Contact Us
Questions, comments, ideas for future content? Contact us below.
Giving and receiving constructive feedback is incredibly important to furthering your personal and professional ...
Innovators in the recruiting space since 2001.
Our sister company. Helping people become better job seekers.
Visit Hirewell.com
Always come Prepared! – The steps to take before an interview.
So, you got invited to an in-person interview – what should you do prior to the interview to set yourself up for a successful interview? There’s more to prepping than a simple Google search of the company and commonly asked interview questions. Here, we’ll outline some tips for in-person interviews.
The advice in this article is meant to be applied to any situation you might be in when it comes to interviewing. You might be interviewing because you’ve recently lost your job or you’re looking for a change in career. This may be your first interview in 10 years or your 10th interview this week. Or you might be preparing for your first interview ever. Regardless of your situation, or why you’re interviewing, the proper interview prep is necessary to make the right impression the first time around.
Interviewing can be stressful, intimidating, nerve wracking, you name it. One of the most important pieces of advice we can give is to focus on what you are able to control and influence during your conversations with the organization. As a candidate, you can’t control the outcome of an interview, but you can at least ensure that you’re putting your best foot forward by being fully prepared. Without question, you should feel confident in acing the “standard” interview questions, so that even if you do slip up a little on a “curve ball”, it’s still an overall solid interview.
Think of the following steps as a checklist of activities to do in the days leading up to your interview. They might only take an hour to complete, but they will help make for a more meaningful and impressive discussion for the conversations you’re about to have.
Research
The Interview Panel: Who will you be meeting with? What are their titles and how long have they been with the company?
The Company:
Read press releases, have a high-level understanding of the product or service offered, look at their social media accounts, talk to people in your network to find current or past employees to gain intel. You should be able to get a pretty solid idea about what the culture is like from your research. While Glassdoor can be a helpful glimpse into a company’s culture, oftentimes, you’ll find a trend of disgruntled current/past employees airing their grievances.
Job Description & what you’ve learned from your preliminary conversations:
Read and re-read the job description. If there are any points that weren’t discussed in preliminary conversations with the Recruiter or Hiring Manager, be sure to ask about it. Bring your cumulative notes with you to the in-person interview so you can reference them if necessary. Think of ways you’ll be able to make an immediate impact or add value based on what they are asking for in the job description.
Success Stories
Mapping out stories of your past successes is a powerful, but not obvious activity. Because you’ll be talking about your experiences, you may think that examples of your past work will flow naturally in conversation. This isn’t always the case, and you may find that your mind draws a blank or you miss key elements when giving examples. You’ll find that a mapped out success story can be applied to a number of questions and keeps the flow of the interview moving. You’ll also come off as more prepared and able to articulate well on the spot.
The easiest way to prepare these stories is with the STAR Method. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result. Here is a break down of what that means:
- Situation: Describe the situation and backdrop to your success story. In the interview try to frame the situation so that it’s relevant to the question being asked by the interviewer.
- Task: Describe your role in the situation and the assignment you were given in relation to the situation.
- Action: Describe the specific action you took to address your tasks and responsibilities.
- Result: Explain the outcome of the situation and why this was a successful example.
Questions for the Interviewer
You’ll also want to prepare a list of questions to bring with you to your interview. Similar to preparing success stories, you might find it difficult to come up with intelligent questions on the spot. Don’t wait for the interview to think of the things you want to ask about. The questions you prepare should be about the role, team, responsibilities, company mission and company culture. These questions should reflect your interest in the role and asking them will show your due diligence.
You should save questions about benefits, PTO and work-life-balance until later in the interview process. These questions should also be directed toward an HR contact. Asking these specifics early in the process can make it seem like you aren’t interested in the job, only what it offers. However, these questions are important, so they should be asked before you accept a role. They are best saved for the offer stage.
Logistics
What’s the address if you are going into a physical location? Is there a particular entrance for visitors? Is there a room name or number? Who should you ask for when you arrive?
If it’s a Zoom or Video Interview, be sure to have the app downloaded and try a test run with a friend prior, making sure your microphone is working properly. Make sure you are in a quiet room without distractions. A plain/conservative background is encouraged.
Attire
Ask your Recruiter or HR contact – they will have insight into how to dress for your interview. For startups and tech companies, we tend to see more casual environments. For larger corporations, banks, financial institutions, etc., it is usually business professional attire.A good rule of thumb is to dress one level above the environment you’re interviewing in. If they are a casual environment, dress business casual. If they are business casual, dress professional. If you aren’t sure, just ask! You don’t want to be the person that shows up under or overdressed for an interview.
