TIMELESS STYLE

JOB INTERVIEW CHEAT SHEET

© 2019 Career Sidekick.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or

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 WELCOME
Dear Job Seeker,

Congratulations on taking action and investing in this guide. 

Chances are you picked this up because you want fast results, not pages and
pages to read. So let's jump right in!

You have an interview coming up. What should you do right now? 

The tips and action steps coming up will take you through EXACTLY what you
need to do to succeed (while avoiding mistakes and common errors that might
be costing you jobs).

After that, there are two bonus sections: Five tips designed to boost your
confidence before the big day, and the four "key ingredients" every hiring
manager is looking for when they decide who to hire. 

Welcome, and let’s get started!

Best Regards,

Biron Clark
Founder, CareerSidekick.com

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JOB INTERVIEW CHEAT SHEET

CAREERSIDEKICK.COM
 FIRST IMPRESSION
There was a study where they filmed job interviews. They told the hiring
manager to make a fist behind their back when they decided if they want to
hire someone or not.

How long do you think it took? How much time did they need to decide "yes"
or "no"?

Sometimes it was within the first 5-10 seconds. The first impression matters…
a lot. 

First Impression “Steps for Success”:

• Walk in 10 minutes early. Do not go in earlier than this or the interviewer

will feel rushed.
• Be clean and well-groomed. Dress a little nicer than you think you need to.
If it's an office job, wear a suit. 
• Bring a pen and a notepad. You'll look more prepared and you’ll be ready
to jot down follow up questions if you think of anything while the interviewer
is speaking.
• Bring two clean copies of your resume. Yes, they already have copies, do it
anyway.
• Be extremely nice to the receptionist. You never know how much influence
they have in the company. Sometimes they’ve worked there 20 years.
• Make sure you have a firm handshake when you meet the interviewer. And
look them in the eye, don’t look down or to the side. Practice at home if you
need to.
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4
 EXTRA STEPS TO STAND OUT
Throughout this guide, there are going to be "extra steps to stand out" after
certain parts. 

These steps will give you an even bigger advantage and are designed for
people who want to go above and beyond the typical interview preparation.

While these aren't required, they will boost your performance and help you
get even more job offers.

So here are some ideas for how to stand out further on the first impression:

First, don't wait for the interviewer to start the discussion. As you sit down
(or get on the phone), start the conversation yourself.

Keep it very simple, but say something like, “Thanks for taking the time to
meet with me. I’m really excited to be here.” (And sound like you mean it).

Or if it's a phone interview, say, "Thanks for setting aside time for this call.
I'm really excited to discuss the opportunity with you."

The top-performing job seekers out there turn the interview into a back-and-
forth conversation, and this is a way to do it from the very start. You could
also mention something you read about the job that excited you in particular. 

Here's one more tip: If it's an in-person interview, try to sit corner-to-corner
with the interviewer (instead of facing each other from across a big table).
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Studies have shown that sitting across the table from somebody makes it feel
more like a confrontation. Sitting at a corner, with them on the other edge of
the corner, will make it feel more like a collaborative discussion. Very few job
seekers do this, so if you see the opportunity, take it. It's one more way to
stand out from the beginning and set yourself up to have a great interview.

5
 JOB DESCRIPTION RESEARCH
Hiring managers look for someone who can come in and start
contributing to their team immediately - solve problems, help the
company make money, save money, save time, etc. 

So your interview answers should focus on this. How will your

skills allow you to succeed in this job? To do that, you need to
understand the job requirements, so the best place to start your
research is the job description itself... (If you don't have the job
description, ask whoever scheduled your interview for a copy) 

The Five Minute Job Description Checklist:

• What is mentioned first or emphasized in the first paragraph?

• What are the top two skills or areas of experience they’re looking
for?
• What type of personality do they seem to want? Someone who is
cooperative? Someone who takes initiative? Solves problems? Is
independent?
• Is there anything that looks like it’s absolutely required?

Important Action Steps:

1. Come up with two reasons why you fit the job description. Think
about past experiences that will help you do well in this job. Get
specific. Try to target whatever seems most important to them or
whatever is mentioned most. This will be useful in many scenarios,
i n c l u d i n g i f t h eTy IaM
s kE yLoEuS “Sw h
S yT Y
s hLoEu l d w e h i r e y o u ? ” o r “ w h y d i d y o u
apply for this position?”

