Interviewing.
It is not for the faint of heart.
There’s so much to say about interviewing that people have literally written books about the topic.
So, what I can give you that differentiates from what you already know?
Or what can I reinforce – because we all need reminders sometimes, right?
I’ll say this much…
After helping three clients recently navigate the interview process, I’ve learned that preparation is key SO THAT, during the interview, what you want to say flows out of you as naturally as it would when talking with a good friend.
You might be wondering, “Okay, yeah. But, what kind of preparation?”
Two words.
Mock. Interviews.
Just like a quarterback watches recordings of his performance to improve his game… You should, too.
The most effective interview preparation I conduct with my clients is hitting the good ol’ record button on Zoom so they can watch the playback of the good, the bad, and the ugly things that come out of their mouth after I prompt them with, “Tell me about a time when…”
Ahhh, the dreaded “Tell me about a time when” questions – also known as behavioral interview questions.
They’re SO much fun, riiight?! 😉
They have a history of throwing us for a loop, making us talk in crazy circles, or awkwardly and unexpectedly sharing why we left our previous partner (haha – true story from someone I know), but they don’t HAVE to.
We panic over and meander through answering these types of questions typically because of a lack of clarity and confidence.
The best way to get clear and confident in answering behavioral interview questions is to use the STAR model.
Many of you may have heard of this, but for those who haven’t, STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result.
Here’s a soft-pitch example: “Tell me about a time when you had multiple competing priorities. How did you decide what to focus on?”
Let’s say your answer, using the STAR model, sounded like this: “Several months ago, I was assigned two key projects at work, in addition to all the weekly and monthly routines I already manage (situation). I wanted to get great results, but knew my time was limited, so I had to get ultra-organized (task). To do so, I wrote down all the actions that I thought it would take to finish the projects and stay on top of my regular activities. Then, I decided what absolutely needed to get done, what could be delegated, and what could be deleted. Once I had that level of clarity, I delegated what I could and focused on what was left (action). The result was that I accomplished one project ahead of schedule, the other on time, and I stayed on top of my weekly and monthly routines.”
Bada bing. Bada boom. 💥
You just knocked it out of the park, my friend!
Well done.
If you have an interview coming up and want some extra clarity and confidence, set up a free 45-minute career strategy session with me. I’d love to help you get prepared!
And, for those of you who kind of want this, but “feel bad taking up my time,” feel that feeling and schedule the time anyway.
I literally L-O-V-E to help people perform better in interviews, and land jobs and pay they didn’t think possible! 🤯
