The 3 things candidates who get great offers do in job interviews. Why it’s good to turn the question around

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A tech career counselor says he’s listened to over 700 interviews, and candidates who get big offers typically do 3 things.

Katie McIntyre is a career advisor dedicated to helping technology professionals land job offers between $200,000 and $500,000.

In her LinkedIn post, she said that people who were consistently finding jobs were discussing several topics “in detail.”

Although McIntyre does not attend the interviews herself, she said she receives a recording of the call and reviews it later.

They also only spoke half the time.

McIntyre said his firm encourages a “happy, humble and eager to succeed” approach, and a big part of that comes down to letting go of perfectionism in the interview. In this it comes down to giving up the perfectionist approach in the interview. You need to be direct about what you can offer, but avoid coming across as a know-it-all.

Here are her tips for getting a deal.

Give recognition to those who deserve it

McIntyre told BI that successful candidates talk about mentors during the interview.

She said that at one point in an interview, there is a version of a question that asks candidates to tell the interviewer about themselves. Typically, she said, her clients will talk about their professional experience and mention that they were very fortunate to work with or learn from “incredible leaders at companies like X, Y, Z.”

During this part of the conversation, the candidate can talk specifically about what they have done, learned, or achieved. McIntyre said this makes the connection between what the candidate has learned and the role they’ve filled, and shows recognition that they don’t know everything and that they’re interested in learning.

Talk about numbers

McIntyre stated for Business Insider that another key factor is the ability to talk about metrics and how they generate revenue for the business.

In functions like sales, income is tied to how much you bring in, but other types of functions indirectly contribute to the company’s bottom line. And that should be mentioned, McIntyre said. That could include saving time, increasing efficiency or fueling internal growth by helping people get promoted, she said.

“There are all these other metrics that are not just revenue, but are directly related to revenue,” McIntyre said.

Those who don’t get bids often fail to show how they measure up and bring revenue to the company, McIntyre said.

Turn the interview into a conversation

McIntyre said a key interview pattern of candidates who receive offers is their ability to talk 50 percent of the time. During the interview, McIntyre said in his LinkedIn post that successful candidates asked purposeful questions about the hiring manager, the company, its culture, team and goals.

McIntyre told BI that interviewers these days aren’t just asking if the candidate can do the job — they want to know if they can work with the person eight hours a day.

“Most people these days have technical skills,” McIntyre told Business Insider. “Most of those who get interviews are technically able to perform the required tasks.”

She said when people don’t ask questions or when the interview doesn’t turn into a conversation, interviewers can end up feeling like they’re not a good choice.

McIntyre suggested that applicants turn the question in after answering it. She also said that at the beginning or end of the call, candidates can ask the interviewer about their previous experience at another company or why they joined the current company.