There are countless articles written every day on how to master the job interview process. Like making sure you research the company, know who you are interviewing with, make an excellent first impression, and be confident with your answers to interview questions, to name a few. 

But we want to set aside all of the common suggestions you have probably heard repeatedly and highlight the three best job interview tactics from a black perspective. Based on countless interviews with black job seekers, both successful and not so much, we have created this list of tactics that will ensure the black job seeker aces the job interview and gets the job.

Start With the Right Company

Does the company you are interviewing with care about diversity and inclusion? A quick Google search of the company you are planning to interview with will give you a good idea of whether diversity is important to them. Do they have a Diversity and Inclusion office? Do they observe Dr. Martin Luther King’s holiday? Do you see black faces on their websites and other media?  

If there aren’t many signs that having African-American faces represented is important to them based on how they communicate with the outside world, you will have a lot to overcome. You might get an interview, but you won’t be a priority for their hiring needs. Find a company that cares first and foremost. It will make things a lot easier.

Got an Interview? Contact a Current Employee Directly

So you have an interview at a company you like that seems to care about diversity. The next step should be to identify and connect with as many Black employees at that company as possible.  

Use online tools like LinkedIn to look up current employees of the company and reach out to them. See if you can get 10-minutes of their time to chat. Ask them all of the questions you have and get their honest opinion on the company you are seeking to work for.  

Next, ask if you can use them as a resource as you go through the interview process. Dropping names has always been a valuable tool in getting things done. Mentioning to the interviewer that you have spoken to a current employee (be sure to name drop) will give you a lot of credibility and put the interviewer on notice that other eyes are watching the decisions they ultimately make when it comes to hiring.

Create a Career Presentation

Resumes help you get through the applicant tracking system and might get you the interview based on your past job title, responsibilities, or whatever keywords employers and recruiters use to filter prospects.

But if you want to ensure you get the job, this one tactic is the one that has proven to be most successful. Create a career presentation using various online presentation tools, such as Canva or Microsoft Powerpoint. This presentation will provide a deck that highlights your career in presentation form with nice fonts, graphics, and images that give people a visual overview of what you have done in your career. Also, use this presentation to highlight details on what you have learned about the current company and how you will use your skills to tackle a challenge they are currently facing.

Ask for the email address of everyone you are interviewing with and send them your career presentation before your interview. This presentation will provide an easy roadmap for the interviewer to follow. And the thoroughness of such a presentation will ensure you stand out from the pack and position you as an authority at solving problems.  

As a black candidate, you will need just a little more to go from interview to job offer. The key resides in an outstanding visual representation of your career up to this point that gives people a feel for who you are and what you are capable of doing. Talk less. Show more. The Career Presentation will do that for you during the interview process. It is the Black Person’s best tool to get over the hump and get the job you want.