My Top 5 Tactics for Nailing a Job Interview

Doing well in a job interview is hard work,and like any skill, takes lots of practice to improve. It can be extremelystressful, but becoming comfortable with it – and better yet, GOOD at it – willhelp prepare you for a myriad of other difficult conversations in theworkplace.

I’ve been through many interviews, of all kinds:

• Phone interviews
• Panel interviews (severalinterviewers, and me)
• Group interviews (oneinterviewer, many interviewees)
• Back-to-back sessions
• Skype/video interviews
• Interviews I didn’t realizewere interviews (coffee meetings, etc.)
• Written tests
• Interactive games

And the QUESTIONS. I’ve been asked bizarrehypothetical scenario questions, the same question worded different ways, and Iwas once asked to play with a toy and convince the interviewer it was somethingit was not (I got the job).

So, I’ve had some experience. And now Iwant to share the tips I’ve cultivated over time that have helped me to leaveeach interview feeling like it went well (one of the best feelings ever)! 

1. Prepare your stories

This is the best interview advice I ever received, from a boss I absolutely loved and still adore (Connie, you are the best).

She taught me to have multiple stories to tell, which could be applicable and interchangeable for many questions.

Previously, I would run through a list ofstandard interview questions and plan an answer for each one.

By preparing stories that could work interchangeably for different questions, Iwas able to reduce the amount I had to practice (5-10 stories instead of 15-20answers). It also ensured one important success factor: that I could beflexible when dealing with curveball questions.

If you have answers memorized, you’llalmost certainly trip up if the questions aren’t what you’re expecting, andit’ll be harder for you to think on the spot if you’re trying to remember ascript.

Notice my differentiation of story vs. answer. Telling a story is WAY more engaging for the interviewer,and helps demonstrate your variety of skills, instead of just the one they’reasking about.

If you need a little more insight, I’veprovided an example at the end of this post.

2. Practice, practice, practice

Once you’ve prepared your stories, it’stime to practice. And the best way to do this is to say them OUT LOUD. My dadtaught me this – it’s not enough to just write them and read them a few times.

Say them out loud until you sound naturaland comfortable, and you aren’t scrambling to remember important details. Itmight feel weird to be talking out loud to yourself – but you know what feelsworse? Blanking on an interview question, or being so nervous and uncomfortablethat you shorten it down and miss the point.

3. Do your research

This might seem pretty basic, but assomeone who has played the role of interviewer, I’m constantly surprised by howmany people don’t do a simple Google search before coming to an interview.

Learn about the industry, the company, anddo everything you can to learn about the team and position (a possibility ifyou’re looking for a role internally).

I also like to do a LinkedIn search tolearn about the interviewer, and to try and work in questions about them in theinterview. People feel more at ease when they’re having a conversation, andmore often than not, people like talking about themselves J It also provides an opportunity to show your skills as an activelistener.

Example:

“I hope you don’t mind – I did a littlepreparation before our interview, and I noticed on your LinkedIn that youearned your X designation! That’s so awesome – do you find that it’s helped youon this team/in this role/etc?”

Whatever you ask, be prepared with followup questions! Don’t ask for the sake of asking – you should be genuinelyinterested.

Keep in mind: they may not remembereverything you said, but they’ll remember how you made them feel. Thanks,Maya Angelou!

4. Adjust your attitude

People tend to put so much pressure onthemselves before an interview, which can result in them overthinking it, andbombing when the time comes.

Instead of focusing on it like a test orexam, adjust your attitude and see it as a conversation. Because that’s reallywhat it is! It’s a conversation for the interviewer to learn about you, and ifyou’re a good fit for the role…but it’s also a chance for you to learn about them, and if they’re a team worthjoining.

Once you shift your perspective, your wholedemeanor will change, and that will show in the interview. Remember: bodylanguage matters. Dr.Albert Mehrabian is known for his breakdown of human communication which foundthat only 7 percent is done through spoken words, while a whopping 55 percentis through body language, and 38 percent is tone of voice. While some disagreeon those numbers, all agree nonverbal communication dominates verbal.

So relax a little, and remember: it’s justa conversation.

5. Power pose

https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

Connie, thanks again for this one. It really,really works! Watch the video to show the EVIDENCE of why it works.

The number of times I’ve locked myself in abathroom stall to pose like Wonder Woman is pretty comical. Again, you’re goingto feel a little silly, but you’ll also feel strong and CONFIDENT.

You GOT this. And if you totally bomb –don’t worry. We’ve all been there (I have a few embarrassing stories to sharetoo). You’ll learn from your mistakes, and be better next time. You can alwaysreach out to me if you want to practice or need help with prep.

Thank you so much for reading! And if you want an example of a story I prepared, which is interchangeable for multiple questions, click on “read more” below.

Here’s a (very condensed) story I prepared, which could answer several different questions:

“Tell me about a difficult project you’vetackled”
“What have you done that shows initiative?”

“Tell me about a time when you demonstratedleadership”

• My team has been in place along time, and because of that, we have many legacy processes in place thathaven’t changed because “that’s the way it’s always been done.” (setting up the story)
• One example is the process weuse to produce X document.
• X document is extremelyimportant at our company, because it keeps our senior leaders and board ofdirectors informed
• A significant amount of manualwork is dedicated to researching the information, ensuring it falls withincopyright guidelines, formatting it into X document, and sending it at the sametime every day. Our team of four was spending three hours a day producing thisONE document.
• I knew there had to be a betterway (demonstrating initiative). Iworked with our company’s innovation team and developed a partnership to builda web app that replicates and automates many of our team’s manual tasks.
• It resulted in a new process,which now takes only two team members (vs. 4), and 1.5 hours (vs. 3). Our teamnow dedicates this freed up time to more valuable work.
• This project was difficultbecause it involved learning concepts that were completely unfamiliar to me (demonstrating overcoming difficulty),it involved me having to motivate and rally the team to embrace this change (demonstrating leadership), and I hadto manage it on top of my other responsibilities (demonstrating time-management as a bonus).  

Get in touch if you’d like some helpturning your experiences into stories J I’m alwayshappy to help people navigate their career, because it’s not easy and you can’tdo it alone! I certainly haven’t. Pay it forward xo