See Fan Go

Networking and Interview Notes

Posted on Sep 28, 2022

Here are some templates I set up during my last round of job searching, networking events and interviews. I am usually extremely avoidant of responding to messages because they make me anxious and the anxiety only worsens when I put them off. However, with a copy-and-pastable template, it makes it easier to do as routine rather than having to come up with a fresh response each time.

After all, if recruiters have tools to automate their process (LinkedIn will literally give me a modal to select if I’m interested or not, like 100% the recruiter didn’t personally handwrite that message for me), why shouldn’t I make things easier for myself too?

The LinkedIn/ Email Response

As soon as you set your LinkedIn to “looking”, as long as you’re in an in-demand field, recruiters will swarm you like moths to a flame. If the role and company seem interesting, great, respond and let them know! If not, you can still be polite and decline. If they’re a third party recruiter hired by multiple companies, they can forward you other roles as well. You never know where or when you’ll run into them again during your job search.

Sometimes, even when you’re not looking for another role, recruiters will reach out to you. If you’re looking to expand your network, it’s worthwhile to respond to them or send them a connection request, and reach out to them in the future, or refer them to someone you know is looking. Or you could just ignore them if it’s completely irrelevant both as a role and as a company.

When a recruiter slides into your DMs…

and you’re interested or looking:

Hi [NAME], thanks for reaching out! I’d love to learn more about [COMPANY] and the role! Do you have a calendar link for me to schedule some time for a call?

and you’re looking and the company seems interesting, but the role isn’t what you’re looking for:

Hi [NAME], thanks for reaching out! I’m actually looking for more of a [type of role you're looking for], does [COMPANY] have any available?

and you’re not looking, but the opportunity seems interesting:

Hi [NAME], thanks for reaching out! I’m currently not looking for a new role, but I’d love to stay in touch!

plus some variation or combination of

I would be interested in learning more in the future. Would [X] months from now work?

I’ve sent you a connection request on LinkedIn.

depending on your timeline and when you expect to be looking for your next role.

If you do know someone who is looking, it’s good karma and relationship-building to forward their contact information to the recruiter with their consent. Your friend will probably appreciate you thinking of them, and the recruiter will probably appreciate the extra lead. In that case, you can update the message to something like:

Hi [NAME], thanks for reaching out! I’m currently not looking for a new role, but I know someone from [your relationship to them] who might be interested. I can connect you with them.

Only do this after letting the person know you’re sending a recruiter their way!

Once you’ve filled out the templates in a way that’s relevant to what you’re looking for, save them somewhere, set aside 15 minutes every morning (if you’re actively looking, or once a week if you’re not) and mass respond.

The 30s Elevator Pitch

The 30s elevator pitch, so-called for its duration being roughly the amount of time you’d spend stuck in an elevator with someone, is a way to introduce yourself and make a connection with someone. Having a blurb memorized is great for not having to think too hard when making introductions in an interview, or talking to someone at a career fair or networking event.

GIF from Extraordinary Attorney Woo, S1E1 Woo Young-woo introducing herself with “My name is Woo Young-woo. Whether it’s read straight or flipped, it’s still Woo Young-woo. Kayak, deed, rotator, noon, racecar, Woo Young-woo” in the English subs

The “elevator pitch” template here is geared more towards an interview or talking to a rep at a booth for a company you’re interested in working for, at a career fair.

Hi, I’m [NAME]! I’m currently a [CURRENT ROLE] working at [CURRENT COMPANY], mainly working with [YOUR MAIN TOOLS and/or TECH STACK].

[1-2 sentences on any previous roles and experiences related to your goals and what you're looking for at your next role]

I am looking for a role that is [DESCRIPTION OF IDEAL ROLE], and have heard great things about [COMPANY NAME]. I’m excited to learn more about the culture, the challenges and rewards of working there.

I personally think that the upper limit would be closer to a minute than 30 seconds. Time yourself reading your pitch at a normal, conversational speed.

An example would be something like

Hi, I’m Fan! I’m currently a software engineer at Properly, a Canadian proptech startup. My current stack is React (NextJS) with Typescript and Python, but I also have experience with Ruby on Rails.

Previously, I worked at Gobble as a senior software engineer, Connected as a software engineer, team lead and engineering manager, and Flipp as a software engineer. I highly value working at a product company and going beyond just coding, in order to truly “own” projects and processes.

For my next role, I am looking for something that allows me to continue to develop and demonstrate my passion for product-thinking and technical excellence. I have heard great things about [COMPANY] and I’m excited to learn more about the culture, challenges and rewards of working there.

Something like this would work as an intro with someone in recruiting, or behavioural interviews with a less-technical interviewer. If you’re interviewing with the hiring manager or someone who actually has a say in they type of team you could end up on, it would be worth modifying it to be something like

I worked on scaling [XYZ] service 10x and am looking for additional challenges in [your technical area of interest]

Or removing some of the previous roles that might not be as relevant to your future goals. Since I have aspirations of (maybe?) doing more team lead and management in the future, I mention that I’ve done it in the past at other companies, if not my current one.

Additional things to have templates for

There are a few questions that come up in almost every behavioural interview, so it’s worth having answers prepped ahead of time.

It’s important to not get bogged down by the details. The goal behind having these answers prepped is not having to spend 10 minutes on a single question, providing irrelevant background and details while your interviewer zones out, and then trailing off with a “huh, I guess it wasn’t resolved that well”.

A good structure to have is

[1-2 min description of problem] + [what you did] + [why you did it] + [impact]

(Which upon further research, is actually the STAR method - situation, task, action, and result. This article gives better examples of how to use the format)

Some interviewers are good and will ask followup questions, so be prepared to add more details or defend your solution if necessary. I say defend, but you also want to sound open and accepting of their questions. Defend but don’t be defensive.

Some interviewers have zero right to be doing interviews (but here we are) and will just read off questions and look for an answer. Remember that the interview is as much as it is for you to learn about the company and its people as it is about them learning about you.

Teamwork and leadership

  • An example of working with someone with a conflicting personality
  • An example of handling a conflict (with a coworker/ a superior/ someone on your team/ someone outside your team)
  • An instance where you had to step up into a leadership position or demonstrate leadership skills

Adaptability

  • How do you deal with pressure or stress (example and how you overcame it)
    • An example of change at your last company/ team/ job - how did it impact you, and how did you respond?
  • How do you approach ramping up at a new company/ team/ project?
  • What’s your weakness?
  • An example of a mistake or failure define what failure means for you, and then spin into lessons learned for next time

Values

  • Something you’re proud of (a project, how you handled a client, an award, how you supported a team, a mentorship) etc
  • What is a process that you wish you could have improved at a previous company? Be careful that it doesn’t turn into badmouthing your previous company
  • What is something that you’re looking for in your next role?
  • An example of a time you took initiative

Communication

  • An example of persuasion (e.g. convincing your team to do things a certain way, could additionally be turned into a teamwork “and then we decided to do things in this hybrid way that worked better than all the individual suggestions”)
  • An example of a successful presentation
  • An example of successfully explaining a complicated concept (technical, product, financial, marketing etc)

This is not a comprehensive list, but just writing down a few events from your career will give you a base from which you’ll be able to spin off an answer for any question.

A lot of interviewing and networking is just a numbers game. The more you interview, the better you’ll get at it (hopefully). Practice interviewing with a friend. Or practicing into a mirror. Or if you need to feel the pressure - interview with companies you haven’t heard of or don’t really care for. You might be pleasantly surprised - or worst case you got some time to practice interviewing.

Good luck, and get that bread!