How to Prepare for Your Interview at Blinkist
Got the job application jitters? You’re not alone. But luckily for you, there are plenty of ways to ensure you nail your interview, every time. In this series of articles, I’m going to let you in on the unwritten rules of recruitment that will increase your chances of getting a job at Blinkist — or anywhere else, for that matter!
After all, recruitment is like a game — the better you know the rules, the more likely you are to win. Ready? Let’s go.
Congratulations, you’re invited for an interview! We’re very excited to get to know you. Now it’s time to get ready…
In this article, I share a few tips that will help you to prepare for your upcoming interview with us.
1. Research our Product
At Blinkist, we’re extremely proud and passionate about our product and we’re looking for people who feel as excited as we do. Not a Premium user? Not a problem, we’ll send you a voucher code before your first interview. Using our app will give you an idea of what we are working on and the challenges we are trying to solve at the moment.
2. Discover our Culture
Our culture is our treasure and we work really hard to keep it alive as we grow the team. The foundation of our culture is our values. They are beliefs off of which we organize ourselves as a company and interact with each other as individuals. One of the main purposes of our recruiting process is to assess how much candidates uphold our values.
Therefore, you have the opportunity to showcase how you work in four different areas:
- Channel Your Inner Entrepreneur — Be prepared to tell us about how you have taken initiative in the past
- Just Get It Done — Share how you have managed projects in your previous roles
- Do Work You Are Proud Of — We are interested in learning what drives you and how you have created impact
- Have Fun Along The Way — We want to see how you with others, in- and outside of your team.
✨ How To Do It ✨
Ask yourself: how have I demonstrated these values in the past? For each attribute, pick an example from your professional, academic or personal life.
3. Anticipate our Questions
Now that you have gathered all this information, try to put yourself into your recruiter’s shoes: what is he or she going to ask? The more you prepare before the interview, the more confident you will feel and the better you will perform in the end.
✨ How To Do It ✨
Get ready to introduce yourself in the beginning:
- What is the common thread in all my jobs?
- Is there any professional accomplishment that I am particularly proud of?
- Why do I think I would be a good fit for this position and for Blinkist?
Make sure you keep your introduction short (2–3 minutes) and bring up the things that are especially relevant to the role you’re applying for. Look at the job description and prepare a list of potential questions and answers accordingly. Think of concrete examples you can use to highlight your skills and competencies, and practice out loud!
4. Start a Conversation
At Blinkist, we see recruitment as a two-way conversation. You are interviewing us just as much as we are interviewing you. Not only do we want to understand your motivations, expectations, and skills, but we also want to give you the opportunity to get to know us and the role you are applying for so that you can decide if we’re the right match for you — therefore, we encourage you to ask questions.
✨ How To Do It ✨
Your interviewer will leave some time for questions at the end of the interview. It’s a great opportunity for you to end the conversation on a positive note by asking questions that show your interest in the position and Blinkist. On the contrary, not asking any questions can leave us with the impression that you’re unprepared, or worse, uninterested. Bonus: try to pick questions that are relevant to you and impact your job as opposed to generic questions about the company.
So, before you set foot in Blinkist HQ on interview day, get curious and research us a little — and prepare to show what you know! We’re looking forward to meeting you. 🤗
Thanks for reading! Also, feel free to reach out on LinkedIn.
👀 You might also want to take a look at how to get invited for an interview at Blinkist and how to nail your interview at Blinkist.
