What do hiring managers look for in an interview

The retail giant places a huge emphasis on being customer-centric, she says, and a candidate who has done his or her research will know this.

Along with proving you researched the company, Park says it's vital that you focus on "how you have owned a role and moved the needle forward, demonstrated curiosity and where you have solved a problem. Like this story? What to do if you're worried your spouse might be sabotaging your career. How social media may be hurting your career, according to this TED Talks success expert.

Skip Navigation. Jennifer Liu. Then, highlight key experiences and accomplishments as you answer their questions. Tell stories of how you helped past employers and what successes you had on former teams, etc. Your interviewer will also look for general signs of research, effort, and preparation. Always prepare for your interview. Look up the interviewer on LinkedIn to get a general sense of their background.

As you prepare for your interview, practice telling one or two stories about what you accomplished in your last one or two roles. This is important to companies when hiring for all jobs, and especially leadership roles or roles that they hope will grow into a leadership position.

Be honest in the conversation. But do prepare ahead of time by researching the firm so that you can highlight the personal traits that you feel fit best. This is a good thing, and working for a supportive boss who cares can help you develop your skills faster and advance your career further.

Employers want to hire an employee who is honest, accountable, and upfront, and they judge this in the interview. Knowledge and skills can be taught. Honestly and integrity, combined with an upfront communication style, cannot be taught. Depending on the job, the company may even see these traits as being more important than job-specific skills this is particularly true in an entry-level interview.

Each company has a certain way of doing things. They love it when a candidate comes in with prior experience… but they also want to be sure that the candidate will be able to adapt. But as you learn about the job in the interview, if something sounds exciting or interesting, say so! Read here for tips on how to show enthusiasm in an interview.

Here are 27 unique interview questions to ask employers. Interviewers also take note of your communication skills and whether you can answer concisely and stay on track when speaking. If you seem unable to tell a clear story and stay on-track, the interviewer will worry that you may struggle to communicate in the job as well.

The hiring manager wants to hear that you are capable for the job, so this should always be your guiding principle. To demonstrate that you are capable for the position, at your job interview you need to show that you are confident, you are knowledgeable and that you have ample and relevant experience.

The question is incredibly broad, but your answer should be focused. Starting with the most recent, talk specifically about the skills and experiences you would bring to the job.

The hiring manager is not so much interested in whether you did the same job in the past; they want a picture of what you can do going forward. Just as important as whether you can do the job is whether you really want the job. Your job interviewer wants to see that you are passionate about the organization and the subject area. They want to see that, if offered, you would accept the job.

A number of things will demonstrate your interest at your job interview, both in terms of what you say and how you say it. First, you need to show that you are prepared. The enthusiasm in your voice or lack thereof also impacts your evaluation. And, unless you have a telephone interview, your body language will also impact whether or not the interviewer judges you as interested in the job. Are you making eye contact with your interviewer? All of this affects the impression you make with the hiring manager.

Finally, the hiring manager will be using the interview to try to determine if you would fit. Do you complement the team?