2. Think about if there are any areas of experience you’re lacking,

and how you plan on addressing those. You’ll be a lot more
comfortable in the interview if you plan ahead of time.

6
 EXTRA STEPS TO STAND OUT
The average job seeker thinks they should just ask questions at the
end of an interview. The top-performing job seekers who land the
best jobs go back-and-forth with questions throughout the
interview, like a real conversation.

So to stand out, come up with one or two questions you want to

ask about the job description in particular - job duties, things
you'd be responsible for, opportunities, challenges, etc. 

Write down these questions, and ask them early in the interview
(when the topic of job duties comes up, or when they start talking
about what the day-to-day work would look like). 

This will do a couple of things for you:

It'll turn the interview into more of a back-and-forth conversation

and break up the pattern of you answering questions and then just
waiting for them to continue. They'll respect you more and start to
view you as a colleague if you do this. 

It will also give you a chance to highlight your skills and

experience, and show them how you are ready to succeed in the
role. For example, after they answer your question, you can share a
bit about how you're prepared to come in and help in the specific
area - by highlighting your past experiences, skills, and training.
Don't tell a super long-winded story, but just share a bit and show
t h a t y o u ' r e c o nT
f i IdM
e nEt LyEo S
u Sc aSnThYaLn E
dle the work.

We'll talk more about questions to ask coming up, but this is one
powerful way to stand out and completely change the tone and feel
of the interview - ask questions early and "mix them in", instead of
waiting until the end.

7
 THE "NO...BUT" TECHNIQUE
After studying the job description, you might notice a few requirements that
you don't quite have. That's okay.

The reality is, you're not going to be the perfect fit for every job you interview
for. In fact, the person who gets hired rarely has EVERY qualification the
company wants. 

So one of the keys to interview success (or failure) is how you handle these

"missing" areas of experience when asked about them. First, here's what NOT
to do when they ask a question like, "do you have experience with X?"...

If you don't have this experience, don't get defensive, don't lie and say "yes"
(this will just lead to more questions about the topic), and don't just say "no"
and stop. 

Instead, think what you have done that's related or similar. The goal is to
show them past experiences or accomplishments that demonstrate you'll be
able to learn this new task or skill, too. Then start your answer with "no...but",
and explain what you've done that's similar or related.

Example question:
"Have you worked with Apple computers in the past? Our entire company
uses Apple."

You:
“No... but I’m very computer-savvy and I’ve learned to use quite a few
TIM
computer programs in E
myL Ecurrent
S S S Tjob
Y Lby
E reviewing manuals and studying on
my own time. I also train my coworkers on some of the software we use here,
after learning it from scratch. I’ve heard great things about working with Mac
so I’d be interested in quickly getting up to speed on this too.”

8
 THE "NO...BUT" FORMULA
Here are the 3 steps from the sample answer on the previous page.

1. Say “No” and admit that you don’t have exactly what they asked for

2. Say “But” and then make a comparison to something in your background

that’s similar, or something that will help you overcome the missing
experience (this is really what they care about - they want to make sure you
can succeed and perform at a high level in this job if they hire you!)

3. Express an interest in learning the skill they mentioned, so they don’t have
any concern about whether you’re willing to put in the effort to learn a new
subject.

This is the formula to follow when asked about something you don't have
direct experience with, where you cannot say "yes" truthfully. 

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9
 COMPANY RESEARCH
You need to be prepared for questions about the company in general, too.

Common questions include:

• What excites you about coming to work for our company?

• What do you know about our firm?

If you can't answer these, you’ll look unprepared and will not get hired. I
recommend following the method below...

