YD Industries is infamous for rigorous hiring practices and a challenging, multi-tiered job interview process. Since I’m often asked, “How do I succeed in my YD Industries interviews?”, I thought I’d put together a list of pointers for the average job seeker. While some of these strategies apply exclusively to YDI, anyone going through a job search will find these tips immensely beneficial.
Careful application of human touch can put an applicant ahead in the ultra-competitive world of job interviewing.
Interview DOs:
1) Be prepared. Just as you’d do research for a major presentation or grade school term paper, you need to get yourself ready for an interview. Spend time on the the company website so you are familiar with the company address, phone number, and logo. Check the weather report online before your interview so you have interesting information to discuss during the “small talk” portion of your meeting. Stalk your interviewer’s social media profiles for clues about their tastes, interests, sexual availability, and exploitable emotional weaknesses.
2) Ask insightful questions. Asking great questions during an interview can often overcome shortcomings in other areas. Sometimes the best answer to a interviewer’s question is a question of your own, such as, “I know you are, but what am I?” or “How would YOU like me to answer that?” You can also use your surroundings as inspiration to ask insightful questions such as, “Where is the bathroom?” or “Should I not have parked in the lobby?”.
3) Give medium length answers with lots of easy to understand words. In an interview, you’re judged not just on the content of your answers, but also the quality of how they’re presented. The best answers are 1-2 minutes long and are full of the kinds of key phrases that HR managers like to hear such as: uniquely skilled, tireless, proactive, self-starter, team-player, snack provider, personal groomer, ideological reactionary, communist, or hang-nail survivor.
4) Be physical. Psychologists have researched the power of human touch as a force that powerfully connects people. You can use this knowledge to your advantage during an interview. Embrace your interviewer deeply and with your whole body at every opportunity. Gently stroke their forearm with your fingertips as you respond to a challenging question. Once you’re comfortable, use quick cheek kisses as mini bullet points to list your workplace strengths.
Interview DON’Ts:
1) Avoid Generalities. Avoid making generalizations about yourself or large ethnic minorities. “I’m highly competent and have great abilities” or “I work as hard as you’d expect people of my ethnic background to work” don’t provide HR personnel anything specific to work with. Instead, use concrete examples of your competence and ground your ethnic stereotypes with appropriate anecdotes.
2) Never say “I don’t have any weaknesses.” Everybody has weaknesses. Even the great Achilles had that thing going on with his heel, so discuss aspects of yourself you need to improve. Likely you’re working on being able to do five push-ups instead of just two. Be sure to share this goal with your interviewer, as it demonstrates that you’re being proactive about personal improvement.
3) No Headgear. Unless you’re applying to be the power-forward on a throwback ABA basketball team, DO NOT WEAR A HEADBAND! HR professionals the world over will agree that applicants wearing headbands to a job interview are almost immediately written off. This rule applies equally to striped wrist sweat-bands as well as low cut tennis socks with those fuzzy balls at the ankle.
4) Don’t point at your resume with your fist. During an interview you must not look at your resume. Don’t even peek at it! If you need to highlight a particular item on your CV, use your open hand or your middle finger as a pointer. Under no circumstances should you bang on your resume with a closed fist, especially when accompanied with shrill shouts or repeated guttural exclamations. This could communicate that you’re either nervous (which you probably will be), or you fabricated something.
For most hiring managers, the interview is more about box-checking and validating skills, combined with a big dose of gut feel and intuition. Following the DOs and DON’Ts above will solidly help slot you in a different category than your competition and give you the edge you need in the ultra-competitive career race.