asked interview questions, along with advice for answering them all.

While we don't recommend having a canned response for every interview question (in fact, please don't), we do recommend spending some time getting comfortable with what you might be asked, what hiring managers are really looking for in your responses, and what it takes to show that you're the right person for the job.
Land more interviews by looking or more open jobs on The Muse "
Consider this list your interview question and answer study guide. (And don't miss our bonus list at the end, with links out to resources on specific types of interview questions-about emotional intelligence or diversity and inclusion, for example-and interview questions by role, from accountant to project manager to teacher.)

50+ most common job interview questions

Like "Tell me about yourself," this question is a common interview opener. But instead of framing your answer around what qualities and skills make you best for the position, your answer should group your qualifications by your past jobs and tell your career story. You might choose to tell this story chronologically, especially if there's a great anecdote about what set you on this path. Or, as with "Tell me about yourself," you can begin with your present job then talk about what brought you here and where you're going next. But regardless, when you speak about your "past" and "present," highlight your most relevant experiences and accomplishments for this job and wrap up by talking about the future, i.e. connect your past and present together to show why this job should be the next one you add to your resume.

Possible answer to "Walk me through your resume."
"Well, as you can see from my resume, I took a bit of a winding road to get to where I am today. In college, I double majored in chemistry and communications. I found early on that working in a lab all day wasn't for me and at some point I realized I looked forward to the lab class I TA'ed the most. "So when I graduated, I found a job in sales for a consumer healthcare products company, where I drew on my teaching experience and learned even more about tailoring your message and explaining complex health concepts to people without a science background. Then, I moved into a sales training role at a massive company where I was responsible for teaching recent graduates the basics of selling. My trainees on average had more deals closed in their first quarter than any of the other trainers' cohorts. Plus, I got so much satisfaction from finding the right way to train each new hire and watching them progress and succeed. It reminded me of my time as a TA in college. That's when I started taking night classes to earn my chemistry teaching certificate. "I left my full-time job last year to complete my student teaching at P.S. 118 in Manhattan, and over the summer, I worked for a science camp, teaching kids from the ages of 10 to 12 about basic chemistry concepts and best practices for safe experiments. Now, I'm excited to find my first full-time teaching job, and your district is my top choice. The low student-to-teacher ratio will let me take the time to teach each student in the best way for them-which is my favorite part of the job."
Another seemingly innocuous interview question, this is actually a perfect opportunity to stand out and show your passion for and connection to the company. For example, if you found out about the gig through a friend or professional contact, name-drop that person, then share why you were so excited about the job. If you discovered the company through an event or article, share that. Even if you found the listing through a random job board, share what, specifically, caught your eye about the role.

Possible answer to "How did you hear about this position?"

"I heard about an opening on the product team through a friend of a friend, Akiko, and since I'm a big fan of your work and have been following you for a while I decided it would be a great role for me to apply for."

3 Ways People Mess Up the (Simple) Answer to "How Did You Come Across This Job Opportunity?"

Beware of generic answers! If what you say can apply to a whole slew of other companies, or if your response makes you sound like every other candidate, you're missing an opportunity to stand out. Zhang recommends one of four strategies: Do your research and point to something that makes the company unique that really appeals to you; talk about how you've watched the company grow and change since you first heard of it; focus on the organization's opportunities for future growth and how you can contribute to it; or share what's gotten you excited from your interactions with employees so far. Whichever route you choose, make sure to be specific. And if you can't figure out why you'd want to work at the company you're interviewing with by the time you're well into the hiring process? It might be a red flag telling you that this position is not the right fit.

Possible answer to "Why do you want to work at this company?"

"I saw on The Muse that you were also hiring for new positions on the West Coast to support your new operations there. I did some more reading about the new data center you're building there and that excites me as I know this means there'll be opportunities to train new teammates. I also learned through a Wall Street Journal article that you're expanding in Mexico as well. I speak Spanish fluently and would be eager to step up and help liaise whenever necessary."

When interviewers ask this question, they don't just want to hear about your background. They want to see that you understand what problems and challenges they're facing as a company or department as well as how you'll fit into the existing organization. Read the job description closely, do your research on the company, and make sure you pay attention in your early round interviews to understand any issues you're being hired to solve. Then, the key is to connect your skills and experiences to what the company needs and share an example that shows how you've done similar or transferable work in the past.

