Do you generally recommend that candidates go 'above and beyond' in preparing for interviews?

I always recommend that the candidate does the requisite prep work for the interview they are heading into - if its a first call, the prep needs to be oriented around:

1. The company and why "I" am a great candidate (sense of history and performance and curiosity in the business)

2. Showing well - but not overdoing it - Wear a nice shirt, sit up straight, engage in Q&A - Deep product knowledge is not a plus here - instead, helping me understand how you plan on navigating your first 90 is helpful - but it doesn't need to be a strictly written out plan yet.

If we are deep in rounds and the position is hotly contested - this is when you would want to do some real homework on how you plan to navigate your 30-60-90 - Figure out the names of your cross-funtional partners - go into Linkedin and shoulder tap some other reps and ask them about your interviewers - the best thing you can do is surprise me with something that is happening to me or has happened to me recently from one of my colleagues. 

At the end of the day, on those first calls - having a command of time management, curiousity, presence, are far more important that having a dedicated plan ... 

YES! I highly encourage candidates go "above and beyond" in preparing for interviews, because the interview is your opportunity to show the best version of yourself, and I want to build a team of incredible salespeople who are willing to do "above and beyond" for our clients and prospective clients.

If you're not willing to go "above and beyond" to get a job, then how I can trust you are going to be willing to go "above and beyond" to close a deal?

This can be done before, during, and after an interview:

• Before - connecting on LinkedIn or finding their email ahead of time to convey your interest in meeting with the interviewer & aligning on expectations

• During - creating a presentation to showcase a deal review or outline your 30-60-90 day plan in if you were to be successful in landing the role

• After - by sending a personalized follow up email with any relevant content (leave behinds, blog posts/articles that related to the discussion, etc.) from the conversation and clarifying your interest & next steps

Always look for those ways to standout as the best-of-the-best!

I think finding ways to give yourself an edge is always in your best interest. You want to avoid creating too much work for yourself, but there are needle-moving ways to get this edge that don't require a massive lift. If you're in a role play interview, treat it like a real sales process. Send a pre-call email with the agenda and goal of the call outlined and send a follow up email in the format you typically would in an active deal. Prepare thoughtful and custom questions to ask each of your interviewers that show how you think, what you care about, and your business acumen and/or natural curiosity.