Oh, and don’t go overboard on cologne/perfume or chew gum during the interview.
Follow Up
Follow Up is an important part of the interview process. It shows that you’re interested in the position and respectful of the interview panel’s time.
The first thing you should do is send a Thank You Note within 24 hrs of the interview. The Thank You Note should be short, 2-3 sentences. It should also include a reference to something discussed in the interview so the note doesn’t appear generic. 10+ years ago, it was common advice to physically mail a handwritten Thank You note after an interview. But a simple email is both acceptable, appreciated and gets to the recipient in a timely manner. If you don’t have the e-mail address of the people that interviewed you, send the thank you note to your recruiter or HR contact and ask them to pass it along.
Besides the Thank You note, you should be prepared to send a follow-up note asking for feedback or next steps. During the interview process, ask the recruiter or HR contact when you should expect feedback and note the time frame given. If no time is given, or you didn’t find an opportunity to ask that question, 1 week from the last time you spoke to someone is acceptable. That follow up email should be short, courteous and simply asking if there is an update on your candidacy.
Interview processes are stressful and challenging enough. Don’t burden yourself by entering into an interview process unprepared. By following these simple steps, you set yourself up for success and have a higher chance of landing a job offer.
More blogs from Natalie Brown
Always come Prepared! - The steps to take before an interview.
So, you got invited to an in-person interview - ...
Coming Soon...
See all Talent Insights Blog entries....
Our Latest Featured Episode
No results found.
Over the last year, hiring teams have started seeing a wave of new job titles pop up across tech, sales, and operations.
Some are legitimate new roles.
Others are existing jobs with a slightly different name.
And many of them have one thing in common: AI is suddenly part of the job description.
From Go-to-Market Engineers to AI Specialists, companies are experimenting with new roles as they figure out how automation and AI fit into their teams.
But most of these positions aren’t entirely new. They’re evolutions of existing roles.
The Rise of Go-to-Market Engineers
One role that is gaining traction is the Go-to-Market Engineer.
Depending on who you ask, it is either:
- A new role focused on automation and AI-driven growth
- A modern version of Revenue Operations (RevOps)
In practice, it is a bit of both.
As Matt Tokarz recently pointed out after closing a search for an Outbound & Go-to-Market Specialist, the role looked very different from traditional RevOps. The focus was not reporting or CRM hygiene. It was building prompts, leveraging tools like Clay and Smartlead, and enabling SDRs and AEs with backend insights to accelerate pipeline growth.
Instead of traditional RevOps work like reporting and CRM management, the focus was on:
- Building AI prompts
- Creating campaign messaging
- Automating outreach workflows
- Using tools like Clay, Smartlead, and Trigify
The goal was not simply managing sales data. It was accelerating pipeline generation through automation.
AI Isn’t Creating New Functions. It’s Changing Existing Ones
One trend is becoming clear. Companies are not replacing entire departments with AI.
Instead, they are changing how existing roles operate.
Sales teams still need pipeline.
Marketing teams still need content.
Engineering teams still need to build software.
The difference is that employers now expect candidates to use AI tools as part of their workflow.
As Zac Colip noted during the discussion, we are currently in a transitional phase where companies are labeling roles with “AI” as they experiment with how the technology fits into teams.
But that may not last forever.
Why Many “AI Job Titles” May Disappear
Right now, AI still feels new enough that companies highlight it in job titles.
But eventually, AI will likely become a baseline expectation, not a specialty.
Think about it like cloud technology or data analytics.
At first, companies hired “cloud specialists.” Now most engineers are expected to understand cloud infrastructure.
The same shift will likely happen with AI.
Instead of hiring “AI-enabled marketers” or “AI engineers,” companies will simply expect employees to know how to work with AI tools.
The Talent Pool Is Still Small
One challenge with these emerging roles is simple: there aren’t many candidates with real experience yet.
Many of these positions didn’t exist two years ago.
In one recent search, we started looking for a candidate locally in Chicago. Eventually we expanded nationwide because the pool of people with relevant experience was extremely limited.
This is a common issue with emerging roles:
- Companies want experienced candidates
- But the roles themselves are still new
That gap will likely persist for the next few years.
Hybrid Roles Are Becoming More Common
Another noticeable shift is that roles are becoming more hybrid.
Instead of hiring for narrow responsibilities, companies are combining multiple functions into one position.