Possible answer to "What can you bring to the company?"
"As Jocelyn talked about in our interview earlier, PopCo is looking to expand its market to small business owners with less than 25 employees, so I'd bring my expertise in this area and my experience in guiding a sales team that's selling to these customers for the first time. In most of my past roles, this segment has been my focus and in my current role, I also played a big part in creating our sales strategies when the business began selling to these customers. I worked with my managers to develop the sales script. I also listened in on a number of sales calls with other account execs who were selling to these customers for the first time and gave them pointers and other feedback. In the first quarter, our 10-person sales team closed 50 new bookings in this segment, and I personally closed 10 of those deals. I helped guide my last company through the expansion into small businesses, and I'm eager to do that again at PopCo. Plus, I noticed you have a monthly karaoke night-so I'm eager to bring my rendition of 'Call Me Maybe' to the team as well." : What Interviewers Really Want to Hear When They Ask "What Can You Bring to the Company?"
What your interviewer is really trying to do with this question-beyond identifying any major red flags-is to gauge your self-awareness and honesty. So, "I can't meet a deadline to save my life" is not an option-but neither is "Nothing! I'm perfect!" Strike a balance by thinking of something that you struggle with but that you're working to improve. For example, maybe you've never been strong at public speaking, but you've recently volunteered to run meetings to help you get more comfortable when addressing a crowd.
"It can be difficult for me to gauge when the people I'm working with are overwhelmed or dissatisfied with their workloads. To ensure that I'm not asking too much or too little from my team, we have weekly check-ins. I like to ask if they feel like they're on top of their workload, how I could better support them, whether there's anything they'd like to take on or get rid of, and if they're engaged by what they're doing. Even if the answer is 'all good,' these meetings really lay the groundwork for a good and trusting relationship."
Possible answer to "What do you consider to be your weaknesses?"

Nothing says "hire me" better than a track record of achieving amazing results in past jobs, so don't be shy when answering this interview question! A great way to do so is by using the STAR method: situation, task, action, results. Set up the situation and the task that you were required to complete to provide the interviewer with background context (e.g., "In my last job as a junior analyst, it was my role to manage the invoicing process"), then describe what you did (the action) and what you achieved (the result): "In one month, I streamlined the process, which saved my group 10 person-hours each month and reduced errors on invoices by 25%."
"My greatest accomplishment was when I helped the street lighting company I worked for convince the small town of Bend, Oregon to convert antiquated street lighting to energy-efficient LED bulbs. My role was created to promote and sell the energy-efficient bulbs, while touting the long-term advantage of reduced energy costs. I had to develop a way to educate city light officials on the value of our energy-efficient bulbs-which was a challenge since our products had an expensive up-front cost compared to less efficient lighting options. I created an information packet and held local community events aimed at city officials and the tax-paying public. There, I was able to demo the company product, answer questions, and evangelize the value of LED bulbs for the long term. It was crucial to have the public on board and I was able to reach a wide variety of community members with these events. I not only reached my first-year sales goal of $100,000, but I was also able to help us land another contract in a neighboring city. Plus, the community-focused strategy garnered attention from the national media. And I'm proud to say I got a promotion within one year to senior sales representative."
Possible answer to "What is your greatest professional achievement?"

The ideal anecdote here is one where you handled a disagreement professionally and learned something from the experience. Zhang recommends paying particular attention to how you start and end your response. To open, make a short statement to frame the rest of your answer, one that nods at the ultimate takeaway or the reason you're telling this story. For example: "I learned early on in my professional career that it's fine to disagree if you can back up your hunches with data." And to close strong, you can either give a one-sentence summary of your answer ("In short...") or talk briefly about how what you learned or gained from this experience would help you in the role you're interviewing for.
"In my job as a finance assistant, I was in charge of putting together reports for potential company investments. It was important to get the details and numbers right so that leaders had the best information to make a decision. One time, my boss asked me to generate a new report on a Wednesday morning and wanted it done by Thursday at 5 PM. Because I'm committed to high-quality work and I wasn't sure my boss fully understood what goes into each report, I knew I needed to speak up. At her next available opening, I sat down with my boss and explained my concerns. She was firm that the report would be completed by Thursday at 5 PM. So I decided to ask if there was anyone who could help out. After thinking about it, my boss found another assistant who could put in a few hours. While it was a tight timeline, we got the report done, and the committee was really pleased to review it at the meeting. My boss appreciated my extra efforts to make it happen and I felt good that I hadn't let the quality of the report slip. It was a good experience of being a team player but also knowing when and how to ask for help. And once I explained how much time and work goes into each report, my boss was careful to assign them further in advance."
Possible answer to "What's a time you disagreed with a decision that was made at work?"