The Ten Minute Company Research Method:

• Go on the company website. Find their mission statement if they have one.
Don’t memorize it, just make sure you understand it. 
• Find out what services or products they sell. How do they make money? 
• Look on Google. Who are their top one or two competitors and how do they
seem different?
• Do a bit of research and find something new they are doing. Then ask a
question about this in the interview to show interest in the job and company.
Example: “I was on your website doing research and I saw a mention of ____.
Can you tell me more about ____?”
• Go on LinkedIn and look up the person you’re interviewing with. Know what
department they’re in, how long they’ve been with the company, and what
they did before this. Not only will it help you build a connection, but you can
use this to predict what types of questions they're likely to ask you. 

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10
 WHY ARE YOU INTERESTED?
Now that you've done some research, it's time to think about why the job
you're about to interview for interests you and excites you. Here's why...

Employers want to hire someone who has put thought into their job search
and is looking for specific things in their next role. They do NOT want to hire
someone who seems like they are just looking for any job, or looking for the
first company that's willing to offer them a position.

So they ask questions like:

• Why did you apply for this position?

• Why do you want to work here?

Important Action Steps:

1. Decide at least one thing that's important for you to find in your next job
that is also on the job description. This is different than the reasons you fit
the job. This is about what you want and what you are looking for. 

2. Decide on a two-year career goal that fits with what this job offers. They
might ask you "where do you see yourself in two years?" and having a specific
answer that fits with the job they're offering will impress them. 

3. Decide a primary reason you are job searching so you're ready if they ask. If
you're unemployed, be upfront and say you are actively seeking a job, and
then mention at least one specific thing that you're targeting in your search
T I If
(from Step 1 above). Myou
E L Ehave
S S aS job
T Y but
L E are looking for a change, focus on
the positive things you are hoping to gain from a move. Don't talk about the
negatives or complain about your current job. 

11
 EXTRA STEPS TO STAND OUT
When the interviewer asks why you're interested in their job or
why you're applying for this position, mention something their job
seems to offer that other positions don't.

For example, you could say, "I've been looking at a number of Sales
Associate positions and one thing this job seems to offer that
excited me a lot is the opportunity to do ____. I didn't see that
mentioned in the other roles I've looked at, and it really made this
opportunity stand out to me."

Why this will set you apart and impress them:

Of course it shows the research you've done into their job. But it
does a lot more too...

It shows them you're considering a lot of jobs and being thorough

in your job search. That signals to them that you're an in-demand
candidate and makes them more eager to offer you the position. 

And it kills any worries they might have about whether you'll like
the job and stay. This is a huge fear employers have, because it's
very expensive to hire and train somebody usually. So if they're
concerned you won't enjoy the job and stay for at least 1-2 years,
you will *not* get hired (even if you have all the requirements).

Plus, if you're talking to the hiring manager, it's a big compliment

t o t h e m a n d t h eTi Ir M
o rEgLa E
n iSz S
a t iSoTn Y
. ILt 'El l m a k e t h e m f e e l s p e c i a l a n d
important (hiring managers are people too, with the same emotions
as everyone else). 

So to recap: Tell them something their job offers that others don't,
and then explain why this is exciting to you. Keep it 100% work-
related though. Don't say, "your job is a shorter commute."
12
 TAILORING YOUR ANSWERS
Imagine you have a problem - like a flooded house/apartment –and you call a
flood specialist.

You talk on the phone, and they’re talking about themselves… their training,
their story.

You don’t care. At all.

Your house is flooded.

You care about what they can do for YOU, right now. Right?

Interviewing isn't that different. Sure, companies want someone who can
grow in the organization,  stay long-term, etc. But most importantly, they
want someone who can come in and contribute right now. You're an
investment. A cost. They want to make sure that investment pays off!

Interviewing is not about telling every detail of your story; it’s about choosing
the most relevant pieces that PROVE you’ll be able to help them… in this
specific job… doing the specific things they need.

That’s what tailoring your answers is about. 

This is where so many job seekers go wrong and fail to stand out. 

You see, the average job seeker thinks the interview is all about them: Their
T I M Etheir
skills, their experience, L E S education
S S T Y L Eand other qualifications.

It's not. It's about the employer, and how you can help them.

If you want to get hired for the best jobs, make your interview answers about
the employer's needs and how your skills will help THEM. This is one reason
job description research (mentioned earlier) is so important. 
13
 EXAMPLE OF "TAILORING"
Now that you know why it's so important to tailor your interview answers,
let's look at two example answers you might hear to a common question. See
if you can tell which is "tailored" and which one is not.

