Learn & Grow
- October 17, 2019

How to succeed in a job interview: tips from our recruiting team

Changing jobs can be a stressful time in a person’s life. Competition is rife and people tend to leave their comfort zone, the colleagues they like and the job they do for a new and uncertain challenge.

At Delivery Hero, we like to take the stress out of the hiring process. This is where our role as recruiters comes in, to smoothen the process, advise candidates on their concerns and help to navigate their personal and professional situation while also adding value to the company.

Tareq Delivery Hero

Tareq Barghouti: “At Delivery Hero, we like to take the stress out of the hiring process.”

My name is Tareq Barghouti and I am a Recruiter in the Delivery Hero talent acquisition team in Berlin. Here, I will provide some insights into our hiring processes and hopefully some useful tips for excelling in your next interview.

The Interview Process

At Delivery Hero, the typical hiring process starts with an initial call with a recruiter. This is then followed by a call with the manager of the team you are applying to (who is also called ‘hiring manager’).

The best thing about a recruiter’s job is that we deal with individuals. We keep close contact to the candidates we interact with and build a relationship with them. And part of the support we offer when candidates are interviewing is to prepare them and guide them through the process.

7 tips for an amazing job interview

Read your CV before you go

It seems silly to say that when you are the one who’s putting together your CV, you know everything on it. However, we recommend to highlight the best points you would like to share at every stage of your career, think of what you would like to speak about yourself and make sure you can move from one point to another in a coherent and interesting way rather than jumping from point to another. You got it all in your head, but getting this information across well happens when you read your CV and prepare thoroughly.

Listen carefully to the question

Many candidates make the mistake of immediately preparing for the answer while the question is still being asked. This could lead to giving an answer which is not very accurate or to the point. We advise people to listen carefully to the question and take their time in giving the best answer rather than the quickest answer. Remember – there is no rush here.

Keep your answers simple and straight to the point

Talking a lot doesn’t mean you are doing well. Short and straight to the point answers are the best answers. They also reflect on your personality; that you are smart, precise, sharp and you know what you are talking about, rather than talking around the point and boring the interviewer.

job interview

“Good questions are a great way to show interviewers how you think. They are sometimes even better than good answers.” – Tareq

Don’t take control of the conversation

This can overlap with the previous point, which is not keeping answers simple and straight to the point. Some candidates get excited and keep on talking and talking and sometimes it is hard to stop them. Remember, the interviewer has prepared the questions beforehand and if after an hour he or she feels they still don’t know you, that is not good. It also might indicate that communication problems might come up in the future.

Prepare solid examples to back up your points

When you are stating a fact about yourself or talking about skills, please back this up with real examples from your past experiences. Examples help the interviewer to understand exactly what you mean and ensure you are both on the same page. It also helps the interviewer remember you long after the interview is over. Hiring managers (from the team you will be working with) also tend to be interested in concrete examples of what you have actually done.

Prepare thoughtful questions

Good questions are a great way to show interviewers how you think. They are sometimes even better than good answers. Hiring managers love candidates who are smart and challenging to answer. It shows that you have done your homework and you are equally interested in knowing how the job is being done by your future team. But remember, don’t ask too many questions: 2-3 good ones are enough, it is about quality not quantity.

Be yourself

Finally, just be yourself. Remember that hiring managers aren’t just looking for someone who can do the job but also someone fun to work with. Let your real personality come out, and if the real personality doesn’t fit with the team then it’s better for both sides to know in the first contacts than later on.

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Just remember that the fact that you were invited for an interview already means your CV got the manager’s attention. Now it’s time to get to know the person behind the CV and see if there is chemistry. And, even when the position is not the right one for you, you will have learned a lot in the process and are prepared for your journey ahead. Good luck!

Applying for a tech position? Check out our tech blog on how to prepare for a technical interview.

Find all our open positions here.

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