Don't be thrown off by this question-just take a deep breath and explain to the hiring manager why you've made the career decisions you have. More importantly, give a few examples of how your past experience is transferable to the new role. This doesn't have to be a direct connection; in fact, it's often more impressive when a candidate can show how seemingly irrelevant experience is very relevant to the role.
"Ever since my brother was diagnosed with a heart condition, I've been training and running with him in your annual Heart Run to raise money for your organization and help support patients with expenses not covered by insurance. Each time, I've been struck by how truly dedicated and happy to be there your employees have been. So when I saw this posting for a fundraising role, it felt like it was meant to be. For the last 10 years of my career I've been an account executive for various SaaS companies, and I've really honed my skills when it comes to convincing organizations to make regular payments for something over the long-term. But I've been looking for a position in fundraising where I can use these skills to really help people and I'm highly motivated to do that with your organization."
Possible answer to "Can you explain why you changed career paths?"

Tread carefully here! The last thing you want to do is let your answer devolve into a rant about how terrible your current company is or how much you hate your boss or that one coworker. The easiest way to handle this question with poise is to focus on an opportunity the role you're interviewing for offers that your current job doesn't. You can keep the conversation positive and emphasize why you're so excited about the job.
"In my current role, I'm responsible for drafting media lists to pitch. While I've developed a knack for this and can do it when it is necessary, I'm looking forward to a job that allows me to have a more hands-on role in working with media partners. That's one of the things that most excited me about your account supervisor position."
Possible answer to "What do you like least about your job?"

Questions about your family status, gender ("How would you handle managing a team of all men?"), nationality ("Where were you born?"), religion, or age are illegal-but they still get asked (and frequently). Of course, not always with ill intent-the interviewer might just be trying to make conversation and might not realize these are off-limits-but you should definitely tie any questions about your personal life (or anything else you think might be inappropriate) back to the job at hand.
"You know, I'm not quite there yet. But I am very interested in the career paths at your company. Can you tell me more about that?"
Possible answer to "Are you planning on having children?"

Would you want to work with a hot mess? Yeah, we didn't think so. Neither does anyone else. A disorganized worker doesn't just struggle in their own role, they can also create chaos for peers, managers, direct reports, clients, customers, and anyone else they interact with. So interviewers will often ask about how you keep yourself organized to make sure you'd be able to handle the workload and gauge what you'd be like to work with. In your answer, you'll want to reassure them you'd have things under control (both in what you say and how you say it), describe a specific system or method you've used (bonus points if you can tie it to the role you're interviewing for), and explain how it benefited you and your team. Just make sure your answer is succinct and, well, organized.
"I take pride in my ability to stay organized, and it's really come in handy in my past roles and especially the social media assistant job I'm in now. First, I keep a really meticulous calendar for each of the platforms I'm responsible for using Hootsuite-which I noticed you use here as well-and I try to block off time twice a week to get ahead on creating and slotting in posts. ""Finally, I created a shared folder on Google Drive with subfolders by campaign that I update with one-pagers on goals and strategies, assets, a record of the actual posts deployed, performance analyses, and retros. That way, there's a go-to place for anyone on the team to refer back to past projects, which I've found really helps us learn from every campaign and incorporate those learnings into what we're working on next." Second, I'm a big fan of Trello, where I have one personal board I use as a to-do list color-coded by type of task and marked with priority level and one shared marketing team board that we use to coordinate campaigns launching across social, email, and other channels. We pay very close attention to the news in case we need to pause a campaign. If needed, I'd tag all the relevant stakeholders on Trello, immediately suspend all scheduled content in Hootsuite, and start a discussion on Slack or suggest a meeting to reassess strategy.
Possible answer to "How do you stay organized?"