Question: What's something unique you bring to this position?

Answer A:
"I have a unique combination of leadership and technical skills. This is
because I've been working hands-on for 10 years, while also managing teams
for 5 years. So I bring versatility and experience to this position."

Answer B:
"I saw on the job description that this role involves hiring and managing a
team of 3 people in the first year. I've been managing people for the past 5
years, and when I took my current role, I hired a full team within 6 months. So
I have a track record of successfully doing what you need in this role."

Which is better? Answer B. It's "tailored" to the company's needs.

Person A talked all about them self. Person B showed how they will help the
employer. They talked about how their experience fits this exact job. 

So try to phrase things in terms of their needs frequently in the interview.

Your goal is always to show how you can come in and succeed in their specific
job. You can't do that by only talking about your skills - you need to relate it
to them and how you will use your skills to help them reach their goals. 
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14
 EXTRA STEPS TO STAND OUT
Let’s dive one level deeper now. We can do even more with this idea.

We looked at how to "tailor" your answers to the company's needs... but in the
interview you're talking to a PERSON, not a company.

So you can think selfishly from their perspective and tailor your answers to
this individual's priorities/needs, too. 

If it’s a CEO, they likely want more profit/sales/growth. High-level, “big

picture” results.

Drilling down a layer deeper into their psychology, they might have a sense of
pride in the company, especially if they were a founding member.

So they’d take a lot of pleasure in seeing the company grow bigger, become
more recognized, etc. Show them you can help them achieve this, and they’ll
have a much easier time justifying hiring you and paying you a great salary.

On the other hand, a middle-manager in a large corporation will have

different desires.

They’ll likely want their individual team to perform better.

They’ll want their job to be easier and less stressful.

And they’ll want recognition from THEIR boss/manager. Everyone wants to

TIM
look smarter/better in Efront
L E Sof
S their
S T Y boss.
LE

So how can you help make this happen?

By thinking about these things, you can better understand your audience and
speak to the points that are going to get them most excited about hiring you
AND making you an attractive offer at the top of their budget.
15
 STRENGTHS / WEAKNESSES
Here's everything you need to know about answering questions about your
greatest strength or greatest weakness. Follow this and you'll give good
answers. 

Greatest Weakness: Don’t be cliché. Answers like “I’m such a perfectionist” or

“I work so hard, it’s difficult to turn it off sometimes” will not impress them.

Here’s a great answer you can use…

You: "I am poor at public speaking, but I have overcome this by writing notes
and making sure I understand the topic before a presentation. Experience
with this weakness has helped me become better prepared in that situation."

Always choose something skill-based, not personality-based. And talk about

what you’ve done to overcome it.

Greatest Strength: Pick something that seemed important in the job

description. Then pick a specific story with results you can share. Detailed
examples and stories are 10-20 times more powerful than simply saying
you’ve done something.

You: “I’d say my greatest strength is staying on track while managing multiple
projects. In my last job I took over three big projects for a client when my
coworker quit on short notice. I quickly prioritized everything, delegated the
tasks, and we finished everything one day ahead of schedule. The client was
thrilled and ended up agreeing to do five more projects with us that year.”
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16
 BEHAVIORAL QUESTIONS
Behavioral questions are interview questions that start with phrases like: "tell
me about a time you...", or "tell me about a scenario where you had to..."

“S.T.A.R.” is a way to remember the four key pieces to a successful behavioral

interview answer: "Situation. Task. Action. Result."

Situation...
Describe the situation you were in and the challenge involved.
Task...
What was your objective or goal? What was the result you need to achieve, or
the problem you needed to solve?
Action...
What specific action steps did you choose for your goal and why?
Result...
What was the outcome? How did your solution play out and what did you
learn from the experience that you’ve continued to use?

If you get comfortable with the S.T.A.R. method, you can use it to answer any
behavioral question, even one you've never heard before.

So on the next page, let's look at an example of how an answer might sound.

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JOB INTERVIEW CHEAT SHEET

CAREERSIDEKICK.COM

17
 EXAMPLE ANSWER
Interviewer:
“Tell me about a time you had to handle multiple responsibilities. How did you
organize everything?”

