Are you a highly qualified professional who is missing out on great opportunities because your interviewing skills aren’t very polished? Then join the club! You are not alone my friend. In fact most professionals who are in the job market today are not very good at interviewing. Why?
Because you are a high caliber professional who hasn’t needed to interview in a very long time. Before being ruthlessly laid off you were probably a rock star with your previous employer. Now you are just another name on a list of candidates being considered for a vacant job.
I personally know “grade A” pro’s who have been on 6 or more interviews for jobs they could do in their sleep. But they aren’t getting them. This is not only troubling to them it is also troubling to me. And at the core of these setbacks is the way they interview.
It is hard trying to sell your skills to someone you don’t know. Especially if you are not a salesperson. It is also a bit undignified if you think about it. You are a proven industry veteran who has been there and done that, so why should you have to prove yourself? Well, because life must go on.
In this three part series, we are not going to focus on the why’s behind you having to interview but the how’s on how to ace the interview. How are we going to deal with this new job landscape? We are going to polish our interviewing skills. So the next time you are in-front of an interviewer, they are going to know who they are talking to!
Step one is preparation. I believe this is 90% of the interview. You have to prepare extensively at each stage of the interview. Don’t prepare once and expect it to carry over to the next round. Do it in detail each and every time. Here is your checklist of “to-do’s” before each interview:
- Read the job description in its entirety.
- Review the hiring company’s website in more detail than you ever dreamt of doing.
- And take notes, lots of notes.
- Memorize your resume and how it relates to the job you are applying for.
- Write down key points that pertain to the new job.
- Write down all of your key accomplishments.
- Know your dates of employment by heart.
- Remember that your interviewer is only thinking one thing, ”WIFM”!
- WIFM = What’s In It For Me!!!!????!!!!!
- What ever you talk about, remember to make sure there is some value in it for them.
- So don’t tell long winded stories that don’t pertain to the job, the interview or the hiring company.
- Only talk about what matters.
- WIFM = What’s In It For Me!!!!????!!!!!
- Get your state of mind right!
- Being out of the job market, it is easy to forget who you are as a professional.
- Remind yourself that you are a top notch professional, and that is the point of view from which you will interview.
- Prepare your outfit ahead of time. And dress for success. Go formal all the way.
- Drive to your interview destination the night before. This way you know how long it will take you to get there and you won’t get lost looking for it right before your interview.
- Make 5+ copies of your resume and bring them with you. And make sure you use good resume paper.
- Check Linkedin, Google and all the other networking sites to get background information on your interviewer. This will help you gear approach.
- Prepare questions that you will ask during the interview. Write them down on a note pad and bring them with you to the interview.
Once you have gone through these steps, you will need to utilize them during your interview. In the next part we will discuss execution. How to achieve excellence in execution after you have demonstrated in brilliance in preparation.
Stay tuned!