You're not a robot programmed to do your work and then power down. You're a human, and if someone asks you this question in an interview, it's probably because they want to get to know you better. The answer can align directly with the type of work you'd be doing in that role-like if, for example, you're applying to be a graphic designer and spend all of your free time creating illustrations and data visualizations to post on Instagram.
"One of my favorite pastimes is knitting-I love being able to create something beautiful from nothing. Of course, knitting also requires a keen attention to detail and a lot of patience. Luckily, as an accountant I have cultivated both of those qualities!"
But don't be afraid to talk about a hobby that's different from your day-to-day work. Bonus points if you can "take it one step further and connect how your passion would make you an excellent candidate for the role you are applying for," says Muse career coach Al Dea. Like if you're a software developer who loves to bake, you might talk about how the ability to be both creative and precise informs your approach to code.

Possible answer to "What are you passionate about?"
"I'm driven primarily by my desire to learn new things-big or small-and take on new responsibilities so that I'm constantly growing as an employee and contributing more to my team and organization. I spent several summers working as a camp counselor and felt most fulfilled when I volunteered to lead planning for a talent show, jumped in to help with scheduling logistics, and learned how to run pickups efficiently. All of that experience helped immensely when I took a step up to become the lead counselor last year focused on operations, and that's what excites me so much about the opportunity to take on this managerial role for the after-school program."
Before you panic about answering what feels like a probing existential question, consider that the interviewer wants to make sure you're excited about this role at this company, and that you'll be motivated to succeed if they pick you. So think back to what has energized you in previous roles and pinpoint what made your eyes light up when you read this job description. Pick one thing, make sure it's relevant to the role and company you're interviewing for, and try to weave in a story to help illustrate your point. If you're honest, which you should be, your enthusiasm will be palpable.

Possible answer to "What motivates you?"
"After growing up in a food desert, my biggest professional aspiration is to help make healthy food more widely available and accessible regardless of where you live. I also love solving complex problems. Currently, as a project manager, I specialize in strategic planning and combine it with a natural ability to engage critical stakeholders-resulting in on-time and under-budget delivery. This role would help me use those skills to work on a mission I'm passionate about. I am determined to use these skills to help your organization guarantee our community has access to affordable, nutritious food and information to make healthy decisions. In the next five or so years, I would love to take on additional responsibility and be in a decision-making role to drive the mission beyond our community and support even more families in gaining access to nutritious food options."
Career aspirations are bigger and loftier than career goals. With this question, interviewers are asking: What kind of career would make you happiest (while also being realistic)? Your aspirations might revolve around what kind of company you'd like to work for, what tasks you'd like to do, who you'd like to help, or how you'd like to be seen by your colleagues. So to answer this question, talk about what would energize and fulfill you and connect it to the position you're interviewing for. Be specific about how this job will help you achieve your career aspirations.

Possible answer to "What are your career aspirations?"

Along similar lines, the interviewer wants to uncover whether this position is really in line with your ultimate career goals. While "an NBA star" might get you a few laughs, a better bet is to talk about your goals and ambitions-and why this job will get you closer to them.

The number one rule of answering this question is: Figure out your salary requirements ahead of time. Do your research on what similar roles pay by using sites like PayScale and reaching out to your network. Be sure to take your experience, education, skills, and personal needs into account, too! From there, Muse career coach Jennifer Fink suggests choosing from one of three strategies:

Give a salary range: But keep the bottom of your stated range toward the mid-to-high point of what you're actually hoping for, Fink says.

Flip the question: Try something like "That's a great question-it would be helpful if you could share what the range is for this role," Fink says.

Delay answering: Tell your interviewer that you'd like to learn more about the role or the rest of the compensation package before discussing pay.

