#DigiTalks: Nailing the Interview with Mitch Henderson

Mitch Henderson is a Humber College Alumni and a graduate of Bachelor of Commerce, eBusiness Marketing. He is currently the Marketing Account Manager at Northern.

This week on #DigiTalks, Mitch shared some very useful pointers and advice on Nailing the Interview; from the beginning of the application process to post interview.

HOT TIP: “Apply to everything you feel you are qualified for. They’ll tell you if you’re not. Even if you don’t want the job, pretend that you do, and use the interview as an experience.”

The process of Nailing the Interview was organized into 4 parts. This way, we get to learn the most specific tips and tricks for a successful interview.

Part 1 – Check Yourself, Before You Wreck Yourself
• Build your Resume!
• Add value to your LinkedIn profile. Don’t update your profile only when you need to, do so every few months.
• Update your professional Voicemail and Email signature.
• For your personal profile, if you think your lifestyle is not appropriate for a hiring manager to see, privatize EVERYTHING. However, if your account looks responsible, leave it as is because this helps them get to know you.

Part 2 – The Application, and What They REALLY Want
• Step 1: Research The Company
• Step 2: Your Resume – align it with the job description, copy the list of skills they want, show hard metrics and quantitative data you accomplished, and consider the length and size of your resume.
• Step 3: Cover Letter – make it to summarize your skills and describe the “hows”.
• Step 4: Apply!

HOT TIP: “Applying on Indeed is good, but applying directly on the company’s website is better.”

Part 3 – The Interview, The Last 10%
• Step 1: Prepare for a phone interview or the pre-screening, take a breath and have water with you.
• Step 2: In Person Interview – Mitch’s personal tip is to leave home early, sit in a parking lot nearby, but not their parking lot. Don’t show up no earlier than 10 minutes, no later than on-time.
° Dress for Success – “Look Good, Feel Good, Do Good”
° Research the Interviewer, Research the Company.
° “Confidence is king, but humble is the key” – be sure to present your self confidently. If you don’t know something to 100%, it’s ok because they don’t expect you to have all the answers. However, they do expect you have answers where you are confident in.
• Step 3: Set Yourself Apart – your unique portfolio could make you stand out.

Part 4 – The Aftermath
• Always follow-up with thanking the interviewer and do so on the same day of the interview.
• If you don’t get the job, move on as it wasn’t meant to be. Learn from it, and focus on the future.
• Your next step is to work on your next application and do your best once again.

In this #DigiTalk webinar, Mitch has offered personal insights and everything from his experience that allow us to gain some important interview takeaways.

Check out the full interview with Mitch here: Humber DBSA