You:
“While attending college, I also worked at a large law firm. I was responsible
for 10-20 different administrative tasks each morning that had to get done. I
was successful because I kept a very detailed to-do list and tracked each task
in Excel. This allowed me to handle the most important tasks first without
ever missing anything. By doing this I was able to stay on schedule and our
team knew they could rely on me without having to double check my work.”

Remember, these are the 4 key steps:

Situation...
Describe the situation you were in and the challenge involved.
Task...
What was your objective or goal? What was the result you need to achieve, or
the problem you needed to solve?
Action...
What specific action steps did you choose for your goal and why?
Result...
What was the outcome? How did your solution play out and what did you
learn from the experience that you’ve continued to use?

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18
 TOP BEHAVIORAL QUESTIONS
Here are six very common behavioral questions you should be ready for:

1. Give me an example of a time you faced a conflict. How did you handle that?
2. Tell me about a time you failed. How did you deal with this situation?
3. Sometimes it’s just not possible to get everything on your to-do list done.
Tell me about how you prioritize things.
4. Tell me about your proudest professional accomplishment.
5. Describe a time when you saw a problem and took the initiative to correct
it rather than waiting for someone else to do it.
6. Tell me about a time you were under a lot of pressure. What was going on,
and how did you get through it?

Important Action Step:

Think of one story for each scenario above. Make sure you practice using the
S.T.A.R. method because this will help you answer other behavioral questions
you're asked too.

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19
 PREPARING EXAMPLES
Here's a common interview question with two sample answers. Which one
sounds better to you, as you read them?

Interviewer:
"We are looking for someone who is comfortable speaking with customers on
a daily basis. How much of this have you done?"

Answer A: 
"This is the main focus of my job right now, and I've been doing this for most
of my career. I am definitely comfortable talking to customers every day."

Answer B:
"Yes, this is 85% of my daily work right now, and I talk to an average of 40
customers per day. I've been doing this for the past 4 years of my career so I
am definitely comfortable talking to customers on a daily basis."

If you're like most people, Answer B will sound more impressive and
convincing to you.

But why? Studies show that being specific and detailed in your answers makes
your story sound more believable and powerful. It's easier for the other
person to imagine and picture it. 

So before your interview, review your past work (or recent academic
experience if you just graduated), to look for key accomplishments, numbers
and data. That way, you'll be ready to go into detail if a question calls for it.
TIM
And you'll stand out E Lsound
and E S S more
S T Y confident
LE and convincing.

20
 ACCOMPLISHMENTS VS. DUTIES
Whenever possible, you want to talk about past accomplishments,
achievements, and real results in the interview.

This is different than talking about duties and responsibilities (which are
simply what your boss assigned you to do).

Example of a responsibility/duty:
"I was responsible for managing 5-10 projects at a time, for a total of 39
projects in a two-year period"

Example of the same thing phrased as an accomplishment/result:

"I successfully led 5-10 projects at a time, for a total of 39 projects in a two-
year period, all completed on-schedule and 17% under-budget because of
leadership decisions I made"

So in the interview, don't just talk about what work you were responsible for,
or what was assigned to you. That's not going to impress top employers. 

Instead, talk about what you actually achieved. What results did you help the
company reach? How did you perform on the projects you were given? 

If you're not sure, do some digging and research. Ask your previous boss or
colleagues. Whatever it takes. The more data you have, the better. 

Note: This is also a great resume tip. If you want to get more interviews, focus
your bullet points on highlighting what you accomplished in the past, instead
T you
of just listing what I M Ewere
L E Sresponsible
S S T Y L E for.

21
 EXTRA STEPS TO STAND OUT
If you have previous work experience, you're going to hear questions about
this in the interview. They'll want to know what you worked on and what you
achieved. 

So consider creating a case study to print out and bring with you! You can
pull out this document when the topic of recent work comes up, and it will
help you highlight some of your best accomplishments.

If you want to do this, I'd recommend Canva.com. It's free and you can design
PDFs with text, charts, images and more.

