How to prepare for and interview confidently

Many people I've coached want to show up and be perfect in an interview. That mindset of perfection sets you up for failure. No one is perfect, and while you should prepare to be your best, trying to be perfect sets all types of expectations, you won't meet.

Set Your Intention

I teach my clients to set an overall intention for the interview. The intention I have them set is to have an engaging conversation that feels great. That will help set the tone and helps free you up from trying to be perfect.

When you set that expectation instead of trying to "get it right," you allow yourself to show up more naturally, and your personality can shine through. When that happens, your chances of connecting with the person are so much higher. Then your chances of getting hired go way up! Plus, it just feels better too.

So, first, set the intention to have a great and flowing conversation. That conversation just so happens to be about you, the company, and the other person.

Do Your Homework

Second, do homework about the company. Be curious about who they are and what they do. Ask great questions. They need you just as much as you need them. If you don't ask questions, that's an indication to them you don't care enough. Asking questions is an easy and effective way to show confidence. Remember, it's your job to make sure they are a good fit for you as well.

Here are a few questions that will help you stand out and create great conversations.

1. Tell me about a time where you learned an unexpected lesson while working here?  Listen for any red flags they may share.

2. What's your biggest struggle right now?  Listen. Can you add value or help solve any of those struggles? How does your experience apply to those struggles?

3. Let's say it's a year from now, and the person you hired turned out to be a rock star.  Can you tell me what they've done to blow you away? Listen closely, and how can you share your answers towards that. 

Prepare for your answers

Use the following questions to see where you stand in the interview process. Then take your answers and work on the areas that need improvement. This article can't answer all the HOW's, but it does aim to point you in the right direction. 

1. What are your strengths in interviews?

Here's a helpful video on interview strengths. Linkedin strengths video

2. Describe your weaknesses during interviews?

Here's a helpful video on the interview weakness question. Linkedin weakness video

3. What questions do you struggle with, and why do you think so?

4. If you could change one thing about how you interview, what would it be?

STORYTELLING

While you're networking and interviewing, you want to have a few stories ready to share that showcase how you have handled situations. Storytelling is the best way to do this. Using a method like the S.T.A.R. format gives you an easy to follow framework and leaves the other person with a great impression.

The technique is called the S.T.A.R., and it stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result.

S - Situation: What is the situation at hand. Set the scene. What is the problem? In your story, set the stage; the who, the what, and the where.

T - Task: Talk about the objective or challenge you faced.

A - Action: Share what actions you took to resolve the issue. What did you do to solve the problem?

R - Result: What were the results of what you did. What did you learn from this? What did you learn about yourself? If you can include metrics, this will help your story.

Next, write out each part of the story. I like to call them accomplishment stories. Don't worry about getting these perfect. It's about the practice and helping ensure your stories are shared with ease.

Let's get started. Go ahead on a piece of paper and write out each section based on each story.

Then practice telling your stories out loud. Repeat this for three to five stories. Practice these until it's easy for you to remember.

SUMMARY

In summary, your main goal in the interview is to have a great conversation. Do your homework, practice your stories, and most importantly, be curious about them. Remember, you're interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you. Don't forget that!

?Set your intention, be humble, be curious, tell incredible stories, and be yourself!

Want personalized help? Setup a meeting with me and I'll do what I can to help. www.careerconfidence.io/meeting