Stop Surprising Interview Questions with 24-48 Hour Prep Time

Your questions at the end of an interview matter more than most people think. While everyone else is wrapping up with "nope, I think we covered it all" - that's actually your moment to stand out. The candidates that stick in my mind are the ones who come prepared with questions that show they're already thinking about the role before they even have it: → "If the person who was in this role before me could go back and do one thing differently - what would it be?" → "What separates the people who are good at this job from the ones who are truly great at it?" → "What does the team actually need right now that they maybe haven't been able to find yet?" Those questions tell a hiring manager everything they need to know - drive, self awareness, and someone already thinking about results before day one.

More preparation won’t fix your interview problem. Sounds harsh. But it’s true. Because most people aren’t failing due to lack of knowledge. They’re failing due to lack of direction. You keep learning. But you don’t improve. Here’s what actually helps: • Clear direction on what roles demand, not random preparation that feels productive but leads nowhere • Structured answers that show thinking, not scattered responses that confuse the interviewer • Honest feedback from someone who knows hiring, not guesswork or self-evaluation More effort won’t save you. Better systems will. Otherwise, you’ll just repeat the same mistakes. Faster. Louder. Again. If this hits home, reach out to me. Let’s fix it together.

Waiting for hours for an interview just to get ghosted? Yeah, we’re not doing that anymore. I’ve been on the other side of the table, refreshing my inbox, overthinking every answer, and still getting silence. That experience stays with you. So now, being on this side, I keep it simple: Respect the candidate. Respect their time. I try my best to: • Keep interviews on time • Make the process smooth, not stressful • And always, always give an update, no matter how the interview went Because ghosting candidates isn’t “normal”, it’s just poor communication. Let’s normalize better hiring experiences. It’s really not that hard.

Best time to interview? It’s not random. 9:30–11:30am → brains are on, coffee has done its job ☕ 1:30–3:00pm → still solid… unless lunch was too good Avoid if you can: Early mornings → “I’m here… but my soul is still in bed” Lunchtime → answering questions while thinking about carbs Late afternoon → energy levels = goodbye Friday 4pm → let’s not ruin each other’s weekend 😅 And it’s not just a feeling… Research shows most hiring managers prefer mid-morning, and performance tends to peak late morning too. ✓For hiring managers: timing can make a great candidate look average. ✓For candidates: don’t book your big moment when you’re running on 60%. Because a great interview isn’t just who… it’s also when!

Practice alone doesn’t make you better—practicing the right way does. If you rehearse interview answers with poor habits, you only reinforce the behaviors holding you back. Just like in sports, elite performance starts with the right foundation. Watching interview advice can help, but getting hired comes from actively practicing out loud, refining your delivery, and building confidence with the right techniques. Preparation is what separates average candidates from standout candidates. Follow for more interview tips, and if you want to practice smarter, check out askTomRyderAI and my interview course to help you prepare for your next opportunity. Check it out here 👉 https://lnkd.in/e9teAugM

What’s a recruiter’s favorite interview question? Simple - but telling: “What attracted you to this role, and why?” It cuts through rehearsed answers and shows us what actually matters to you: your motivation, your research, and whether this is a job…or the job. If you can answer this with clarity and intention, you’re already standing out. 🎯 📲StaffingKC.com

I've been interviewed by people who made me forget I was being interviewed. No clipboard energy. No trick questions. Just — curiosity. "Tell me about a time things didn't go as planned." Not as a trap. As a genuine question. That kind of recruiter is rare. And they deserve to be recognized. Because when an interview feels like a conversation, something shifts. You stop performing. You start reflecting. And suddenly you're not just answering questions — you're realizing what you actually want. Those interviews don't just fill positions. They change how candidates see themselves. Shoutout to every recruiter who leads with empathy. You're doing more than hiring. You're restoring confidence. And that matters more than you know.

Fifteen minutes into an interview, a candidate asked me: "So Ed, what do you like about working at Executive Source?" My name isn't Ed. I don't work at Executive Source. They had done zero preparation. No LinkedIn check. No Google search. No quick read on the firm she was sitting down with. Thousands of interviews later, that moment is still my single biggest red flag in hiring. Not because people are expected to be perfect. Plenty of strong hires stumble through answers, get nervous, and forget what they were going to say mid-sentence. Seriousness is different from polish. Seriousness is a candidate who invested fifteen minutes before the interview to understand who they were meeting, what the company actually does, and why this conversation matters to their career. If they couldn't spend fifteen minutes before the job, they aren't going to invest in learning your clients, your process, or your standards after they get it. That's not a guess. That's a pattern from 30 years of watching people. Preparation isn't about having the perfect answer. It's about signaling that you respect the opportunity enough to take it seriously before you walk into the room. The candidates who get hired aren't the most polished. They're the ones who took the conversation seriously before it started.

Interview story that stuck with us: A candidate's internet cut out mid-video call. Instead of panicking, they called in via phone, found a whiteboard, and continued explaining their solution on camera. We learned more about their problem-solving in 5 minutes of chaos than we would have in a perfect call. That's honestly what we look for: How do people perform when things go wrong? Hiring managers: Tell us in the comments, what's a moment in an interview or interaction that made you think "yep, that's our person"? 👇

𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 💚 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝟯-𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟰 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘂𝗽. You've just shown them you're someone who doesn't mean what you say. And they're watching. It sounds small, but it's not. When you shift the goalposts on a candidate, you're telling them something real about how you operate. They're already running the calculation: if you can't stick to a 3-step process, what else won't you honour? The truth is that broken commitments compound. Your word is your only currency. 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.