How To Improve Your Interview Skills in One Easy Step!

Ok, you got me. I used a tactic that I absolutely hate – clickbait. It’s a trick used to get people to click onto a link by using sensationalized headlines – kinda like the one I just used. But, let’s be honest, if there was one way to improve how you performed on job interviews, would you believe it? Would you use it? Would you pass it on to others? I can honestly say, without a shadow of a doubt, I improved my interview skills 10 fold by just doing one thing – I interviewed other people.

Ok, so it’s not that far gone or Earth-shattering – I understand that. However, I will say this; I learned a lot by actually interviewing candidates instead of being the candidate. The shift in position really helped me understand how to improve the way I interview and, if you give me a chance, I will explain this to you.

1. It is amazing (and almost frightening) how most people answer the most basic of questions in the same way. For instance, “Do you work better in a team or as an individual?” Now, if you were in a casual setting, with a group a friends, having a drink and your good friend Chris asked you that question, you would probably answer it pretty easily. Your friends know you and they would probably cosign for your answer or give you a good ribbing if you answered incorrectly. If you are NOT a people person and your friends know this, you would most likely say that, not only do you work better alone, you prefer it. If you answered differently, you may open yourself up to a few jeers.

Now, what would happen if you were asked that same question in a job interview? Most likely, your answer would change. “So, do you work better in a team or as an individual?” I know how you would answer because everyone I have interviewed answered the same way: “Both. I work well in both office environments. It doesn’t matter to me.” Truthfully, this sounds great the first time and maybe even after the second interview. But, when everyone repeats that line, the interviewer starts to understand that everyone is just saying what they think you want to hear. Some people can find that insulting.

Now, I will tell you what I prefer: I would love someone who can answer the question directly and admit to an opportunity. I would love this answer, “Personally, I love to bounce ideas off of other people and bond with teammates while trying to complete a project or multiple projects. So, I guess to answer your question, I definitely work better in a group. If I had to work by myself, I would, of course, give it a shot. But, in all honesty, I don’t have much experience working as an individual. That is something I should and can work on, especially if I am selected for this position.” That person would jump to the top of my candidate pile.

2. I have always thought of myself as a “talker.” Any question you ask me, I can go on some kind of unnecessary diatribe to not only prove that I can answer the question but to also show you how well I know the English language. (Take a look at that last sentence). In my head, I thought my skill of turning a phrase would get me in good with an interviewer. After listening to multiple people go off in soliloquies about how they would handle multiple projects at one time, I started to get the impressions that candidates were just trying to impress me with wordplay instead of answering a simple question.

Again, put yourself at that bar with a group of your friends. Your friend Dana asks you, “How were you able to handle coming out tonight? I thought you had that meeting after work?” Now, as stated before, in that casual situation, your answer would most likely be something fairly simple: “Oh, I moved my meeting up an hour so I could handle both” - easy, direct and straight to the point. And, in all seriousness, if you went on some long story about how a 5pm meeting was moved to 4, no one would listen or, let alone, care.

Now, like before, if that same type of question was asked in an interview, I know from experience that the answer would not only be long and drawn out, it would most likely leave the interviewer fading in and out of attention as they checked their email during your answer. Simple and direct answers are a good way of showing the interviewer that you are locked in to the interview and are a clear thinker. If the question is “How do you handle multiple deadlines for multiple projects at the same time” the answer “From my past experiences, I have learned how to prioritize my projects so I can get the most amount of work done in the least amount of time. Also, I am open to working overtime occasionally to get additional work done as needed.” That is not just a short and concise answer, it is a great answer that specifically satisfies the person asking the question.

3. This is final point I will make and I don’t think it is specific to me. During one of the phone interviews I have been a part of, I noticed I was not paying attention to a long drawn out response to a question (see section 2). I didn’t mean to and thank goodness I caught myself. I felt horrible about doing it and I thought it was very disrespectful to the candidate trying to get a job. But, I did realize something from it – interviewers are human and they are bound to get sidetracked. Everyone has a smartphone and most people do phone interviews in their office. With email and Facebook so accessible, it is amazing we get anything done.

You’re probably asking yourself, “What does this have to do with me? I am the interviewee; I can’t help if the person giving the interview is not paying attention.” Ah, but you can! Good verbal communication skills not only help you with how you answer the questions but those skills will help you keep the interviewee engaged. Monotone, repetitive speech not only hinders your ability to keep others involved, it also can close the door quickly on a job opportunity. This is especially true for a job that requires customer or client interaction.

Let’s go back to our bar scene one more time. It doesn’t matter what question your friend Mike asks you, if your answer is boring and drawn out, they probably won’t ask you anymore questions.

So, to recap, I thought I was stellar at interviews. I thought I could talk my way into any position from entry level to executive. I could talk my way into selling sand to a beach or water front property in a landlocked state. The fact of the matter is this: I had no idea of the opportunity I had as a test taker until I actually gave the test. If there is one thing you get from this, please know that all of us can improve at some sort of skill or activity. To think that we are the best at something means that we stop working at that craft. From the simplest exercise of putting myself in the opposite pair of shoes, I not only opened my eyes to an opportunity, I also started my path to improvement.