"Taking into account my experience and Excel certifications, which you mentioned earlier would be very helpful to the team, I'm looking for somewhere between $42,000 and $46,000 annually for this role. But for me, benefits definitely matter as well. Your free on-site gym, the commuter benefits, and other perks could definitely allow me to be a bit flexible with salary."
(And here's some more info on responding to a question about your salary requirements on an application form.)

Possible answer to "What are your salary expectations?"

This question can really do a number on you. How do you give a meaty answer without insulting the company or, worse, the person you're speaking with? Well first, take a deep breath. Then start your response with something positive about the company or specific product you've been asked to discuss. When you're ready to give your constructive feedback, give some background on the perspective you're bringing to the table and explain why you'd make the change you're suggesting (ideally based on some past experience or other evidence). And if you end with a question, you can show them you're curious about the company or product and open to other points of view. Try: "Did you consider that approach here? I'd love to know more about your process."
"I do love living in Raleigh and would prefer to stay here. However, for the right opportunity I'd be willing to consider relocating if necessary."
While this may sound like a simple yes-or-no question, it's often a little bit more complicated than that. The simplest scenario is one where you're totally open to moving and would be willing to do so for this opportunity. But if the answer is no, or at least not right now, you can reiterate your enthusiasm for the role, briefly explain why you can't move at this time, and offer an alternative, like working remotely or out of a local office. Sometimes it's not as clear-cut, and that's OK. You can say you prefer to stay put for xyz reasons, but would be willing to consider relocating for the right opportunity.

Possible answer to "Are you willing to relocate?"

1,000? 10,000? 100,000? Seriously? Well, seriously, you might get asked brain-teaser questions like these, especially in quantitative jobs. But remember that the interviewer doesn't necessarily want an exact number-they want to make sure that you understand what's being asked of you, and that you can set into motion a systematic and logical way to respond. So take a deep breath and start thinking through the math. (Yes, it's OK to ask for a pen and paper!)

Seemingly random personality-test type questions like these come up in interviews because hiring managers want to see how you can think on your feet. There's no wrong answer here, but you'll immediately gain bonus points if your answer helps you share your strengths or personality or connect with the hiring manager. Pro tip: Come up with a stalling tactic to buy yourself some thinking time, such as saying, "Now, that is a great question. I think I would have to say..."

If you're interviewing for a sales job, your interviewer might put you on the spot to sell them a pen sitting on the table, or a legal pad, or a water bottle, or just something. The main thing they're testing you for? How you handle a high-pressure situation. So try to stay calm and confident and use your body language-making eye contact, sitting up straight, and more-to convey that you can handle this. Make sure you listen, understand your "customer's" needs, get specific about the item's features and benefits, and end strong-as though you were truly closing a deal.

Just when you thought you were done, your interviewer asks you this open-ended doozy. Don't panic-it's not a trick question! You can use this as an opportunity to close out the meeting on a high note in one of two ways, Zhang says. First, if there really is something relevant that you haven't had a chance to mention, do it now. Otherwise, you can briefly summarize your qualifications. For example, Zhang says, you could say: "I think we've covered most of it, but just to summarize, it sounds like you're looking for someone who can really hit the ground running. And with my previous experience [enumerate experience here], I think I'd be a great fit."

You probably already know that an interview isn't just a chance for a hiring manager to grill you-it's an opportunity to sniff out whether a job is the right fit from your perspective. What do you want to know about the position? The company? The department? The team? You'll cover a lot of this in the actual interview, so have a few less-common questions ready to go. We especially like questions targeted to the interviewer ("What's your favorite part about working here?") or the company's growth ("What can you tell me about your new products or plans for growth?") If you're interviewing for a remote role, there are some specific questions you might want to ask related to that.

Looking for more interview questions? Check out these lists of questions (and example answers!) for different types of interviews.

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Your Ultimate Guide to Answering the Most Common Interview Questions

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We've compiled a list of 50+ common interview questions you might be asked-plus advice on how to answer each and every one of them.

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You just walked out of a job interview. You gave great answers to all the interview questions and really hit it off with the hiring manager. You nailed it!

That's great-but you're not done yet. In fact, fair or not, most hiring managers pay very close attention to whether you write a thank you email after the interview.

Our advice? Follow up as soon as humanly possible by writing a terrific interview thank you note. This template makes it super easy.