On the case study, you can put a recent project that represents your overall
work. Highlight what you did and achieved in this project. I'd avoid putting
too many different projects, or it'll start to look the same as your resume.

You can also do a "before and after" case study, showing how the company or
group was performing in a certain area (like sales, customer satisfaction, etc.)
before and after you came in and worked to improve it. Make sure to show
how you improved it - what actions did you take?

I personally like the "before and after" case study because it'll make the
interviewer start to picture how you'd help them, too.

Either way, having a case study you can point to shows a lot of preparation,
and makes you more memorable. Sometimes they wait days before deciding
who to hire, so anything you can do to make yourself "stick" in their mind is
great. TIMELESS STYLE

Keep it to 1-2 pages maximum, and leave the case study behind with the
interviewer so they can refer back to it if needed.

22
 SALARY EXPECTATIONS
You’re very likely to hear a question like, "what salary are you
hoping for?" (or some variation) in a first interview. Telling them
them a number – any number – is not to your advantage.

Here's why: In a first interview, they don't even know if they want
to hire you for the job yet. So you have no leverage.

If you say a number that’s too low, you could cost yourself money
and make it harder to negotiate later.

If you say a number that’s too high, you could “scare” them away.
When the reality is, after a few rounds of interviews they may have
liked you and been willing to stretch their budget to hire you.

So your goal is to avoid answering this question until you know

they want to offer you the job.

Here’s the answer I recommend giving:

“Right now I’m focused on finding the position that’s the best fit
for my career. Once I’ve done that, I’m willing to consider an offer
you feel is fair, but I do not have a specific number in mind yet.”

This response does three things for you:

1. It deflects the question so you don't have to answer it

2 . I t r e - f o c u s e sTtIhM
e Ec o
L nEvSeSr s aS tTi oYnL bEa c k o n t h e a c t u a l j o b
3. It stops them from pressuring you further. (They can't press you
for a number if you say you don't have one. If they do try, just
repeat: “I really don’t have a specific number in mind yet").

23
 BEATING STRESS / ANXIETY
If you get anxious in your interview, you're not alone. My advice: If
you submitted your resume/CV and got the interview, they're
interested in your skills and your background. Your abilities. 

Sure, if they wanted to just hire the most charming, confident

person, you will have trouble (if this doesn't come naturally to
you). But that's NOT what they want for most jobs out there.

So go into your interview and focus on showing them your skills

and knowledge. Emphasize that!

If you can communicate that, you’re fine.

It's totally normal to feel nervous. It's human. You don't need to
hide it, and trying to hide it will just make you more nervous.

I share the same advice to people who speak English as a second

language, who aren't confident in their English.

What I tell them: You're not going to get hired for the job where
they want the best English speaker. But that’s okay. You ARE going
to get hired for the job where they want the best scientist,
software engineer, data analyst or whatever it is you do!

So focus on showing your REAL skills that relate to the job.

One last tip: if T

y oI u
M fEe Le lE oSvSe rSwThYe lLmEe d i n t h e i n t e r v i e w , p o l i t e l y a s k
to step out and use the bathroom, or ask if you can go get a sip of
water. No hiring manager will fault you for this. 

24
 "POWER WORDS"
Sometimes the hiring manager will ask you to describe yourself, or it’ll come
up naturally in the conversation. Here’ a list of 20 “Power Words” you can use.
Choose three that you like and stick with them to keep it simple. 

The Top 20 "Power Words" to Describe Yourself:

1. Active
2. Adaptable
3. Ambitious
4. Analytical
5. Competitive
6. Consistent
7. Cooperative
8. Creative
9. Determined
10. Diligent
11. Energetic
12. Enthusiastic
13. Focused
14. Innovative
15. Natural Leader
16. Passionate
17. Resilient
18. Resourceful
19. Results-Driven
20. Self-Disciplined

Important ActionTStep: 
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Pick three, and make sure you have a reason for each. Most interviewers will
ask "why" after you give an answer.

