Let’s pretend that you are working on a half a million deal; and you were given 30 to 45 minutes to do a thorough presentation to convince a client to go with your company.
Would you wing it?
Would you spend time delineating the strength of your product offering and create a convincing argument that would make the client say yes to you?
LET’S FACE THE REALITY
Well, how come when it comes to your own interview for a position that potentially pays $100,000; you refuse to sit down and prepare a proper game plan that would ensure a cohesive, relevant and convincing message, which could increase your chance of getting the job?
Think about it? A job that is $100,000 a year, times a span of 5 years plus benefits is equivalent to over half a million compensation package. And yet, the sad reality is that as candidates, we all wing it.
The difference between an average candidate versus a Rockstar is the preparation and practice!
What can you do differently?
Here are some ideas you can apply to improve your chances of getting the right job:
1). Take the time to summarize the top 3 – 5 accomplishments for each position you held in the past. What was the project or responsibility about? Why did you find it challenging? What were the results of your hard labor? Create a story that your interviewer would enjoy hearing from you.
2) Practice with a trusted friend or colleague on common interview questions. Use your friends as mirrors by asking them their honest opinion on how you came across? Was your answer clear or does it have substance in the story line? Were you engaging or captivating toward your audience?
3). Do not underestimate the power of differentiation. You can successfully differentiate yourself from other candidates by giving specific examples of your accomplishments or positive traits relevant to the role you are pursuing.
Another way to prepare for this is to ask yourself on what your trusted bosses or colleagues in the pasts would say about your work ethics, experiences, and accomplishments. Call them and ask them what made you different from the other employees who were successful in the same role.
4). Ask yourself, if you were the interviewer, what’s important to you when you are looking for the right individual? Be conscious that the right individual could be subjective depending on the skill sets and personality needs of the hiring manager.
List your answers and make sure you have a clear, detailed, but concise examples from your previous jobs. The goal is to match the needs of the hiring manager by giving quantifiable examples.
5). Make sure your responses are not overly simplified and rehearsed that you are inadvertently giving a generic answer that the interviewer has heard a thousand times prior to interviewing you.
Avoid the generic “world peace” answer to every interview question. For instance, “As a manager, I like to have an open-door policy when it come to my employees.” Here’s another over simplified answer, “I make sure I finished the task no matter how long it takes to get the job done.” Full Stop. Do you know how many times interviewers heard that exact answer?
6). Research on what’s going on with the company you are pursuing. Are they expanding? Are they in an acquisition mode?
Who are their competitors and how do they measure up? How about their competitor, are they looking as well? What recent events that took place that could influence the trajectory of the company’s future?
Prove and learn as much as you can about the organization, so you have something to talk about with the interviewer.
7) Remember that interviews are two-way communication. It is a conversation between two professional individuals. The old model or perspective that an interview is a one-sided, question-answer meeting does not work in our fast-paced business environment.
Show interests and asks questions back. Pretend that the person in front of you is truly interesting and there’s more to discover about the company who is looking for talent.
The goal is to send a message that you are interested in the position, and you are willing to be transparent without letting your guards down. After all you are still being assessed and judged based on your interview performance and answers.
Keep in mind that the interviewer is buying, and you are selling: Figure out what’s important to the interviewer and give examples of your skillset and past accomplishments that would make them say yes to you as a candidate.
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