Career coach reveals the three things candidates who get big offers always do in interviews

Many of us have questions about acing interviews or landing a great job offer. We often wonder if our resume details and interview responses are hitting the mark. Katie McIntyre, a career coach specializing in the tech industry, believes it’s all about a combination of factors. In a LinkedIn post, McIntyre shared three key strategies candidates can use to boost their chances of success in an interview. 

McIntyre shared what people did during interviews that worked in their favor. She started the post by saying, "I listened to 704 interviews." Her first observation was that the candidates who got offers in the $200k-$300k+ range talked about three topics. They spoke about the mentors they learned from, the metrics they measured (and why) and how they drove revenue for the business. The next thing McIntyre noticed was that these people talked for 50% of the interview time. "They asked intentional questions about the hiring manager, company, culture, teams and goals," she shared. 

Thirdly, she wrote about the people who didn't get job offers. She said that these people did not ask enough questions throughout the call, didn't talk about business outcomes or metrics, and didn't give credit to their mentors or teams, instead, they tried to appear completely perfect. In the end, she mentioned the things she would do if she was an interview candidate. "I would list the metrics I measure (and why), know how I revenue for the business, research the company/interviewers and ask questions that can't be answered by Google," she wrote. McIntyre also stated that she would try to understand the value she brings to the company, make a list of her mentors and send them gratitude notes for the things they taught her.  

People found the career coach's tips insightful. Christopher R. commented, "This might be the best piece of advice I’ve read in the last six years. Especially important in the current era of blatant ageism, algorithms and lack of merit-based hiring. For those not in a career mafia with friends the interview is your shot. For those needing or wanting a role based on merit, this is your shot." Saiteja Chary wrote, "That's one of the well-written insights I have read on LinkedIn. Clearly defines what an interviewee needs to do during the crucial part of the screening."

Donnie Sklak expressed, "I recently had an extremely lengthy interview process with a big company and I removed myself from the process as I was not given adequate time to ask questions. Candidates need to make sure a company is the right fit for them just as much as the company needs to make sure the candidate is the right fit for the company." Christine McHugh said, "It always surprises me at the end of an interview if the candidate has no questions for me. It’s a sign they lack curiosity." Diva Jefferson shared, "Very informative! I am not getting interviews yet but I find this advice very helpful. I need to figure out some metrics to measure in my field. Thank you!"