What To Expect From Your First Interview
Being asked to interview for an EdTech position can be an exciting step toward your goal of transitioning out of the classroom, but it can also be a source of stress. Many of my Classroom to Boardroom students spend a great deal of time worrying about how that first round of interviews will go.
The good news is that this first interview has one pretty straightforward goal: To determine whether the hiring team likes your personality and feels like they can work with you long term.
This interview is really the fourth step in the hiring process. Behind the scenes, the need for the position you are interviewing for has already been determined, and the position is approved. The job description has been written and posted, and the hiring manager, internal HR recruiter, or recruiter has already looked through a pile of resumes to determine who would make good candidates for that first round of interviews.
This means that coming into the first interview, the interviewer knows that you are a good candidate for the position on paper. You meet most of the job description requirements. You have the education, experience, and skills the company needs in the new role. You have the connections or references the company needs to feel confident in bringing you in for an interview.
Now, the company wants to know one more thing that they cannot determine from the paperwork: Whether you are someone who they can work with over the long-term, through phone calls, Zoom meetings, in-person conversations, and all the minutiae of daily work life.
What to Expect From Your First Interview
You can expect this interview to consist of open-ended questions that give you the opportunity to let your personality shine. Here are some things the interviewer will want to see from this first round of interviews:
That you are able to talk confidently about yourself and your experience.
That you are warm and engaging.
That you know something about the company.
That you are articulate.
How to Prepare For an Interview
Understanding what the first round of interviews is looking for from you can help you to better prepare for a successful meeting. Here are a few steps you can take to make your interview more compelling:
Bring your personality to the interview.
Research the company before your interview.
Prepare to discuss yourself in an engaging way.
Transitioning out of the classroom to an EdTech job can be hard, which is why I created Classroom to Boardroom. This course has all of the lessons you need to navigate every step of the process (Including how to prepare for and nail all of those job interviews!), coaching sessions to help you gain the confidence and skills you need, connections and job listings, and a supportive community you can rely on.
But the key takeaway here is to be yourself in your interviews so you attract the right company.
