Part 3 - Why Executives Like You Often Fail at Job Interviews

Part 3 - Why Executives Like You Often Fail at Job Interviews

In Parts 1 and 2 (see links below)

Part 1

Part 2

We looked at the importance of you projecting consistency through your CV and LinkedIn profile, to ensure the person who arrives at the interview is the one they expected!

Too often, executives like you lose sight of themselves when trying to convince someone else they are worthy of appointment.

So, even after ensuring consistency in the presentation of your background, there are often other apparently insignificant, but essentially, critical hurdles you might have to overcome.

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Bernard Pearce is The Executive Career Transition Specialist. He works with executives, like you, to transform your job job search success; securing great jobs, restoring self esteem and experiencing real pride in winning victory in competitive and challenging environments.

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?Seemingly Simple Questions, Often Cause Executives to Stumble

Let’s leave aside those so-called ‘difficult interview questions‘ – so many books have been written on them and the majority almost never get asked anyway.

It’s often the simplest one’s people trip over.

When interviewers ask a question, they are listening for your response, so avoid something so brief it throws the ball immediately back to them; or something that appears you are answering a question you hadn’t been asked. For example:

Why Did You Leave Your Last Job??Ideally you will have a response taking no more than 30 seconds.

1.????Just saying ‘I was redundant’ is more about the terms on which you left, not the reason for you leaving.

2.????Starting your response with why you took the role you’re leaving, makes it sound like you are answering a different question.

What Are You Looking to Do Next? Ideally, again, your response should take no longer that 30 seconds and leave the listener with a clear appreciation of your perfect next role.

1.????Just saying ‘one that draws on my extensive experience, in a growing organisation with a culture that embraces equality and diversity’ tells nothing of the job you aspire.

2.????Starting with ‘I’m a people person. I get huge satisfaction from growing my people and developing new leaders’, won’t help them see you in the role you aspire.

Take Me Through Your Career History. If you can make your response an interesting and engaging story lasting only 4 or 5 minutes, you’ll hold their attention.

1.????Just a quick 60-second dance through your last 10-years might lose an opportunity to get key information across.

2.????Starting with a stroll through what you got up to at University will probably not leave you enough time to cover key information that could have swayed them to you.

Your Preparations.

Too many executives, used to sitting on the others side of the table – just like you – fail to prepare sufficiently well and don’t give enough thought to the answers they will give to these very simple questions.

They often feel sufficiently experienced to be able to wing it, but then fail to give their best.

We expect interviewers to have completed their own preparation; their research and analysis of available information, prior to meeting us at interview. If you don’t do yours, correctly or completely, you can’t expect the result you desire.

It’s your future; you could be taking a huge risk with it.

If you are getting interviews, but not getting job offers, we clearly need to speak asap.

?Contact me now for a unique insight into how the job search world might judge you.

Bernard Pearce – The Executive Career Transition Specialist

E-mail: [email protected]

www.Career-Inspirations.co.uk

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