The Hardest "Easy" Interview Question
And how to ace it every time
Any hiring manager will tell you that they know within the first 3 minutes of an interview if they want to hire you or not. And while most things a hiring manager will tell you might be bullshit, this one definitely isn’t.
Now to be clear, I’m not saying that they have made a hiring decision, rather that they have determined how excited they are about your candidacy. You still need to show them that you can meet the bar, do the job, and impress the other interviewers. But within three minutes the HM has decided whether or not this is a good use of their time. And while in the past they would just short circuit the interview and cut it short, that has (reasonably) led to negative experiences for interviewees, and now they just tune out and start playing Balatro.
So let’s unpack what happens in the first three minutes that gives hiring managers such a strong signal:
They meet you and check your vibe. Similarly to dating, no matter how good of a fit you are on paper, if the chemistry is off it just doesn’t work. And also like dating, it really is a “both sides” issue. I have seen some truly awful interviews where the Hiring Manager brings zero energy, fails to introduce themselves, make zero effort to deliver intelligible questions, and commits other party fouls that would make your eyeballs roll all the way back in your skull.
But there are still things you can do to make things go smoother- bring your own energy, come prepared for a conversation, and focus on good communication. If you aren’t comfortable doing this over Zoom, spend some time practicing. It’s a different skill than in-person communication.Tip: There can often be a slight lag over internet calls that cause awkward interactions. It’s better to wait until someone finishes their sentence, take a one second pause, then start talking, rather than suffer the Zoom-induced dance of talking over each other.
They see you. An oft-quoted study conducted in 2016 provided evidence that while all genders are equally judged by their appearance in professional settings, the perception of attractiveness in women was entirely based on grooming (hair and makeup). Speaking with my genderqueer clients, we bemoan the reality that we as AMAB individuals need to remove our makeup before an interview, whereas AFAB candidates need to put theirs on (there really is no winning in a gendered society.)
They see your surroundings. Do you have a decent camera, is your audio quality clear, do you have a weird zoom background that keeps cutting your head off, or are you surrounded by power tools in your garage? Especially if you’re interviewing for a remote or hybrid role, you want to show that you will be a hi-fidelity coworker, both literally and figuratively. If you can’t guarantee all of these conditions, maybe consider renting a co-working space during your job search- the investment will be worth it in the end.
They ask you “Tell me about yourself.” This is where they find out who you are, and why they’re talking to you. And every good hiring story, just like every good story, has to start with solid character exposition. This is your make or break for getting the interviewer excited about you.
