I remember a lively presentation from John Doerr when I was in business school, some 20 years ago. (Long before DeepMind’s AlphaFold, John was highlighting proteomics as a key growth area for future investment and value creation; to say that he sees the big picture is an understatement!) But what struck me most was his advice to network, every day. Make a list, put aside the time and call people up to stay in touch. It was simple advice, and I have made earnest attempts in the 20 years since to keep in touch with my network. It is one thing to stay in touch with the network you have. It is another to grow your network in a deliberate fashion. This is time well spent — but how do you do it? In her book “Reach Out: The Simple Strategy You Need to Expand Your Network and Increase Your Influence”, Molly Beck lays out a methodology to grow your network of contacts by putting aside time each day to find connections with new people. She is clear about the advantage a larger network brings: “People and your positive influence over them are what get you what you want” in your career, or even in your personal life. The key to “getting what you want” is being the first to give. Thinking about how you can help other people, and offering that first, makes it far more likely that they respond positively to your initial contact. By thinking about how you can help and connect others within your network, as well as reaching out to new people with something of interest to them, on a daily basis and with time set aside just for this purpose, you create opportunities for yourself. Even within a company setting, by offering help to others outside your immediate management, you enhance the perception of yourself as a team player, someone who is thinking from a company perspective, and someone who is willing to take on more to make a positive difference. The only limit to your success and progress is yourself, in the end! By being proactive about networking, and reaching out to help others first before asking for their help, you greatly increase the likelihood of being considered for new roles, offered a promotion or recruited by someone in your network. Thirty minutes a day, every week day, can open a lot of doors! Try it and tell us what you find! New cohorts are starting in 2 weeks on @peppercorn.ai — https://bit.ly/PCPDPSUGC

Afterwards: After the interview, send a thank you email to all your interviewers. Customize each one if you can, referencing the specific conversation you had with that interviewer, and adding briefly any points that you may have forgotten in the interview. After you have sent your emails, make any notes that help you to learn from the experience, e.g. adding some of the questions you were asked to your list of practice questions. If you follow these tips, you will get better and better, and more comfortable being yourself and telling your story during the interview. This will translate into confidence visible to the interviewer, helping them to feel confident in the decision to hire you. Good luck!

Interview Day: During the interview, relax your mind. Breathe a couple of deep breaths at the start to calm yourself. Empty your head of distractions. Focus on the question, pause to gather your thoughts, remember your practice answers and try to finish in 4-5 sentences. If you find yourself rambling, it’s OK to call it out and just stop talking. It’s also OK to ask “did I answer your question?” to allow for a followup. You want to be brief to allow the interviewer to ask more questions, to show that you can express yourself succinctly and to respect their time. Smile. I know it’s corny, but it works. Remember, you want the interviewer to imagine working with you, and people like friendly people. Remain positive, engaged, energetic. Use a variety of tones as you speak, to avoid a monotone. Be conversational in your approach. This all signals confidence and a sense that you ‘fit in’. It’s not uncommon to be asked a question that the interviewer knows you can’t answer. They may be checking to see if you are able to say “I don’t know”, or if you will make up an answer. The best answer is “I don’t know”, followed by “here’s what I think, and here’s what I would do to find out more”. It’s OK to pause and think before you answer. Be comfortable with silence if you are using the time to give your best answer. This is better than running your mouth and then backtracking. Your interviewer will see that you are thoughtful in how you speak, which is what you want. There are more resources available to answer case study questions, technical questions and thorny behavioral questions. It is time well spent to sit down with a friend and practise answering the questions you think are more difficult. There’s nothing worse than an interviewer who is clearly in a bad mood, or is being difficult with you. The first thing is Don’t Take It Personally! They may have had a very stressful or difficult day prior to your interview, and unfortunately you are on the receiving end of it! Express empathy and show compassion. You may even ask “Has it been a rough day?” to give them a chance to acknowledge their feelings, but it’s not necessary. Maintain your own energy and positivity and remind yourself that this has nothing to do with you. It is even possible that the interviewer wants to see how you deal with difficult people, so use this opportunity to show that you can handle the situation, maintain your composure and behave professionally despite them being unpleasant. Often the interviewer will ask “Do you have any questions for me?” Make sure that you do! Have a list of a dozen questions written out that you can go to. It’s best if the questions are specific to their role in the company (showing you have done your homework) but not a must. There are resources available with some generic questions to ask. This is an important opportunity to leave a strong positive impression that you are engaged and interested in contributing to the future success of the company. It’s also an opportunity to determine if this company is the right fit for you. In the next and final post, we will discuss what to do after your interview to cement your memory in the minds of your interviewers.

Interviews are the best way to get to know a company, and for them to get to know you. For many people, they are a nerve-wracking experience -- and this can get in the way of presenting yourself at your best. Here are some tips to help you ace any interview. Before you apply: Before you even apply for jobs, know yourself. That means being comfortable in your own skin, confident in your abilities and accomplishments, and ready to admit what you don’t know. No candidate is perfect for any job, so have faith in yourself and your ability to be an asset to the company from Day One. If you are an introvert, and interviews cause you active discomfort, just recognize that and let it go. It’s OK. You are being hired for your ability to do the job, not your ability to interview well. Having said that, the tips below may help you feel more prepared and confident, allowing you to relax and do your best. Before the interview: After you apply, but before the interview, research as much as you can about the company, its markets, history, management, competitors, financial reports and growth strategy. This boosts your confidence that you understand their needs, have ‘done your homework’ and are invested in helping them achieve their goals. It also gives you lots of information to determine if you are a fit for the company. Practise answering some standard interview questions, and have some answers and talking points prepared. When you are selected for interview, find out who your interviewer is and research that person. See if you have a connection with them (prior experience, common interests, shared network) that you can mention during the interview. You want the interviewer to visualize you doing the job and to eliminate any doubts in their mind that you can succeed. You also should visualize yourself at the company, already working there, to put yourself in a positive mindframe. In Person: If the interview is in person, dress appropriately, show up early and bring all the materials you may need to present, including copies of your resume. Bring your own water, snacks etc. so that you are not hungry or thirsty. During the interview, have only a glass of water on the table (no food!) Video: If it is virtual, dress appropriately, ensure your environment is tidy and lighting is good, and that your camera and microphone work properly. Have a backup plan in case anything breaks, and make sure you have a phone number to call if your Wi-Fi goes down. Phone: If you can, use a landline to avoid possible audio problems. Use a headset if it is more comfortable and allows you to hear better -- as long as there are no audio glitches. Consider standing and moving a little to put more energy into your delivery. Make sure your tone is varied, your energy is high and smile as you speak -- your interviewer can hear your smile in your tone. In the next post, I will talk about the interview itself and how to make the most of this opportunity to appear at your best!