5 'Interview Prep' Insights You Need

NOTE: This is a new type of "mega-post" I'm trying here on LinkedIn as a way to provide a succinct set of resources and links on a particular topic. I'm hoping it can help readers get all the info they need without having to gather it from dozens of content sources.

There's More To Interview Prep Then People Think!

Over at CAREEREALISM, "Interview Prep" is one of the most popular searches on our site. More than 500K people have read our interview prep articles this year, with these articles being the most popular:

• Most Common Interview Questions
• Questions Employers Ask on Interviews
• 6 Questions You Must Prepare to Answer on Interviews
• What Every Employer Wants to Hear in an Interview
• How to Answer Interview Questions Correctly

Hmm. Anyone see a pattern?

It's clear today's job seekers recognize preparing to answer questions is part of the interview pre-game. Rookie mistakes (click here to see what some are), aren't tolerated anymore.

However, here's what most people AREN'T learning about interview preparation - and should be....

#1 - Why You Need To Be Likable

People wrongly assume good interview preparation is only about researching the employer, having snappy answers to questions, and knowing what questions to ask as a way to impress the employer. Yes, these are all things you should prepare to do. Not doing them will ensure you don't get hired. At the same time, they also aren't what gets you the job, Why? Hiring managers (whether they'll admit it or not), choose candidates based on three key traits, and in this order:

1. Personality
2. Aptitude
3. Experience

It doesn't matter how much experience you have. If the employer doesn't feel comfortable with you (i.e. can't see working with you every day), or doesn't feel you can adapt to the company's way of doing things (i.e. you aren't a fit for the corporate culture), you won't get hired.

I know this doesn't seem fair, but hiring is discrimination. People hire those individuals they feel they can work with the best. Emotion is part of the equation, and likability is one of the factors hiring managers use to decide who they'll pay to work alongside them. Here's an article that breaks down the way in which we can be more likeable in the interview.

#2 - Biggest Mistake In Interviews = Over & Under-Compensating

The most common execution mistake made in interviews today is not presenting oneself properly. Many people feel they have to try to act like someone else. Here's an article that proves you don't need to be narcissistic to get the job. And, here's a video below which explains why so many people are missing mark on how to act in an interview.

The video above also gives you the two most important tips for being likeable. They are:

A) Quantify your accomplishments to show success.

B) Give credit to others to balance out your career confidence.

Which leads to the next insight...

#3 - Employers Know When You're Lying (Don't Kid Yourself!)

Coming in at a close second for interview presentation mistakes is lying. It's part of that over/under compensation problem mentioned above. Hiring managers don't need to be psychologists to pick up on voice tone, body language, and facial expressions to know you are lying. In fact, you can see for yourself by watching the video below which highlights lies that will cost you the job:

However, it's not just the blatant lies I'm talking about. There are also more subtle fibs and omissions people dance around with questions like, "Why did you leave your last job?" that job seekers tend to assume they've nailed in the interview. When in reality, their answer (or, lack of one), sends up a red flag to the hiring manager - and those get you disqualified because employers don't hire people they think are hiding something. They want the best of the best. The solution is to work with someone so you can answer all types of interview questions with sincerity and confidence. Otherwise, you could get eliminated. For example, here's how one executive was sabotaging his interviews because of his mindset around being laid-off.

#4 - Assuming You'll Never Get Hired If You Don't Get The Job

I know how it feels when you work really hard to get a job and find out they offered it to someone else. You feel defeated, hurt, even wounded. The initial instinct is to say, "Geez, I guess they didn't like me." But, that's usually NOT TRUE! If you got to the final round of interviews, then your personality, aptitude, and experience were a fit. It's just that they had several other candidates to choose from and ultimately decided someone else was the right hire for today. Read this article which maps out exactly what you should do when you don't get the job - you'll be glad you tried this technique.

#5 - Interviewing = Selling Your Business-of-One With Substance

When we are on an interview, it's really a sales call where we are being given the opportunity to show the potential client what we'd be like to work with. However, that doesn't mean we have to transform ourselves into some kind of slick-talking salesperson. The best interviews occur when we not only enter the meeting full prepared, but also recognize the right way to present ourselves so we can gain the trust and respect of the hiring manager as a way to earn their business - a/k/a get the job offer. This article teaches you why having the mindset of working "with" an employer instead of "for" an employer will help you achieve your goal.

I hope the insights above help you to take a closer look at how you are presenting your business-of-one to hiring managers so you can improve the results in your next interview.

Sincerely,

JT

Image by Shuttersock

If you want to read more of what I've written, check out my articles on Inc.com.

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Some other posts I've written:

• 10 Things Recruiter Won’t Tell You (But I Will)
• 4 Words Control Your Career Decisions
• Worst LinkedIn Summary Ever
• 10 Reasons Happy People Get More Job Opportunities
• 3 Techniques To Fight Unemployment Stigma

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