Hint: The answer should not be “Whatever you need me to do.” This is your chance to show that you’ve done your homework and given the role and your place in the company serious thought.
Start by explaining what you think you need to do to get ramped up. What information do you need to do a great job? What parts of the company will you need to familiarise yourself with? What other employees will you want to sit down with?
Next, choose a couple of areas where you think you can make meaningful contributions right away. So, for example: “I think a great starter project would be diving into your email marketing campaigns and setting up a tracking system for them. That will let me start collecting data so I can run some A/B tests in week 2.”
Sure, if you get the job, you (or your new employer) might decide there’s a better starting place, but having a well thought-out answer prepared will show the interviewer where you can add immediate impact and that you’re excited to get started.
At the end of the day, interviewing well is a skill like anything else, and practice indeed makes perfect. So, if you aren’t feeling confident or don’t have a ton of interviews under your belt ask a friend and take turns. The more comfortable you get answering these kinds of questions and any others that an interviewer might throw your way, the better off you’ll be when you nab the interview for your dream job .