The 8 Essentials for Winning Your Next Job Interview

Are you counting down the days until your next job interview? Do you have an appointment already, but don’t know where you should start for the preparation to really win in it this time? Many job seekers go through the same emotional nerve- racking roller- coaster ride. They feel triumphant happiness about the new opportunity and at the same time may anxiously bite their lip. I used to hear these phrases during the consultations: “This opportunity is really important for me and I don't want to screw up! What should I do? I don't have enough time! How should I use my time and prepare myself to really be a winning candidate at this time? “

First of all, be calm. Good preparation is the key to staying in control. You need to quite the big buzz that is running in your head, to be able to focus on your preparation.

Second, forget about pursuing perfection! There is no amount of time that will be enough to prepare yourself perfectly! So use your time wisely to get ready when the moment comes. I used to recommend candidates make a list with all the activities that they need to do from now until they get a job. Prioritize these actions by dividing them into 3 stages such as: To do before the interview, during the interview, and after the interview, and you will have a clear picture what you should focus on now and later. Don’t let the pressure control you. Beat the distraction and increase your productivity by focusing on one thing and do it until it’s done.

Third, decide to give the best of the best from yourself at this point in time!

Here are my absolute 8 essentials to rock your next job interview based on my own experiences interviewing candidates, or preparing people for job interviews:

1. What is Your Career Story?

Standing out in a job search has never been more challenging. During your preparation for the job interview, I would recommend that you create a storyline for your presentation as if you are answering the question, “Why should I hire you?”

Hannah Morgan, job search speaker and trainer, author and founder of the website CareerSherpa.net, highlights the importance of creating and telling your career story as well. In one of her latest articles, Four Ways to Tell Your Story, she advises,"Convert text into visual! Today, you have many more options to draw attention to your career achievements, if you are willing to step outside your comfort zone and try something new. A resume is just words on a page and limits your ability to convey the true essence of your career.” She is engaging the candidates to use a dynamic format to show off what they have done. “Your story is more than a list of skills and job duties on a page or even in a LinkedIn profile,” says Hannah Morgan.

Create a memorable story by collecting and showing your blog posts, videos, tweets, slideshare, presentations, and Instagram pictures to the interviewer. Use different social-media streams to convey your story.

2. Who is the company and what do they need?

Most of the job seekers agree that searching for key information about the future employer is essential for your perfect preparation, although what I realized is that many candidates waste tons of time seeking information that is obvious and everyone can obtain. I recommend investigating more about “how deep the rabbit hole goes” to find the real motives of the company.

Prepare yourself by learning about the company, the market, the competition, the industry and the challenges that the firm faces. Identify the main actors in the field, and know clearly the company goal and target. These questions will help you to find what you are looking for: How is the company structured? What is the biggest challenge that the company face? Who are the main customers they are targeting? What is the current situation in the industry and who are the main actors? Who are the company’s main competitors? What is the company’s position in the industry? Finding the answers for these types of questions will help you to understand the company’s needs, the problems they are facing, and give you a clear direction how you can shape your skills, experiences, and your story to solve their problem.

3. Prepare your terrific elevator speech.

One of the key elements for your first impression is a refined and powerful elevator speech. There is no more important situation to use an influential elevator speech and create a lasting first impression than when you are entering the job interview. The elevator speech is essential; like a business card, this is an essential part of your professional presence. Martin Buckland Executive Career Management Coach, keynote speaker, and resume writer, talks about this as well in one of his latest articles – The Elevator Speech - on Social-Hire.

You need to work on it and be polishing it constantly to be confident; the more confident you are, better an impression you will make. “It emphasizes your uniqueness, your competitive advantage and the benefits you will provide upon your new appointment, coupled with a snap shot of your career history,” said Martin Buckland.

Use these 60 seconds to create a unique introduction about yourself that represent your main career achievements in the most interesting and powerful way. Your goal is to create a hook in the interviewer's mind that he or she will remember later on as well as when your name appears during the final decision.

4. Work on your outstanding first impression!

During my work, time after time I used to meet with people who still felt okay with a half solution about their personal image when they needed to represent themselves well on an important occasion like an interview! Carrying a neatly prepared portfolio with you with all the career documents is as important as working on your outstanding first impression! Sylvie Di Giusto professional image consultant, corporate trainer, and author of The Image of Leadership: How leaders package themselves to stand out for the right reasons, agrees with that “How important the role of a professional image is in setting a person apart from the competition and projecting his or her unique selling points,” she says. “The professional imprint occurs within seven seconds. It’s quick and indelible,” she explains in one of her latest posts You have 7 seconds! Make them count!

If you are not confident about what to wear it, or how to wear, ask for help, but please don’t go out to any interview with an inappropriate outfit! I'm not saying that you need to follow the latest fashion trends, but you might need to spend a little more time to create your professional appearance because you can cause a lot of damage within a few seconds. When you are wearing the right apparel, you feel more confident in your skin, which could increase your performance as well in the interview. So don’t pinch your pennies when you need to represent yourself somewhere! This is an investment for your future. The first impression really matters, so make it count!

