Career Guidance Career Guidance

Pre-Interview Creep

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The "Pre-Interview Creep" Lesson is part of the full, Career Guidance course featured in this preview video. Here's what you'd learn in this lesson's course:

Paul encourages students to research a company before interviewing to find commonalities.

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Transcript from the "Pre-Interview Creep" Lesson

[00:00:00]
>> Paul DeBettignies: A pre interview creep. Okay. So again, whatever pace you're going to be on this path that I've been talking about today, okay, when you get to the part that you're going to be going in for an interview, creep on these people. I want you to do to them what I know they did to you.

[00:00:19]
Google them, look for them on LinkedIn and Twitter, figure out what they're into. Where did they go to school? What are they about? What are their hobbies? Because you will find points of commonality with them. It makes your conversation with them a lot smoother, and a whole lot easier.

[00:00:33]
If the company has a press release page, a communication page, whatever it is, you know as much about them as you can. So that you can say, so in town here, there's a company called SPS Commerce, and they're infamous now cause they're at 72 quarters of earnings growth.

[00:00:51]
Shoot that off while you're having a tech interview with the VP of engineering. He'll be like, you're paying attention. Yes. I also know that you do work with these three nonprofits. On Instagram I saw that you guys celebrate you celebrate St. Patrick's Day by decking out the entire atrium of the office tower now named after you in green.

[00:01:10]
>> Paul DeBettignies: So you did some research on us. Yes. By the way I do this with all of the people who I'm reaching out to in my now not being you but being me stage. So there are six startups here in town that I've had conversations with between now and the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and I'm telling you I know as much about them as they know about them.

[00:01:32]
What's working, what's not working, what do they need help with. I know it like the back of my hand, because I know every one of those groups is not just talking to me. For the record, they would be foolish to not work with me. Just like these groups would be foolish not to work with you.

[00:01:47]
You guys have experience, you bring stuff to the table that someone who hasn't been just brought up as a coder doesn't have. So let's not forget that.