Women, looking work with pioneering aerospace and global security company, Northrop Grumman, may wish to check out the company's tips for attending one of their job interviews.

Northrop Grumman's interview tips offer insight into what to expect from an interview with the organization and tips on everything from considering what to wear, through to the different types of interviews candidates might encounter. There are even sample questions to help interviewees prepare. 

The following preparation insight has all been prepared by the Northrop Grumman Talent Acquisition team due to their deep experience interviewing candidates.

Answering the 'tell me about yourself' question

The question that often opens an interview is often the one where people tend to have trouble: “Tell me about yourself.” Sometimes candidates' minds go blank because they don’t think they need to prepare their answer.

Northrop Grumman says the response should be 1-2 minutes long and should reflect your ability to put words together succinctly and to speak with confidence. Try to highlight your strengths and weaknesses and remember that they want to know more about you.

What Northrop Grumman doesn't want as a response is the chronological retelling of an interviewee's whole life story. Instead, the answer should be a short overview of your life, emphasizing highlights of your professional experience that are relevant to the job for which you’re interviewing. It is basically an elevator pitch about yourself.

Establishing rapport via the 'Phone Screen'

The 'Phone Screen' is a brief (usually 30 minute) informal telephone interview used by Northrop Grumman to develop a rapport with the Talent Acquisition Business Partner. It is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your communication skills and personality, and for the company to learn more about you as a candidate.

Frequently, questions in the phone screen are centered on behavioral scenarios. The general format of these questions are presented as: “Given a certain situation, how would you respond?”

Your goals for the phone screen should be twofold: to get the Talent Acquisition partner’s attention and to generate enough interest in you for the Talent Acquisition partner to have a desire to know more about you.

Preparation is key to acing your interview

For the next phase of the interviewing process, the candidate will likely be interviewing in person or virtually with the hiring manager, and these interviews are more technical. Northrop Grumman advises: brush up on your technical terms, do some research on current trends, and have something interesting to say about your area of specialty.

Know basic information about the organization. No Talent Acquisition interviewer or manager will expect you to be an expert, but they will be impressed if you’ve done your homework and show genuine interest and knowledge about Northrop Grumman.

Consider checking the LinkedIn profiles for the people who will interview you; see if you can find a connection with them whether personally, educationally or professionally.

Evaluate the job description and identify the qualities of a “successful candidate”, then ask yourself: “How do those qualities relate to my capabilities and experience?” Be prepared to connect the dots from the job description to your abilities, especially those listed on your resume.

Take the time to know and understand your credentials and the overall job objective and goal. Northrop Grumman is excited and driven by its mission and wants its future employees to be, too.

It’s likely that you will be asked about your long and short term career goals. Be prepared to answer this question in a meaningful way and have at least three questions prepared to ask the interviewers about the company and scope of work.

Test your equipment ahead of a virtual interview

Conducting an interview over video stream is becoming more common. Northrop Grumman stresses the importance of taking steps to prepare for this special kind of interaction:

• test the technology prior to the interview to make sure everything is working on your end
• rest the camera to ensure that you are taking advantage of the best angles and lighting
• dressing professionally during this type of interview is important as well
• consider the background of the environment in which you’ll be interviewing, both audibly and visually

Present the 'professional version of you'

Northrop Grumman's regular day-to-day dress code at most locations is business casual. If you are hired, that’s generally what you should expect to wear.

For an interview, however, the company advises selecting an outfit that is business formal to show you are serious about the opportunity. The company says: "We want you to be you, but we want the professional version of you."

Remember to follow-up with your interviewer

Northrop Grumman advises that thank you notes are important. They don’t have to be long, elaborate or hand written. However, a follow-up - perhaps via email - should be sent in a timely manner, have correct spelling and grammar, and should remind the interviewer of why you should be hired.

In many cases, you may not get the interviewer’s direct email. In that case, Northrop Grumman suggests asking your Talent Acquisition Business Partner whether they can forward your thank you note to all the interview participants.

Join talented women at Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman is a prime employer for women and recruits for a wide range of positions from engineers and technologists, to operational and support functions.

If you want to join talented women at Northrop Grumman, search and apply for career opportunities today. 

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