#35 | 1.5.24 - 5 interview tips that have nothing to do with your resume / Midjourney v6 | Confused about tipping? | 52 things I learned in 2023
Hello, friends, and a Happy New Year to you!
Here we are at the start of 2024! I hope however you chose to spend your holidays, you were able to find some time for rest and reflection and are facing the new year with renewed energy and vision!
If this is your first issue, welcome to Further Faster Fridays! We ship the best content in personal development and leadership each Friday to help you go further, faster. Glad to have you as part of the community!
Now, on to the content!
5 interview tips that have nothing to do with your resume
With the beginning of a new year, some of you may be entertaining looking at a new role/opportunity. As I reflected on 2023, I was reminded of all the hiring panels I was part of and the great talent we were able to hire last year.
With that in mind, I want to offer 5 tips for your next interview that will put you ahead of your competition, that have nothing to do with your resume.
Make sure your tech works
We do interviews both in-person and remote. This probably goes without saying but do yourself (and those interviewing you) a favor and make sure your tech works ahead of time. I recommend downloading the software (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, etc.) ahead of time and doing a test call. When in the test call, make sure your camera and mic work, that you don’t have a distracting background, and that you’re well-lit. These 5-10 minutes of prep time go a long way, I assure you!
Be excited
Now, I’m not saying you need to prepare a musical number (though that would certainly make the interview memorable :D), but I’ve done a fair number of interviews in which I wonder if the person even wants to be there. A smile to start things off never hurts. Also consider letting them know in the opening remarks that you are excited for the opportunity, etc. Again, seemingly basic advice but I distinctly remember the interviews in which this was present.
Do your homework.
What are the core values of the organization? What do they stand for? What are the core competencies of the role? Who are the leaders in the organization? How long has the position been open? Is it a new position or a backfill? Remember, you’re interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. Try to answer as many questions as you can before the interview - that will also show the panel you’re coming prepared. Which leads to #4…
Interview them
“Do you have any questions for us?”
“Nope”
Huge. Red. Flag.
In the best interviews I’ve been a part of, the interviewee asks questions. After all, this is your open mic time! You get to ask any question you want. This is your time to find out the history of this position, what the culture of the organization is like, what success looks like in this role - you name it! I suggest preparing 5 to 10 questions, realizing some of them may be answered during the interview, and then leaving the rest for the end.
Know yourself
This one’s big for me. Chances are you’re going to be asked in some fashion about your strengths and weaknesses and unless you’re Michael Scott, “I care too much” isn’t a valid answer :D
Be prepared with real answers. Show the interviewer you’ve done the work on yourself to know where you excel, and where you’ll need a team around you to help.
Midjourney v6
Midjourney recently released the 6th version of their AI image-generating platform, and it’s incredible to see the level of detail and realism in their images. The below image was created off the simple prompt, “Yoda selfie”. Check it out:
Confused about tipping?
This is a fun exercise in which you take a quiz to see how similar your tipping patterns are to other readers. Pretty interesting!
52 things I learned in 2023
This is a pretty interesting list of random facts the author learned in 2023.
#40 stood out to me - when presented with a digitally altered image of themselves, 40% of individuals report that they remember the occurrence. It reminds me of an episode of “The Irrational” (good show, btw!) we watched several months ago that illustrated how suggestibility can play a significant role in memory recall and how false memories can be created from external cues or misinformation.
Words to wrap up
"Do that thing you’re afraid of. You promised you would someday and are secretly wondering if today is someday. It is. It always is.”
- Anonymous