Job hunting can be a pain in the neck, especially after going through what feels like a million interviews. To make matters worse, it’s a complex matter that involves more than just your performance or past experience, which is why it sometimes feels like you’ve no control over it. However, there are ways you can handle the interview that might increase your chances of landing the job.

Liz Miller, also known as the Tech Sales Gal, shared a valuable tip for what to ask during an interview in her TikTok video that went viral. The Boston-based saleswoman told the online community about one particular question that allowed her to avoid matters she wasn’t keen on discussing and focus on her experience related to the position instead. Scroll down to find the advice in Liz’s own words below.

In order to learn how to properly prepare for a job interview, Bored Panda has reached out to Patricia G. Martinez, Ph.D., the associate dean of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and an associate professor of management at the College of Business Administration at Loyola Marymount University, who was kind enough to share her thoughts on the topic.

Job hunting can be a painful process, which is why it’s important to be well-prepared for every interview

Image credits: techsalesgal

In her recent job interview Liz asked the perfect question, which she then revealed to her TikTok audience

“I just gave the best interview of my life and I will be doing this for all interviews as long as I live. So the interview started out like pretty normal, like, ‘Hey, we got 30 minutes, like, I’m definitely gonna to talk to you about the role and what we’re doing over here at Company Name. But first, I’d really like to hear a little bit about you.’ At which point, I normally start with an introduction and I’m like, ‘Hi, I’m Liz, born and raised in Southern California. I moved to Boston seven years ago, broke into tech sales five years ago,’ and then I kind of, one by one, go through each company on my resume. And because I’ve job hopped a lot, I feel like it opens the door for conversations I don’t want to have.”

Image credits: techsalesgal

“So I did something new today and I said, ‘I am happy to share anything about myself during this interview. I do want to know though, what you’re most interested in learning about me because it really varies from person to person and company to company, what they’re looking to hear. And since we only have 30 minutes, I want to make sure I’m telling you what’s most important to you.’ And he looked a little bit like, oh, [damn], but then what it allowed me to do, because his response was, ‘Hey, I know you’ve, like, sold a similar product to this before.”

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

“I really want to hear about your experience selling tools in the software development space.’ And then all I did was talk about the really two… kind of two-and-a-half companies I worked at where the, you know, ideal customer persona, the ideal persona I was selling to was like a VP of Engineering, VP of QA, CTO, and then I never talked about the ugly points in my career, wasn’t even questioned about them because we were having such a rich conversation about what he wanted to talk about.”

Image credits: Sora Shimazaki (not the actual photo)

“I also just think it’s such a good question because it’s a pattern interruption where you’re like, ‘I’m happy to talk about myself, but what do you want to learn?’ And that’s also how you should think about selling, right? Like, people get on the demo and they’re like, ‘I just want to see what you have.’ And you’re like, ‘Okay, but like I could talk about anything, like what do you want to hear about?’ And I just, like, candidly think I’m a [friggin’] genius. Like, I’m a [friggin’] genius.”

Liz’s video went viral and gathered over 480k views on TikTok

@techsalesgal I am a genius, that is all #interview #interviews #interviewtips #sales #salestok #salestips #salesinterview #tech #womeninsales #womenintech #saas #layoff #layoffs #work #worklife #corporate #corporateamerica ♬ original sound – The Tech Sales Gal

Preparing for the interview is equally as important as the interview itself

Image credits: Sora Shimazaki (not the actual photo)

During her interview, Liz asked a question that let her provide the necessary information without having to go into too much detail about the aspects she didn’t want to focus on. That way she not only covered all the relevant knowledge and experiences she had, but also started a conversation, which likely allowed her to stand out from other candidates.

Having good questions ready is one of the most important rules of preparing for an interview. Assoc. Prof. Patricia G. Martinez pointed out that some of the most critical ones include questions about the organization’s culture and its core values. “A significant amount of research supports the idea that the stronger the alignment between a person’s values and the organization, the more the person will be engaged, committed and willing to be a good citizen who goes above and beyond the basic job requirements. They will also be more satisfied at work.”

“Questions to ask include ‘How would you describe the culture at the organization?’, ‘What are three key values at this organization and how is the importance of these communicated to employees, customers and stakeholders (e.g. policies, programs, HR practices)?’,” the professor told Bored Panda.

Forbes suggested that in addition to thinking about the right questions to ask, it’s also important to research the company you’re applying for (and think about what interests you about it, as well as the position itself). Moreover, it advised interviewees to spend some time practicing or doing mock interviews that would allow them to feel more confident during the real one. One of the things people need to have confidence for during the interview is selling yourself; according to Forbes, it’s important to present the value you bring to the company in a clear and concise way.

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Dr. Patricia G. Martinez shared some tips for getting ready for a job interview with Bored Panda. The first one is to identify three things that make you the most unique and qualified for the job. “On your notepad jot down these three things using keywords,” she suggested. “At the end of the interview when your interviewer asks, ‘Would you like to discuss or ask anything else?’ look at this list and mention any of the items that you haven’t yet discussed by saying ‘Yes, I would like to mention that my experience/qualification… makes me a good fit for this position…’”

“The second one—have tangible examples to support your qualifications and accomplishments, and discuss these during your interview. ‘I developed and managed a budget… My marketing campaign resulted in… My initiative reduced our operation costs by x…’,” the professor continued.

Lastly, she recommended taking a few deep breaths before you start. “Our breath is an underappreciated stress release and method to reset your mind,” she said. “Take a deep breath and if possible count to at least four (preferably longer) as you take in the breath and then count to six (or more) as you release the breath.”

Familiarizing yourself with the dos and don’ts during the interview can help you land the job of your dreams

Image credits: Edmond Dantès (not the actual photo)

The importance of doing your homework and the homework itself are in no way a secret. That is why the majority of your competition will likely have come well-prepared as well. That means you have to stand out; leaving a long-lasting impression can increase your chances of getting the job.

However, you don’t want that lasting impression to prevail for all the wrong reasons. While some things can help you pave the way for a new start, others should be avoided at all costs. Corporate Finance Institute pointed out that you should never arrive late to a job interview or dress too casually for the occasion. Moreover, avoiding eye contact or constantly checking your phone are also considered disadvantageous.

Smiling goes a long way in life as well, and job interviews are no exception. It is believed that a first impression takes roughly 7 seconds, so looking presentable and approachable can only help when it comes to landing the job of your dreams.

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Liz didn’t expand on how much smiling or practicing she did before and during the interview; however, in another video she revealed that she had started a new job, which means her methods of handling an interview seem to be working. We have contacted the Tech Sales Gal via LinkedIn and will update the article once we hear back from her.

People shared their opinions in the comments, some thanked Liz for the great advice

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