A Bullet Proof Interview Strategy

It’s interview day. You arrive on time wearing your best suit (or nice outfit depending on company culture) and several printed copies of your resume. You walk away with confidence knowing that you killed it! Then you don’t land the position. What went wrong? When an offer isn’t extended, interviewers assume they lack the skills or expertise to do the job. Veritably, the interview didn’t go as planned, and it can be difficult to pinpoint the moment when the interview went awry. In most cases, the answer is simple: STRATEGY. 

An interview seems simple enough. A hiring authority asks you a series of questions in hopes to get to know you.  Who are they hiring? What is your character, track record, and reputation? The tough part is articulating why a company should hire you. This is a common struggle for interviewers and the truth is the majority interviewers don’t know how to create a strategy to secure the position. Here are a few tips to create your own personal interview strategy.

 You’ll want to write your answers out so you can review and refer to them a few times before the interview. It’s rare to have enough time to share all of it, but you’ll want to be prepared in case you are given the opportunity. This interview tool will help you identify your strengths, the needs of the company, and how to bridge the gap. 

Notes

You’d never walked in a staff meeting without an agenda. Without it, you’re likely to forget a portion of the topics you want to cover. Similarly, it’s acceptable to bring an outline to the interview to ensure you remember everything. You don’t want to bring comprehensive notes, rather you’ll format your notes so you can casually glance at them to refresh your memory without creating any awkward pauses. 

Step 1 - Previous job experience

This exercise gives you a chance to identify and highlight the transferable experience of your previous positions. Focusing on relatable experience allows you to keep the interview positive and helps to keep the conversation organic. Be prepared for behavioral interview questions. These questions will begin with “Tell me about a time…” or “Give me an example of….” This will be your opportunity to weave your highlighted experiences into the conversation. Bottom Line: Implementing previous job experience into your interview strategy will convey that you are an enthusiastic and productive employee.

 Answer the following questions for each position:

• What three things did you enjoy about the position?
• What were your top accomplishments or contributions for each position?
• What three things were you most known for in each position?

Step 2 - What are your strengths?

Most interviewers have trouble sharing their strengths. You have to realize something -- you’re good at your job! It’s common for people to be too critical of themselves and that makes it difficult to really sell yourself to the interviewer. Step 2 will help you be prepare list of your strengths that you can feel great about.

 First, choose five people in your life that you have a good relationship with and ask them “What are the top five reasons someone should hire me?” A few suggestions are your best friend, your favorite co-worker or mentor, your favorite boss, your mother, father, sister or brother. Write down their feedback. Even on a good day you wouldn’t remember half of the great things. During the interview, you can share your strengths and also share what others have told you about yourself. This exercise will give you a whole different view of yourself.

 Additionally you’ll want to make a list with your own perspective of your strengths. You should have at least 8-10 strengths that you can share about yourself. Come up with an example to support each strength. If you can’t think of an example, it’s not really a strength. If you say “I’m a hard worker” and don’t provide specific examples, the interviewer won’t think you’re a hard worker. Use a specific example to support your strengths and to paint a complete picture for your interviewer. Another strategy to discover your strengths is to think about a successful project and explore why that project was fruitful. This is great insight that you can share to support your character strengths which is often more important than your skills. If you’re still struggling to identify your strengths, try a strengths test.

Step 3 – Interviewing the Interviewer

Preparing questions for your interview is more critical that you might think. It can be a deal breaker for some interviewers who assess your interest in the position by the quality of questions you ask (or don’t ask). I highly recommend you print them out and bring them with you.

 Below are 6 questions that will get the interviewer to talking. You can of course write your own. However, avoid asking about salary or benefits on the first interview unless the interviewer brings it up. If they do bring it up, tell them you’ve discussed salary with your recruiter, and your recruiter requested to redirect all salary question to him. People who negotiate money before they are offered the job rarely get the job. DO NOT ask questions for the sake of asking them. Take ownership of all your questions and answers. Speak from your heart and tell the truth without criticizing anyone and you’ll impress the interviewer.

 About the company

1. Tell me how you would describe your department’s/company’s culture.
2. What is new and exciting in your company/group/department? 

About the position

1. How would you describe the person that has performed the best in this position? What about them contributed to their success in the position?
2. Can you tell me about any challenges or obstacles I should be aware of in this position? 

About the manager

1. Describe your management style? What will it be like to work for you?
2. What are your expectations of me or of those in your department?

Step 4 – Accomplishments

Write down on a piece of paper the following 4 categories: 

1. What I have done to increase profits (Not always quantifiable)?
2. What I have done to reduce losses (Should be quantifiable)?
3. What I have done to streamline workflow?
4. What I have done to save time?

 Write down at least three examples of all the above categories, and don’t be afraid to brag about them. Be careful, there is a fine line between bragging and arrogance.  

Salary!

Don't give them a number on the first meeting. If asked how much you are looking for, smile and say "I am open to a fair offer - a good fit is most important, money is a consideration but not the only consideration. We can discuss numbers more at a later date if we both decide to move forward.” They should respect this answer and move on. 

Let your recruiter deal with the money, you don't want to over sell or under sell yourself in the first meeting and lock yourself into a number that might disqualify you from consideration or get an offer lower than you deserve and regret it.

A Few Reminders

• Review the company’s website, management, products or services.
• Review your notes several times before the interview.
• Dress should be conservative and professional, conservative. Try to skip the cologne/perfume.
• Bring a few copies of your resume.
• Arrive early and be friendly to the receptionist (you would be surprised how many employers ask the receptionist what they think).

 If you don’t say it, the interviewer won’t know about it. If you’re reliable, say it. If you’re punctual, say it. You get the idea.  The purpose of the interview is to share information about yourself. 

LASTLY, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THE POSITION, TELL THEM! Many people assume that because they attended the interview the hiring manager knows they want the job. This is not the case, if you want it, tell them at the end that "Based on our discussion(s), I am very interested in this position and look forward to next steps."

An interview is the time to sell yourself. Use this strategy to prepare for the interview, and you'll blow them out of the water every time!