Every interview has something to show you...

3 new lessons from not getting the job –

Interviews are completely about preparation, it’s a skill and a way of thinking.

Even the most experienced person can fall down at the interview whilst the best interviewee may not be the greatest candidate.

When ever I complete an interview it is vital that I always dissect and analyse my performance in the hot seat and keep improving this skill even if I am successful. I need to know what I got right so I can keep repeating them and I definitely need to know the things that didn’t work when I get the knock back. This way I can make the positive adjustments and diversions for next time.

How? Objective questions to keep building the knowledge up -

• What worked?
• What didn’t work?
• What can I improve for next time?

Exactly what I did following a recent decline, here’s what I learned to make next time more successful –

1.     Prepare for the questions you hate. In fact over prepare for these questions. This way, no matter what is thrown at you, you’ll be able to catch it and run with it - immediately.

Here’s the one I really dislike – “Tell me about a time you had to challenge upwardly?”

By doing this preparation it does 2 things;

                          i.         firstly it gets you comfortable with the questions they’ll ask no matter how much this will challenge you and

                         ii.         secondly it helps you to work out what you actually dislike in your day to day role and the areas that you need to develop in order to help you raise your game where you are and aid you to get where you want to be.

2.     Show the alternative routes - 30/60/90 day plan. Regardless of what job you go for planning out your first 30/60/90 days in role to be successful is a must. It helps your prospective employer see that you can plan, strategize and formulate in order to create more success for you and those around you. It demonstrates forward thinking especially if you arrive with this already in the bag, ready to present from the get go.

I’ve found most Leadership roles will ask a series of questions around challenges and potential solutions, then normally combined with a short presentation based on those questions. I always go prepared, even if they don’t ask, by doing this it helps to concentrate my focus by going through the building process of the pack.

I print 3-5 copies, have them in presentation packs ready to deliver. These don't have many pages and never take up much bag space.

The core thing I learned from this round of interviewing about 30/60/90 plans is;

Have a secondary plan!

It indicates a clarity of planning show casing ideal and most desirable along with mitigation and most challenging. In both plans the outcome is still the same, it's just the routes that vary.

Show 2 potential, parallel journeys leading to the same outcome. Much like Google maps showing road works and possible diversions.

3.     Mitigate every reason for someone to say “No”. This recent application was very much inside my skill set, (maybe too much so) it would have been very easy for me to slide into the role and start delivering results.

Because of this I received an equivalent response of “you’re over qualified”

Next time, when applying for a job that is perceived or potentially well within my capability range and there may be a concern that either I’m over qualified or may run out of things to be getting on with – I absolutely have to mitigate this in the interview.

To do this I’ll find ways to emphasise that I’m looking forward to taking on every aspect of the roll, including those elements that others may perceive as boring or mundane to me.

“I’m looking forward to working intimately with this smaller group and focusing on the core elements of the role and making sure the fundamentals of Leadership are really embedded with them”

What to do next time - Remove every possible 'No' from the table, show the secondary planning and thinking to over come the curve balls and go practice the questions I hate answering and lean into the discomfort.