Top 5 fatal interview mistakes in the AM industry
top 5 fatal interview mistakes in the additive manufacturing industry
Our recruiters share with you their experience and stories of the worst interview nono’s that they’ve come across in the AM / 3D printing industry.
The outrageous ones, like taking a call during the interview or emptying the office candy bowl, are rare, but there are some common ones that keep appearing.
Interview Mistake #1: Badmouthing former employers
Did you leave your last job on bad terms with your boss or colleagues? Especially in the AM industry where competitors are also future or former collaborators, and everyone knows everyone, it is important not to burn your bridges.
TIP 1: Try to spin the negative to something positive.
If you are worried about answering the question “Why did you leave your last job?”, then prepare an answer to this question before arriving at the interview.
Interview Mistake #2: Not Having An Elevator Pitch
At some point in any interview you will encounter some variation of the question “So tell me about yourself?”. This is your chance to outshine your resume and is a direct invitation to tell the interviewer what you can bring to the table, besides your hard skills. In the AM industry, it’s important to show employers that you are also capable of clear communication and transmitting knowledge in an understandable way. Since the average human attention span is 5 seconds – this pitch has to be loaded and ready to be fired if you really want to leave a strong impression.
TIP 2: Prepare the pitch from home. And practice, practice, practice.
It should be approximately 60 sec. long and be able to express your value proposition as an employee.
The pitch should answer these questions:
- Who am I?
- What do I do?
- How do I do it? (soft skills)
- What do I do it for? (show genuine interest in the industry)
- How am I different?
Interview mistake #3: Not Following Up
Following up on an interview not only signals that you are engaged with the process and that you are interested in the job, it also demonstrates the quality of your work as an employee and it proves your ability to stand out in the crowd of job candidates.
TIP 3: Immediately send a thank you e-mail to the person who interviewed you
Use the thank you note to demonstrate what a great employee you would be – confirm your commitment to following through a task to the end, exhibit your writing and communication skills.
Interview mistake #4: Not Researching The Interviewer
It happens more often than you would think; that people show up to an interview not knowing if who they are about to talk to is the Senior Vice President of R&D or an HR employee. This can be fatal.
Let’s paint a picture: imagine you assume that your interviewer is HR personnel, so you, as the considerate person you are, put effort into explaining her what technologies you have worked with and what those technologies are – just to let her know the basics so she can translate to the hiring manager later.
Instead, your interviewer is the Head of R&D and knows EVERYTHING about those technologies and is more interested in hearing what you can do with them as opposed to what they are.
Now you’ve just spend your precious interview time trying to explain to a bird how to fly.
TIP 4: Google and LinkedIn are your best friends!
You’ll be able to target your sales pitch better – and you will feel much better knowing who you’re about to meet
Interview mistake #5: Forgetting That The Interview Is A Two Way Street
Remember: it’s not only you that need to sell yourself – the company needs to as well.
In this industry, there are many small companies and startups and those sort of environments also require a certain flexibility.
You need to use the interview to figure out, if you fit into the company and if their environment matches your needs
TIP 5: ask questions
A way of showing interest while also figuring out if you fit in with the company, is by making sure to have questions for the hiring manager at the end of an interview.
Having relevant questions also require you to know t e company and the position well so make sure you do your research
Want more career advice?
At Alexander Daniels Global, we are specialized in recruitment for the additive manufacturing industry. We want you to succeed so we have created a bunch of free career advice. Check it out!
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