Interviewing made easy

The Oxford dictionary defines "Interviewing" as a conversation where questions are asked and answers are given from both the parties (dialogue). However, in practice interviews are more like monologues, resulting in failure. While our generation has grown up reading a plethora of self-help books on interviewing (which are very helpful indeed), let's look at some new age interviewing skills/hacks that could help you land that dream job.

• 70% of a successful interview is enthusiasm, excitement and energy
• 20% of the interview is selling you
• 10% of the interview is the close

a. Prepare for the JD- Before you jump to conclusions, I ain't talking about Mr. Daniel here. JD is "Job Description". Every job has a set of roles and responsibilities, before interviewing always ask the HR to share the JD and prepare accordingly. Let me explain.

Interviewing is all about selling yourself/your skill. Now if the company is seeking "Onion" and you are selling them "Ginger", well that deal ain't gonna close for sure. So matching expectation with the product/skill, a JD helps us sell our right skill to the interviewer.

b. Sell yourself- During the interview it is essential that you SELL YOURSELF. We all know that you have the skill but if you are unable to sell it, then its a waste. I would recommend a classic Feature-Example-Benefit Selling (FEB) method. Say what?

FEB selling is a fabulous way that teaches you to effectively sell yourself by using personal examples. Feature: a fact that sets you apart from other people; Example: a specific, personal example that supports your fact; Benefit: how your fact and example benefit the employer. For example: 

• Feature- I am highly dedicated and have a strong work ethic, always looking for new things to learn
• Example- While attending college full-time, I interned 20 hours a week to finance my education, which helped me financially and gave me a rich professional experience
• Benefit- I’m used to working hard in order to achieve positive results, something that I have been using in my last Job as well

Trust me, FEB never fails to deliver!

c. Use Social Media - Yes you read it right, Social media sites such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Twitter and even Facebook can help you ace an interview. How, you ask?

Always ask your interviewer name from the HR and study his/her LinkedIn profile. His/her career graph, what s/he does in the company you are applying to, look for common grounds- his/her likes dislikes etc. This shall help you drive the interview and eliminate any awkward silence moments during the discussion. Further, social media helps you understand the peer pedigree, career graph, attrition/retention demographics, exit options (well its good to know) etc. about the company. Additionally, a simple search on Glassdoor will help you understand the compensatory benefits at different career levels.

d. Be prepared - Most of us make two mistakes when we are being questioned in an interview. First, we fail to listen to the question. We proceed to answer a question that was not asked or to give out a lot of superfluous information. Second, we attempt to answer questions without preparation. Not even the most skilled debater can answer questions off the cuff without damaging his or her chances of success. Bottom line…BE PREPARED!

e. Close at a high - It’s the winning score, the bottom line, the name of the game, the cutting edge, and the point of it all. If you haven’t guessed, closing is the most important part of your entire interview. The following is a step-by-step guideline to get you through closing the interview. The interview is a sales call; you are the product. If you don’t close the interviewer on you, how can you expect them to visualize you closing a prospect on their product or service?

Always remember employers expect you to close, so don't just say thank-you, smile and come back.

 After the interviewer has concluded his/her questions, you must proceed to your close.

1.     Ask the employer questions- Prepare 3-5 questions for your interview (using JD and social media). Be creative, be subtle.

2.     Ask a lead-in question - The purpose of a lead-in question is to identify if you did your job of selling yourself in the interview. For example, How do you see me fitting in?, Describe your ideal candidate etc. Remember not to grill the interviewer while asking.

3.     Overcome concerns/objections/hesitations - Use FEB selling again to overcome any concerns/hesitations that any party faced in the interviewer

4.     Close to the next step/job - The good news is, you are almost done! The bad news is, this is the most important part. It is absolutely crucial you ask the following questions:

For initial interviews: Where do we go from here? Can we set that up right now? For final interviews: Where do we go from here? 

Concluding comments - Interviewing is an art, learn how to drive it and you will always ace one going forward.

Meet me - I am Shrey Deepum, a Statgey analyst and a  workplace artist in making. On a normal day, I solve diverse business problems which help me being relevant and future ready. Let's catch up  LinkedIn ||   Facebook