There is a lot of advice for job seekers when it comes to preparing for an interview. You’ve been told to research the company and come up with questions to ask, but what if you could be doing more? Perhaps a few of these more uncommon interview tips could be just the thing you need to set you apart from your competition and land you the job. Here are some things to consider.

1. Study everything, not just the website. Job seekers are constantly told that they must research a company before interviewing. This is a good first step, but to set yourself apart you’ll need to do some digging beyond the official website. Set a Google alert to get news about the company directly to your inbox. Follow their blogs and research their earnings as well so you have concrete data to discuss in the interview.
2. Pay attention to the time of your interview. Every workday has a rhythm so why not tap into that while interviewing? You want to avoid Mondays and Fridays if possible because people are either busy catching up or distracted by the weekend. You also want to schedule something for mid-morning when the interviewer is still fresh and not counting down the minutes to either lunch or the end of the day.   However, if the job is for an immediate hire, simply schedule the interview as soon as possible.
3. Use storytelling. “Tell me about yourself,” is a common conversation starter. Most people answer it with a laundry list of things they’ve done in their professional career. However, telling an engaging story is more likely to keep the attention of the person you’re speaking with. Frame your experience within a narrative. Talk about why you do what you do, not just the duties.
4. Answer questions with problem, action, result. Some companies may ask you behavioral questions designed to determine how you would react in certain situations. Even if they don’t, you can take matters into your own hands and answer questions this way. Talk about a problem you’ve had, the action you took, and the result.
5. Show your work. You are also likely to be asked some critical thinking questions. There some wisdom behind going through the problem solving steps out loud rather than just in your head. Your thought process will demonstrate how you’re willing to solve a problem and the steps you take to get there. It will be much more desirable than silence followed by an answer.

Are you ready to take your job search to the next level? VincentBenjamin is hiring today!