5. Tough questions? No problem!

No one is perfect. We all have sensitive parts of our career that we don't really like to talk about or tough questions that we are not entirely comfortable answering. Be sure you know all of these weak points in your career life and you can handle those intriguing questions confidently.

A couple of weeks ago generated more awareness around the topic when the serial mentor, CEO, author and speaker Mark Babbitt and his YouTern team published an article with The 6 Toughest Job Interview Questions Ever. The team interviewed HR Managers and asked them to reveal their toughest interview questions that they love to ask candidates. This great article brings the importance out in bold relief about that ”the employers are going to throw some really difficult questions your way, so you better be prepared with some of your greatest answers”.

I cannot agree with them more. Many job seekers still believe that, they can survive somehow in the job interview by “blowing smoke” in answering those tough questions. One thing I know is the interviewer will find your weak spots, so it is better to ready for them. It is good if you have someone who can practice with you until you will feel absolutely confident about being in an interview situation. I used to recommend recording your trial interviews so you can find out which area you need to work on more (words/phrases, posture, voice tone, body language).

During the preparation, instead of trying to memorize answers for certain questions, pay attention to seeing the whole picture about what you represent and what you can do for the company! Focus on how the target company can use your skills and experiences to grow or solve their current problem on the market!

6. Are you different and unique?

Apart from the time that you spend to prepare for the heavy and awkward questions, find out how you can be different than the other 900 excited candidates who keenly try to get in.

I recommend starting to build your unique selling points starting with the questions like: What is my irresistible offer for the company? Being unique means, being creative with how you see a solution for a certain situation that grabs the audience’s attention.

After you have spent enough time studying the company and the market, you will have a picture about what they will expect from the candidates. Spend time brainstorming with someone to try to find original ideas that you can execute during the interview. Create a strategy around your proposal, emphasize your good qualities, and make a plan how to sell yourself to them! Think of it as your pitch. Stay calm, speak clearly, and smile. I want to highlight again the importance of being absolutely clear about who you are, what you represent, and how you can help the company. Know your unique selling points and don’t feel ashamed to emphasize and promote them when needed.

7. Be more interested than interesting.

Many of us love speaking, especially when we finally find someone who really listens to us. This is why it is so hard for most of us to be quiet and actively listen. I used to meet up with job seekers who tended to forget why they were in the job interview and were confused in to being an entertainer showman instead of focusing on the reason why they were there. Let me clarify something: You are there for only one reason, to find out the company’s main need and how you can deliver the solution for them! Are you able to deliver what they need?

As a matter of fact, while you are talking, you are losing the chance to hear the answer you actually want to hear. You will get more results in a job interview if you close your mouth and open your ears to listen. There are a few ways you can show more interest:

Have a question list with relevant and smart questions about the position, the company, or the nature of the work. You don't need to have a long list: 4 to 5 really good questions are enough to gain deeper insight into the company and also show the interviewer your genuine interest in. Take notes during that time! Maintain eye contact while your partner is speaking, be polite, and stay professional. It is also good if you follow the interviewer’s body language: in this way you can show you are mirroring the same point of view.

8. What is your after interview strategy?

Sit down to evaluate your result. Don’t wait until you get home. Find a nice place where you can spend a little time with a cup of coffee to analyze your performance and create a plan for the next steps. Make notes about what you did well and analyze those points where you need to improve for the next time. Also, you can use this time to send your thank you letter to the interviewer and set up the date in your calendar for the follow-up letter. Try to keep in touch with the interviewer and build a relationship with him or her after the interview by using different social media platforms. You might not be selected for this particular position, but no one can predict where this relationship could lead in the future, so network and stay in touch.

Many job seekers used to make a huge mistake by waiting for the company to reply. They are overly excited and assuming that, because the interview went really well, surely the company will contact them and offer them the position. Evaluate, set up the follow-up dates in your calendar, and focus on the next thing to do in your job search. Don’t waste your time. Follow up when the time comes and depending on how the situation goes, you can either start preparing yourself for the next interview or the salary negotiation. Be persistent and keep interviewing. This will sharpen your skills and you will become better.

Roland’s Take-away: Don’t focus on finding a job you love now. It is more important to know where are you heading and what your main career goal is! Most of the entry positions are not glamorous at all. Instead-of concentrating on getting a job that you love to do now, focus on finding the right company that could lead to the opportunity you are seeking. Try to evaluate what the job would look like in three to five years’ time, when you will have greater opportunity to add value to the company and network with top people in your industry.

What about you? Do you have any other suggestions, tips, strategies that you successfully applied during your preparation for the job interview? Please let me know your thoughts and stories in the comment section below.

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I really appreciate that you are reading my post. I regularly write articles for different medium about career change, personal and professional growth, job interview and graduates. If you would like to read my regular posts then please click 'Follow' (at the top of the page) and send me a LinkedIn invite. Of course, feel free to also connect via Twitter and Google+.

Here are some other recent posts I have written:

• 4 Steps How To Be A Winner In Your Next Salary Negotiation
• 5 Hacks To Become Inanely Productive At Work
• 3 Steps How To Change The Job You Hate

About: Roland Thomas is a career strategist and productivity coach. He helps professionals to create a successful career change, maximize their personal productivity and build an authentic online reputation. Currently he is working on his first book.