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 21 DO'S AND DON'TS
• DO practice your answers at home. Nothing comes out perfect the first
time.
• DO dress appropriately. For any office job, wear a suit.
• DO bring a notepad and jot down any follow up questions you think of.
• DO remember to make it about them, not you. How will you help the
company make money or be more successful?
• DO make sure you ask at least one question to each person you meet.
• DO practice having good posture and eye contact, this is important.
• DO expect to talk about 75% of the time.
• DO show interest and excitement. If you hear something interesting, say so. 
• DO try to build rapport with the interviewer and learn a bit about them. 
• DO ask each person you meet with for a business card so you can follow up. 
• DO send “Thank You” emails the day after your interview. 
• DO ask about next steps and expected wait time so you know what's next.

• DON’T bring up salary unless the interviewer does first. It’ll make them
worried that you’re more concerned about pay than anything else.
• DON’T ask questions that are answered in the job description or company
website. 
• DON’T wear anything distracting like big earrings. 
• DON’T badmouth your former employers, supervisors or coworkers.
• DON'T assume that just because the interviewer is being casual with you
that you can let your guard down and treat them as a buddy. It's their job to
build rapport with you. That’s not an excuse to let your guard down.
• DON’T tap your hands or fiddle nervously.  
• DON’T ramble on or tell irrelevant stories. Be specific and to the point. 
T I ifMthe
• DON’T tell a story E L hiring
E S S Smanager
T Y L E asks for one specific piece of
information, like “how many years have you worked with ____?”
• DON'T show up late. You'll have a huge disadvantage to recover from.

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 ASK GREAT QUESTIONS
Hiring managers interview a lot of people, so you want to finish by asking
great questions of your own, so you stick in their mind and leave a great final
impression. 

Two Great Questions You Can Ask:

1. “What do you think is holding the company back that I could contribute to
solving?”

2. “When you look at other people who have held this position, what are one
or two things that separate the truly great performers from the good or
average?”

Both of these questions are unique, and will make you sound motivated and
results-oriented. Other than this, ask about the topics you really care about.
What do you need to know about the job and company to make your decision?

Finally, consider asking a couple questions about the interview process as

well, so that you know what to expect. For example:

1. "Who will be in touch about next steps, and when?"

2. "How many people have you interviewed for this position, and when do you
hope to make a decision?"

Then, to wrap up your interview, look the interviewer in the eye, shake their
hand, and say, “thank you for your time today, I’m really excited about what I
T I M E Lforward
learned, and I'm looking E S S Sto
TY LE
hearing about the next steps.”

Do NOT ask about: salary, working hours, dresscode, benefits, vacation time,
or anything else that's unrelated to the actual job you'll be doing for them.

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 TOP MISTAKES TO AVOID
These are the top reasons you will be rejected from a first or second
interview. 

Some of these points may feel like a review of tips mentioned earlier (in the
Do's and Dont's, etc), but they're worth reviewing and making sure you don't
do ANY of these things.

Top mistakes that will get you rejected early in an interview process:

1. Knowing nothing about the company, what they do, what they sell, etc.

2. Saying you aren't sure what type of job you're looking for, and you just
want to get hired because you're unemployed, you need money, etc. 

3. Being indirect and unclear or trying to avoid answering questions. Be direct

and use clear language. You aren't going to trick the interviewer by being sly.
They talk to hundreds of people a year. 

4. Not having any questions to ask them (don't worry, a section on asking
great questions is coming up!)

5. Asking about salary, benefits, working hours, dresscode, or anything else

that isn't related to the actual work you'll be doing. Save it for a late-stage
interview, or better yet... wait for them to bring it up!

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 SECOND/THIRD INTERVIEWS
So, you got to the second or third round of interviews, and you're wondering
what to do. Time to change your whole strategy, right?

No! If you got invited back, they obviously liked you a lot. Keep doing what's
working. This is not the time to start changing or over-thinking everything. 

However, there are a few things you can do to be extra-prepared:

1. Think about what questions and topics they asked you about already.

The questions you faced in previous interviews are a great clue into what the
company cares about in general... and therefore what to prepare for.

Even if you spoke to a low-level HR person, their questions might have been
given to them by their boss (this happens often).

2. Expect repeat questions/topics. Just because you answered a question

already doesn't mean the next person won't want to also hear you explain it to
them. Nothing is off-limits, even if you already answered it for someone else.

