Magic Mantras That Work- Interview Insights
Now that we have dedicated two detailed posts to?interview basics?and?selling authentically using storytelling techniques, it’s time to look at interview prep through a simplified lens. What if I had to distill the crux of acing interviews into a brief mantra, or a user friendly solution that you can apply?today? Also, what does prep look like, when we consider business roles/critical positions that are about more than just presenting your story well? Watch out for the Bonus section in today's post that I have never shared with anyone before.
I am a believer of creating do-able frameworks, and in today’s post I want to share a practical framework that you can use to tackle your next interview impressively. This framework has 4 sections-
ABOUT YOU
Every interview prep begins with you. With each consecutive interview, aim to get crystal clear about your value proposition as a professional. This will make you stand out from the very beginning. Here’s how-
Who are you and what's your brand?
Personal selling starts with crafting an impactful introduction about yourself (1-2 sentences). There are many ways of saying this - elevator pitch, life mission, why should we hire you, tell me about yourself, what’s special about you etc. If you know exactly what this is, you will be able to use the gist to answer any of the above questions with unusual clarity.
Write this down in clear, crisp, inspiring language and feel confident in asserting it at the right time. This is your brand value- what you bring to the table.
What are you best at?
Know the things that you do better than anyone else. What are your strengths, your values, your areas of expertise- areas where you can blow any competition out of the water? Know it with specific examples.
Prompts- What are the 3 things that you do really well? What are the 3 words that people use to describe you?
Who do you serve?
Your audience is anyone who gets an advantage from having you onboard. Articulate what kind of business, team or individual would be most benefited by your gifts. Example- Small businesses that are looking to take their selling online via a digital marketing expert, startups in the cyber security space who need lawyers well versed in Indian Cyber Law, startups with successful prototypes looking to scale from 0-1 who need strategy and growth expertise in X industry, a Founder who needs a detail oriented PA to shadow them and fill in as a thought partner etc
How you do it uniquely (USP)
This one is easier than it sounds. Your USP is simply that unique combination of your interests, passion, education and experience that make you unlike anyone else. Maybe you are an online educator with the USP of being a content creator/graphic designer that makes your study material creative and fun unlike any other. Maybe you are a strategy expert in the fintech space and have a large network in the VC circle that could be leveraged by an employer eventually.
Our USP is often in plain sight, but it’s so obvious that we don’t believe this is it. Keep it simple.
YOU AND?THIS?JOB
Do the above exercise for each application. It need not be a complete revamp, but ensure that every point is relevant to the role at hand and not just a great sounding pointer you wrote months back. If you do not tailor this seemingly unchanging section about you, you will lose the full spectrum of advantage this exercise brings to your candidature.
These four questions will help you answer?the?question that interests any business owner the most- What kind of employee are you going to be and how will you add value to?my?business? Remember that anything you say is only adding value if it is specific to?this?job.?
Most importantly, if what I just said seems impractical to you (not worth the effort/too much time commitment), then I would nudge you to question the opportunities you are applying to. Any job worth landing is worth prepping for. I personally hope that you begin to see this as a basic hygiene factor and save yourself the effort of appearing for half-hearted interviews.
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THE POTENTIAL EMPLOYER
In my experience, this is where most candidates fall short. They are grossly underprepared or misinformed and that undermines their claims of interviewing for their ‘dream job’ , ‘building their dream company’ and ‘so excited to chat I couldn’t catch a wink’. Personally, I feel it’s non-negotiable to know basics about the company you are talking to.?How much?you know, is a combination of how keen you are and what you can find.
Step 1?- Hit the obvious company communication hotspots - website, social media, LinkedIn, Glassdoor. Know what you can about the work, products, leadership, culture, people etc from here.
Step 2?- Acknowledge the people behind the logo. Whenever possible, get LinkedIn profiles of your interview panel. Get genuinely interested in knowing the humans you will work with. This simple investment is your chance to win friends before you are even hired, influence people who will be decision makers and facilitate their buy into your candidature. While other candidates will be struggling to convince the interviewers of their interest, you will have taken the game to the next level by building a relationship with them.?
Follow these individuals online and get to know who they are, what they care about and what their network says about them. You can also gather details about the company from their personal stories and feed. The potential payback of this time investment is hard to quantify.
To gain genuine interest of your interviewers, be genuinely interested first. Social media, Google, company page, university blog are all relevant places to find common interests that can get you a foot in the door.
Step 3?- Come at it from a commercial angle. You must know what they do, but more importantly, what are their competitors doing? Don't just be an expert on their business, be an expert on the marketplace. This is a strategy very few people use and it is one that never fails to impress.
When you are ready with marketplace and business insights and ideas, you can have real business conversations and not just Q&A back and forth. Find other experts in the industry who write, blog, produce content etc and know what they are saying. What are the trends to look out for? What are some great practices? What challenges is the industry foreseeing??
BONUS: CEATING AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE
When I was in school and later in college, I remember most interviews were a breeze because I would go in with a resume/school report cards and back them up with a stack of certificates that eventually weighed over two kilos. It had everything I had ever won, and a few photographs with the then PM of India for my work along with letters of recommendations from my professors. I definitely wasn’t the best candidate for each job and maybe wouldn’t have gotten admissions as easily every time my dad got posted, but those certificates were proof of potential and screaming endorsements for my candidature.
Using this technique can strengthen a great resume and dramatically up-level a mediocre resume. If you apply for a job that means the world to you, take this additional step of carrying endorsements; certificates; and if relevant, A4 size photographs printed in great quality.
When we see someone is endorsed by others, we are more willing to trust them and believe in their potential.
Here’s a quick elaboration on each-
Certificates?- Participation, winning, skill development
Endorsements - Get short but impressive feedback/endorsement letters from your customers, employers, friends and colleagues - there is no better way of selling your skillsets (attention to details, building relationships during a conflict etc).
Letters of Recommendation - Request your professors, Dean, industry mentors and ex-bosses to share letters with brief anecdotes of your time spent working together and demonstrated qualities like perseverance, wit, growth mindset, influencing people etc
Photographs - Sometimes, you need to see it to feel the grandeur, magnitude or passion. If any relevant pictures would help your candidate in obvious ways (You creating shelter homes for flood victims and now applying to a disaster management organization, you building an electric car prototype and now applying for a design engineer role etc), include A4 size pictures in great print quality on photo paper.
In my experience, this level of prep and detail will win over most interviewers instantly and will definitely give you a leg up. If appropriate, you can use it during the interview, or just leave it with them to look at afterwards. Think about this from the employer’s point of view - if you are selling yourself so well and come that prepared, I can’t wait to see what could do for my business!