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In This
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Sherri Thomas, Publisher
April
1, 2008
Published bi-weekly.
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Featured article: Interview
Smart! Insider Strategies to Get Hired!
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Featured
Article
INTERVIEW SMART:
Insider Strategies to Getting Hired
by Interviewing Coach Sherri Thomas
Interviewing
is intimidating, nerve wracking, and can
make you feel like you’re two heartbeats
away from having a heart attack.
You only have ONE SHOT at making a great
first impression so what can you say
that will push you up to the TOP SPOT
and get you the job offer?
How can you stand out and stand ABOVE
your competition? And how can you remain
calm and confident especially if you
really want or NEED THE JOB?
This article provides
advanced interviewing strategies and
coaching to help you PREPARE questions
and answers for your next job interview
so that you can be less anxious, more
confident, and get the job offer.
Do you know what your interviewer really
wants to know?
Preparing your answers for an interview
is so much simpler when you know what
the interviewer really wants to know
about you. There are just five key
questions going through your
interviewer’s mind and once you
understand those questions, you can be
more prepared, more confident and feel
less anxiety during the interview
process. So let’s take it one by
one,
what your Interviewer REALLY wants to
know about you:
1. Can
you do the job?
Do you have the skills, knowledge, and
training to successfully perform the
job? These questions are usually
very black and white. Either you
have what it takes to succeed in the
position or not. Have you analyzed
the job description and fully understand
the job requirements? Do you
really have what it takes to succeed in
this position? If yes, then be
prepared to answer specific questions
about your qualifications. And if you
don’t, then wouldn’t you rather know now
in the interview than have the stress of
being stuck in a new job where you can’t
meet the expectations?
You should have pre-selected “personal
career stories” that highlight your
professional successes. Practice saying
out loud what your skills, strengths and
areas of expertise are. Your
answers should be specific and focus on
results and accomplishments.
2. What
"extras" do you bring?
For most job openings, about 90% of the
work has been defined. In other
words, a hiring manager knows about 90%
of the work that the new employee will
be responsible for, but not the
remaining 10%. That is because
they want to know, “What can you
(the new employee) ADD to the position?”
What specialized skills or areas of
expertise do you have that can ADD VALUE
to the company? For example, if
you’re going for a job as a Pubic
Relations manager, you may have some
experience in marketing or desktop
publishing that is not required for the
job, but might be valuable to the
company. This “extra” skill may
position you as the TOP candidate for
the job.
Before you go into a job interview,
think about the additional
skills and talents that you can
bring to the position. Be sure to
work these skills into the conversation,
but only after you have discussed those
skills and qualifications that are
REQUIRED for the job.
3. Where
are you at risk?
Every new employee is a risk to a
company. Whether it’s a specific
requirement that you don’t meet, or a
skill you don’t have, or potentially
being overqualified for the position, or
a potential risk for relocating, or
potentially being sick or pregnant and
at risk for taking a medical leave of
absence, etc. So, spend some time
thinking about where YOU are a risk.
During the interview,
beat the interviewer to the punch
by stating where you a risk and
reassuring him why it won’t be a
problem. For example, when I was
interviewing with my current company, I
had six rounds of interviews.
During the final interview with the VP
of the division and my future manager,
the VP asked where I was a risk.
My future manager responded that my
brother worked in the same division.
The VP then asked if I would be
reporting to my brother, which of
course, the answer was no. You
could immediately see relief across the
VP’s face when he realized that the risk
was identified, and that it really
wasn’t a risk at all.
Most interviewers are not as direct as
the VP, but the concern is still there.
The point is that you need to be able to
discuss the area(s) where you are a risk
and then immediately follow-up with why
it
shouldn’t be a problem.
Addressing your risks is also the
reasoning behind the question, “Tell me
about any weaknesses you have.”
When you are asked this question, I
recommend that you respond
by bringing up an area for improvement,
but quickly add what you are already
doing to strengthen that skill.
For example, let’s say that you are
interviewing for a position for a Sales
VP and the position advertises that the
applicant should know a specialized
software application. If you are
not familiar with this tool, you could
say that you do not have a lot of
experience with it but that you are
taking an on-line training class to
sharpen your skills (but only say this
if it’s true!)
This approach shows that
you are serious about your professional
development and take the initiative to
grow and improve your skills.
4. Does
the interviewer like you? Will you
fit in with the corporate culture?
This is an area that you really cannot
take personally. Either the
culture and the team are a good fit for
you, or they aren’t. Again, it is
better to know up front during the
interview, than to have a pit in your
stomach every day as you walk into your
new office.
I was once interviewing with the VP of
Sales at a TV station. After 1 ½
hours of interviewing, I really couldn’t
tell if he wanted me or not for the
position. So, I simply asked,
“Do you think I would be a good fit with
your team?” He told me that he
didn’t think so because he allows his
team to vent, kick the garbage can and
curse like sailors in the office since
they get beaten up outside of the office
so much. I appreciated his candor
because the reality is that I would not
be happy or successful in an environment
like that.
During your next interview, be
prepared to discuss your professional
style and work ethics.
Your interviewer is trying to get a
clear picture on whether you would be a
good “fit” for her team. Also, be
sure that the ways you dress, speak and
act align to the company and the
position for which you are seeking.
Is the company formal (think Wall
Street, a top law firm, or a hospital),
or is it more informal (think Google,
Starbucks or the YMCA)? Perhaps
the company is informal, but the
position is formal (think sales, human
resources or executive management.)
5. Will
you be able to work out the
compensation/benefits package?
This is usually the final
and perhaps one of the easiest areas to
determine if you are a good match for
the job role.
Be prepared to talk about
the SALARY RANGE
that you are expecting. I do not
recommend giving an exact salary since
the benefits package almost always
includes room for negotiating vacation
days, stock allowance, bonus payouts and
starting salary. But you should be
able to give a salary range that is
acceptable.
Since you
have one shot to make a great connection
with the interviewer, it’s always a
smart idea to visit with an interviewing
coach to get customized strategies and
MORE INSIDER TIPS to
strengthen your interviewing
skills. Learn more about
personal interview coaching.
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About Sherri ~
Career success coach Sherri Thomas
is President of Career Coaching 360, an
international speaker, and author of "Career Smart -
5 Steps to a Powerful Personal Brand."
She has successfully transitioned into
the radio, television, finance, retail, and high
tech industries, and now teaches others how to do
the same.
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