3. If you're talking to a higher-level person (a Department Head, VP, etc.),

they might ask more questions designed to see if your personality is a good
fit.

So always try to seem humble, "coachable", open to feedback, willing to learn

new things, etc. And show that you're excited to be doing this type of work!
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You should really be doing that in every interview. It’s very important and
goes a long way toward making employers want to hire you.

29
 BONUSES AND REVIEW
We're almost done! The next section has two bonuses, followed by review
exercises to help you make sure you're ready. Then to finish, I'll show you
how I recommend practicing your answers (and what NOT to do).

Bonus 1:
Everyone tells you to “be confident” going into your interview, but it's not
always that easy, right? On the next page, you'll find five confidence tips that
will help you immediately.

Bonus 2:
After that, you'll get the four "Key Ingredients" every hiring manager is
looking for. No matter what questions they throw at you, these four pieces
are what they're trying to judge in the interview. Keep that in mind.

After this you'll find the review exercises, and how to practice everything! 

If you have questions or need clarification on anything we covered, don't

hesitate to email me at biron@careersidekick.com

Thank you for reading this guide and I hope you enjoyed it!

Good luck,
Biron

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TIMELESS STYLE

INTERVIEW SUCCESS "CHEAT SHEET"

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31
TIMELESS STYLE

INTERVIEW SUCCESS "CHEAT SHEET"

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32
 REVIEW EXERCISE: PAGE 1
This checklist is a review exercise. Make sure you can answer
these sentences before going into your interview. If not, refer back to the
main guide on how to come up with the right info. Don't memorize it, just
make sure you know this info!

The company I am interviewing with makes money by selling/doing

____. Something that makes them different than their closest competitors is
____.

The person I am interviewing with has been with the company for ____
years, their background or education is in ____, and before this job they
were doing ____.

The primary reason I am looking for a job is ____.

Something I am looking for in my job search that is important to me is ____.

This is also mentioned on the job description so I thought this job fit well.

I feel I am qualified for this job because one of my strongest areas is ____,
through my time spent doing ____. I reviewed the job description and it
seems like this is a key piece of this role. 

My two-year career goal is ____. This job fits with that goal because ____. 

My greatest strength is ____. My greatest weakness is ____.

TIM
Three words I would E LtoE describe
use S S S T Y myself
LE are ____, ____, and ____,
because ____.

33
 REVIEW EXERCISE: PAGE 2
This page is meant to help you review your behavioral interview answers
covered in the main guide. These are the six most important scenarios you
should be ready to talk about:

• A conflict you faced while working on a team

• A time you failed
• Your strategy for prioritizing tasks
• Your proudest professional accomplishment
• A time you took initiative to fix a problem without waiting to be told
• A time you were under a lot of pressure and how you got through it

Answer these with the STAR Method (Situation. Task. Action. Result.)

1. What was the initial Situation?

2. What Task did you need to accomplish?

3. What specific Action steps did you choose to accomplish the task and why?

4. What was the Result or outcome? Give details, and discuss what you
learned that you've continued to use since then. 

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34
 HOW TO PRACTICE...
If you've followed the steps in this guide, you are much better prepared than
the average job seeker. But it's also important to practice. Here's how:

I do not recommend memorizing answers word-for-word. Along with taking

hours, you are very likely to sound unnatural and rehearsed in the interview,
or say something you regret because you confused two answers you
memorized. 

Instead, I recommend you write the top 2-3 points you want to mention for
each topic/question you're practicing. (On a flashcard, your phone, etc.)

Then give a few practice answers without looking at your notes to see if you
can hit the key points. After, look at your notes to check how you did. 

Once you're able to hit the key points without looking, you can move to
another question or topic. This will help you prepare to answer a variety of
questions and topics with much less anxiety.

If you want more help getting job offers, I'd recommend taking a look at
my Complete Guide to Job Interview Answers. It has 130+ practice questions
and answers so you can build confidence, avoid costly mistakes, and get more
high-paying job offers from top companies.

You can see the details and get a special 50% discount HERE.

Thank you for reading this guide and good luck in your interviews!
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JOB INTERVIEW CHEAT SHEET

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