40 Templates to Help You Handle Your Toughest Work Emails

Interview thank you email template
Hi [Interviewer Name], Thank you so much for meeting with me today. It was such a pleasure to learn more about the team and position, and I'm very excited about the opportunity to join [Company Name] and help [bring in new clients/develop world-class content/anything else awesome you would be doing] with your team. I look forward to hearing from you about the next steps in the hiring process, and please don't hesitate to contact me if I can provide additional information. Best regards,

Sample interview thank you emails

So what does this template look like in practice? Here are a couple example thank you notes you can use to build your own perfect email.

A short and sweet sample thank you email you could send after an interview

This one's concise and to the point, perfect if you're looking for a quick follow up after a phone or early-round interview and want to use the template more or less to a T.
Thank you so much for chatting with me today. It was such a pleasure to learn more about the marketing manager role, and I'm very excited about the opportunity to join News Crew and help your team reach a new audience with your amazing content. I look forward to hearing from you about next steps, but please don't hesitate to contact me if I can provide any additional information. All the best,
A sample interview thank you email that gets a little more specific

Our template is just a starting point. You can always get more specific with your thank you note. Show you were paying attention in the interview and reiterate what a great fit you'd be for the job with an email that looks more like this:
Hi Ms. Bernard, I just wanted to thank you for inviting me to your office today. It was great to hear about 4Apps' goals for streamlining your software and placing an emphasis on quality UX design, as well as how you see the engineering department playing a role in these initiatives. 4Apps seems like a wonderful place to work-and not just because you mentioned some great summer outings! I really admire the mission that drives your business, and look forward to the opportunity to help your team implement some of the ideas I mentioned around redesigning the homepage. Please let me know if there's anything else you need from me to move the process forward. Have a great rest of your week,
A sample interview thank you note that goes above and beyond

While the template above is all you need, if you really want to blow a hiring manager out of the water, add in another few lines before "I look forward to..." with some ideas you have on how you could add value. Think: a quick mock-up of something you discussed in the interview if you're in a creative role, taglines if you're in branding, or some slides or possible partners if you're in business development or sales.
Thank you so much for meeting with me today. I really enjoyed learning more about your career trajectory at CarRuns (and hearing what it was like to join as the fifth employee-so impressive!) and where you see the company going in the next couple years. To follow up on our conversation about churned clients, I've attached a short deck I mocked up on my initial ideas for increasing renewals. Happy to discuss further if you see it being a helpful resource. I can tell CarRuns is a special place to work, and I would be thrilled to join such an innovative, hardworking, and passionate team of individuals. Please let me know if there's anything else I can provide to make your hiring decision easier. Best regards, Adelaide Jenkins
Another way to go the extra mile-especially if your interviewer is more traditional or you have a feeling they'd appreciate a handwritten note-is to drop a card in snail mail as well. To connect the two, you can simply add a line to your email like:
P.S. Just because I'm an appreciator of handwritten thank you notes myself, you should be receiving a letter in the mail/I dropped a letter off at the front desk as well!
(And yes, even if you send a snail mail note, you'll still want to send the email thank you to cover your bases-just in case your interviewer doesn't get the letter right away.)

How to send an additional follow-up email after an interview ( after your thank you note)

In a perfect world, we'd always hear back quickly after an interview-maybe even faster than the timeline they gave you during the conversation. But, of course, that's not always the case. Here's some advice on how to send a follow-up email after your thank you note:

Your thank you note sets the tone after your interview. So whatever you do: Don't skip it. Use the template above to remind the hiring manager what a great applicant you are, and to show how much you care.

Alex is the President & Founder of The Muse, where she focuses on the growth and operations of the fast-growing business and pursuing constant innovation. Her book The New Rules of Work, written with her co-founder Kathryn, came out in April 2017. Outside the office, Alex can be found on her road bike or deep in a book. She also loves productivity hacks more than candy.

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The Perfect Interview Thank You Email Template

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You just walked out of a job interview. You gave great answers to all the interview questions and really hit it off with the hiring manager. You nailed it! That's great-but you're not done yet. In fact, fair or not, most hiring managers pay very close attention to whether you write a thank you email after the interview.