How to get through an interview: practical advice for job hunting in the USA

Finding work in your own country can be hard enough, let alone job hunting in the USA. Differences in culture and in what employers expect, and a different approach to selecting candidates, all give you plenty to be nervous about before you hear the words you want. But knowing a few practical things lets you avoid the mistakes and stop treating an interview as an ordeal.

Preparing for the search

Thorough preparation is half the battle. Do not begrudge this stage your time: the more systematic your approach, the more confident you will feel and the more professional you will look to a prospective employer.

Before putting any interview advice into practice, make sure you are ready:

• You have a professional resume and portfolio aimed at the specific position.
• You have prepared a cover letter — in the USA it matters as much as the resume.
• Your LinkedIn profile is 100 per cent complete.
• You have settled your own goals and priorities: the working arrangement, the responsibilities, the salary level.
• Start early on learning how to conduct yourself in an interview. Improvising and hoping your charm carries you is not a good plan.
• Make sure your documents are current and meet US legal requirements.

Once the paperwork, the profiles, the resume and the cover letters are ready, learn everything you can about interviewing in the USA: the stages, the differences, the common questions and the mistakes candidates make. Approach this stage as thoroughly as the last.

How to handle each type of interview

The format varies, so your job is to prepare for each kind.

1. Video interview. Check your equipment beforehand and set up a professional background. During the interview, look into the camera to make eye contact and let your body language work for you — smile and gesture a little.
2. Phone interview. Often used for initial screening. Bear in mind that such a call should be short. You will have a few minutes to describe your experience, and the recruiter or HR manager may ask about your skills.
3. Behavioural interview. To understand how these go, read up on the STAR method. Pick out a few examples of your work that demonstrate your competence, and back your account with facts and figures.
4. Technical interview. Particularly common in tech. Use practice platforms such as LeetCode, and go over the key concepts the vacancy calls for. Our advice: do not be afraid to ask for clarification. It demonstrates an analytical approach.
5. Group interview. There is no one-to-one conversation here. Many people admit to feeling less confident with other candidates in front of them, so prepare yourself psychologically. The main advice for this format: show respect to the other participants, speak briefly and clearly, and demonstrate that you can work in a team and take responsibility for the group's work.

Large international companies may also invite you to a cultural fit interview. Its purpose is to determine whether your values match the company's culture. How do you handle it? Read up in advance on the company's work, its mission, its philosophy and its life — that shows you take the interview seriously.

Key advice for interviewing well in the USA

We have gone through how the formats differ and what deserves attention in each. But a few further points are useful in any format:

• Write down the questions you want to ask the interviewer.
• Recruiters' questions are usually predictable: tell us about yourself, what is your main achievement, why do you want to work here? Our advice is to think your answers through in advance — better still, record them on video and assess your speech, your gestures and your posture.
• Be ready for informal questions about your favourite book, your character or your hobbies. A short answer is enough.
• Give some thought to your appearance. Keep the style businesslike and the clothes neat.
• Stay calm. Breathing exercises help with nerves.

Interviewing in English, with the culture and the local etiquette in mind

America is a country where the culture of communication rests on politeness and respect. The secret to interviewing in English and leaving a good impression is to address the other person by name, express thanks and keep a friendly tone. On professional questions, though, answer clearly and directly. Be punctual, show interest in the company and avoid the subjects that are off limits: politics, age, family and religion are best left alone.

Every PASV student writes a resume during the course, prepares for the different types of interview and gets advice from mentors on the final one. That is an enormous advantage when it comes to getting hired.