As Matt Mulcahy highlighted, one example is the rise of Forward Deployed Engineers, a model popularized by Palantir.
These engineers:
- Work directly with clients
- Gather product requirements
- Write user stories
- Build the software themselves
What used to involve several roles, including product managers, engineers, and solution architects, can now sometimes be handled by one person. AI development tools are part of what makes this possible.
AI Adoption Is Happening at Different Speeds
Not every industry is moving at the same pace.
As Ashley DuBois pointed out, some sectors, such as transportation, are applying AI to specific workflows like load booking and operational automation.
At the same time, some companies are adding “AI” to job titles even when the core responsibilities remain largely traditional.
In many cases, it is still essentially an IT manager role with AI familiarity layered in.
This reflects a broader transition period where companies want to signal modernization and candidates want to signal relevance.
Automation Is Changing Operations Roles
In logistics, AI is increasingly handling scheduling, tracking, and coordination tasks.
According to Brittany Lasky, operational roles such as logistics coordinators may experience the greatest impact from automation.
However, freight brokers who manage negotiation and strategic RFPs remain in demand.
AI can optimize processes. It does not replace relationship management or strategic negotiation.
Across industries, a pattern is emerging.
Execution becomes automated. Strategy becomes more valuable.
Finance Roles Are Becoming More Analytical
Automation is also reshaping finance and accounting roles.
As Adam Slater noted, accounts receivable jobs that once focused on high-volume manual processing are evolving into more analytical positions centered on reporting and insights.
The work is not disappearing. The expectations are increasing.
Organizations are now hiring for:
- stronger technical skills
- analytical thinking
- systems understanding
Even roles traditionally considered administrative now require deeper technical capability.
Analyst Roles Are Expanding
AI is not eliminating analyst roles. It is expanding them.
Financial analysts are also expected to understand tooling, sourcing, and data transformation.
In many cases, two or three roles are being combined into one.
This raises a long-term question.
If entry-level roles become more complex or disappear entirely, how will organizations develop senior talent in the future?
Sales Development Is Becoming More Human
The traditional model of high-volume cold calling is changing.
According to Jack Smith and Emily Canna, teams are shifting toward:
- personalized LinkedIn videos
- voice memos
- highly tailored messaging
At the same time, companies are moving away from activity-based KPIs and focusing more on outcomes such as demos set and SQLs generated.
In a market saturated with automated outreach, authentic communication has become a competitive advantage.
Several clients have said it directly. They want a human in the seat.
Go-to-Market Teams Are Rebuilding the Fundamentals
Every six to twelve months, hiring trends in go-to-market teams shift.
As Jennifer Salerno noted, companies move through cycles.
One quarter it is BDRs.
Then RevOps.
Now it is go-to-market engineers.
Many companies experimented heavily with AI to accelerate pipeline generation.
What those experiments exposed were structural gaps, particularly in outbound strategy.
AI can support execution. It does not replace a well-built top-of-funnel engine.
Inbound momentum can hide weaknesses. Outbound forces clarity.
The companies gaining traction right now are not chasing trends. They are rebuilding the fundamentals of their go-to-market strategy.
What This Means for Hiring
For employers, the takeaway is straightforward. Job descriptions and expectations need to evolve alongside technology.
Across functions, we are seeing the same shift play out. AI is not eliminating entire roles. It is changing how those roles operate and increasing the baseline skill set required to perform them well.
Hiring managers should start thinking less about traditional titles and more about capabilities. That often means prioritizing candidates who can:
- Learn and adapt to new tools quickly
- Think in terms of systems, automation, and workflows
- Combine technical and business skills within a single role
In many cases, the perfect candidate with the exact title simply does not exist yet. The strongest hires are often people who have developed adjacent skills and shown the ability to adapt as the tools evolve.
The Bigger Trend
The broader trend is that AI is accelerating a shift that was already underway.
Roles are becoming more hybrid. Expectations are increasing across nearly every function. And repetitive tasks are being automated, leaving more strategic work behind.
Sales teams still need pipeline.
Operations teams still need coordination.
Finance teams still need reporting and analysis.
Engineering teams still need to build software.
What is changing is how the work gets done and what skills are required to do it well.
Right now we are in a transitional phase where companies are still labeling roles with “AI” as they experiment with new workflows and technologies.
Over time, that label may disappear.
AI will simply become part of how work gets done.
And the roles themselves, while evolving, will look more familiar than the titles might suggest.
No results found.
Our Shows
