First, let me start off by apologizing to all of the loyal readers. I've heard from a few of you that were not happy to be without a post for so long. It's unconscionable-rediculous. There's no excuse for it. Well, really there is, but, you're not into excuses. You are? Ok, here it goes. September has been a good month for Leadership Systems. Companies and organizations are really seeing results from engagements with us and that means more and more business. On top of that, as chair of the board of the Rowlett Chamber of Commerce, I've been intimately involved in the normal business of the Chamber coupled with the business of doing an executive search for the new president. So, yada-yada-yada...excuse, excuse. Done.
Now that you've forgiven me, let's talk about the blog.
Both Angela and I are experts on the selection process. We know it from the employer's standpoint and we know it from the interviewee's perspective. We've both created and delivered classes on it. I created a career center for employees of Morris Air, in Salt Lake City, when Southwest Airlines acquired that airline and couldn't take on all of their employees in positions at every level. This week, I interviewed two executives and taught an interviewing class.
To me, the mistakes people make in interviews are unbelievable. I walk out of too many interviews with people who are competent on paper, but hugely dissapointing in person because of the mistakes they make. A huge percentage of those mistakes would dissapear with proper preparation. So, I am inspired to help out people that are looking for a job, or may be interviewing for a promotion in the future.
Below is a list of preparation tips for interviewing. Pass them on to your friends, save this onto your computer, do what it takes to make sure it is helping the right person at the right time. Here it goes:
- Know that preparing for an interview should take you between an hour and a half and three hours. Just mentally rehearsing what you want to say in your mind for 15 mintues does not make you prepared. It just makes you walk out of the interview saying to yourself, "why did I say that?"
- Have 5 things you want to convey to the interviewer about yourself. Work these things into your answers to questions in the form of stories.
- Create a list of stories that highlight your skills and attributes. These stories should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Don't tell an incomplete story. Practice telling your stories to a live person or into a webcam or camcorder. (Behavioral Interviews ask you to relate very specific stories from your past about an characteristic they are looking for. The premise is that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior, so the only way for them to have an idea of what you'll do in the future is to have you choose a story to tell them about your past in a similar situation.)
- Don't address your agenda at the expense of the interviewer's. Stay on topic with your answers. If the question is, "describe a time where you had to deal with a difficult change," it is one thing to take one of your stories and tweak it to highlight the aspect of dealing with chage. It is quite another thing to begin answering that question and then switch over to something completely different. You've got to practice using your stories in different ways--your story on managing time might also apply to leading a project, multi-tasking, or doing what it takes to get the job done.
- Prepare 5 questions for the interviewer. You don't have to ask all of them, but if you only prepare two questions, chances are you'll get those questions answered during the interview. It is important to ask insightful questions that don't seem self-centered (how much vacation time will I get?) Look on the website. Ask about the culture, clarify the scope of the job duties, find out expectations or characteristics of your boss, or understand why the person that was in the position before left it.
These tips should help you to add a little polish and sheen to your interview. Interviewees should stand out and be memorable. It is the way you'll get the job you want. Good luck!
If you enjoy my posts, feel free to enjoy a more conversational and fluid relationship with Leadership Systems by visiting the Leadership Systems Facebook Page.
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment