No interview needs to be a dread-inducing fiasco, not when you’ve got the tools to prepare. Besides, an interview is a two-way street. It should be designed to get the best out of you, not hold you back.
If you’re not sold on your prospective employer, you can take your unique (and extremely valuable) skillset elsewhere. It’s your future, and you’ve got a long list of skills that any employer would be lucky to welcome to their business.
Here’s some battle-tested interview advice to help you get ready.
Quick Tips
· Dress for the occasion. You can ask your recruiter/point of contact about the dress code before the interview starts. Not all companies go for the suited-and-booted look (although many do), so it’s important to get comfortable with the requirements.
· Even if you’re having a good conversation, don’t forget it’s an interview. A friendly rapport can be a great sign, particularly if you’re building a connection over your veteran status, but keeping your answers concise is the way to go.
· Translate your skills. Just like you would on a resumé, try and make your military experience more accessible to someone from a civilian background. Find out more about this here.
· It’s okay to ask them to repeat a question. Small errors can humanize you and make you more relatable, so don’t worry too much about fumbling your words now and then.
· Follow up after the interview. As tempting as it can be to drop it from your mind entirely, a quick follow-up email (especially one that references something you learned about the company) can capture your enthusiasm for the role. For example, ‘Thank you for your time today, it was great to learn more about the work that [company name] is doing, particularly in [area of focus].
· If you’ve not heard back in a week, it’s worth sending a nudge (unless you’ve been specifically told this process is longer). This is something a good recruiter will be able to help you with.
Practice Your Responses
Just like anything, interview practice makes perfect. It’s worth rehearsing your answer to some potentially difficult questions, such as ‘why did you decide to leave the forces?’ Or ‘How will your military experience apply to this role?’
On the face of it, these questions can appear jarring, but once you scratch the surface, they are ideal opportunities to sell your incredible skillset.
All veterans are leaders, critical thinkers, doers, achievers, problem solvers, team players, independent communicators – all skills and traits that apply to many roles.
Whatever your personal reasons for leaving the military (there may be a chance to discuss this at your discretion at a later date), it’s important to put the emphasis on wanting to use your transferrable skills to take on a new challenge.
To help you practice your answers, think about your responses to the most common interview questions (and if you have someone to practice with, even better):
- Tell me about yourself
- Why do you want to work for this company?
- What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses?
- How did you hear about this role?
- Why are you leaving your current role?
- Can you explain this point on your resumé in more detail?
If you’ve got gaps in your experience (a period of time when you weren’t working), you shouldn’t be compelled to overshare. Whether you were taking some time off for yourself, taking a course, finding a job, etc., you don’t need to go into too much detail – this question isn’t as important as it used to be. As CNN says: they aren’t a big deal.
If you need some guidelines to help you answer questions, you could structure your responses under the STAR method. That is: Situation, Task, Action, Result.
Ask Informed Questions
Asking questions of your own is a crucial part of most standard interview processes. It’s best to use this as an opportunity to show your genuine interest in the role while finding out more about the business.
If you’ve done enough research, asking the ‘right’ questions will be much easier. Asking generalized questions can be a good way to find out more about who you’re interviewing with, but informed and targeted questions tend to be more impactful.
For example, ‘As a long-time follower of [company name]’s work, I was intrigued as to how you built your recent marketing campaign on [specific subject]. Could you tell me a bit more about the thought process behind it?’
It may also be worth asking them if they have any veteran-oriented company policies, employee engagement groups, or mentorship opportunities. In the US, you have a protected right to work without fear of discrimination – are your potential employers doing anything to ensure this is the case?
Informed and business-specific questions let your interviewers know that you’re invested in the role. That said, it’s still worth asking classic questions if you get a chance – in some cases, they can give you a good glimpse of the company culture:
· What drew you to this company?
· What does an average day look like for you?
· How do you measure success?
· Why is this role open?
Interview Support from Ex-Military Careers
At Ex-military Careers, we’re devoted to supporting our veteran community on the path to fulfilling employment, and that means providing them with the tailor-made help they need to tackle every part of the process (including the interview).
We’ve helped hundreds of veterans start a new journey by connecting them with a fulfilling career on civvy street. We’re here if you need us. Reach out at https://www.ex-militarycareers.com/info/contact.asp
