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Win Your Interview

January 7, 2002

You've probably been through some bad Job Interviews already. You came across too nervous, too frantic, and too lame. A list of what went wrong would take an hour to compile, and you're still kicking yourself about blowing the opportunity.

The key to nailing Job Interviews is being comfortable during them and treating them as a chance to learn more about the type of Job you're interested in doing. Think of them as being just like the Informational Interviews you've done, where you were excited and enthusiastic about new career possibilities. Interviewers are assessing your attitude as much as your ability.

Achieving the comfort level necessary to treat the Job Interview as a professional conversation requires three things:

Preparation (Polishing your Story)

Knowledge (Researching the Job, Company, and Industry)

Practice (Using your friends as sounding boards again and again)

During the first few minutes of the Job Interview your Interviewer will be trying to evaluate what kind of person you are. Do you have Integrity, Honesty, Stability, and a Life's Purpose that clearly emanate from your work history? Help the Interviewer see how your story fits with the larger mission of their company. The story of who you are entails more than just your work history; it involves what events have made you who you are.

Asking the Interviewer intelligent questions and making the right responses is a lot easier if you've carefully studied the Company. What are their key products? Where does the bulk of their profit come from? What needs do they have that you are offering to fill? In particular, how will your unique abilities and attitude add to the organization?

Their questions will probe your weaknesses. Your answers should show how you recognized your weaknesses and addressed them. If a situation left you groping for solutions, then you can indicate what you learned from it, and how in the future you will be able to deal with it successfully. Hours of practice at Interviewing will leave you with many of these answers simply flowing from your lips like honey, rather than sputtering like spittle.

No one is perfect, but Hiring Managers are looking to hire potential solutions and problem solvers, not future problems and trouble makers.