3 Things Facilities Leaders Must Do to Ace a Job Interview
From navigating the job application process, communicating with recruiters and enduring interview panels, looking for a new job can be a lengthy ordeal. But that final step, acing the interview, is critical to securing your dream job — even if you’re a seasoned facilities leader.
Aside from the traditional interview prep work, like familiarizing yourself with the hiring company’s website and coming up with smart questions to ask your interviewers, securing a top-notch, modern facilities management role requires an in-depth understanding of workplace technology and executive savviness.
To help you prepare for your next interview, here are three things every aspiring facilities leader needs to keep in mind.
1. Showcase Your Tech-Savviness
Technical expertise is an important requirement for any role today, but especially for middle managers and supervisors, according to a detailed study from Harvard Business Review. For facilities leaders in particular, interviewers will likely be on the lookout for how you demonstrate your familiarity with workplace technology.
For example, you will need to be able to speak to how you supported integration with different tools or systems to meet the technology needs of a specific department. Additionally, you should display your data-driven leadership style by sharing insights about how the technology evolution you supported led to greater productivity or business results.
2. Speak the C-Suite Language
Your interview panel will likely include a discussion with an executive or member of the C-suite. These interviewers are particularly interested in how your experience relates to larger business objectives, such as enhancing workplace productivity while meeting tight facilities budgets.
Be prepared for executives to ask situational interview questions related to the most pressing business challenges. Craft responses that speak to the strategic decisions you’ve made to meet those types of challenges, including how you inspired teams, collaborated with other leaders and aligned your strategy with business goals.
3. Demonstrate Your Understanding of the Digital Workplace
As a facilities leader, your prospective employer will expect you to have knowledge and a strong viewpoint on the latest digital workplace trends. These include technology and workplace design trends that are increasing productivity and collaboration among teams.
Ensure your resume and interview talking points illustrate your vision for how you would apply the latest trends in the role. In addition to speaking about your experience, reference examples of how you, other companies or innovative facilities leaders are adopting technology like the Internet of Things (IoT) systems and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies to transform the workplace and workforce productivity.
(For help crafting a winning resume, check out our blog post: 6 Tips to Build Your Best Workplace Management Resume.)
While these are the types of things the interview panel will be listening for, they’ll also be evaluating you for the core abilities and attributes of a good facilities leader. Don’t shy away from sharing examples and stories of how you’ve led your team to overcome challenges in the past. Remember: You only get one chance to make a first impression — so make it count!
