Some Interview Preparation Tips
If your answers to any question do not tie together your previous experience, your past accomplishments coupled with your traits, and simultaneously address his needs, then you have not communicated what’s in it for him.
Tell the interviewer who you are by “coloring” your experience, talent, skill, and accomplishments with specific examples of events that illustrate a point you are trying to make.
You need to tell the interviewer
What you can do for him
Who you are
What you bring to the organization
How you are going to help him achieve his goals
These following questions will help you formulate very clearly your thoughts and help you respond with a well thought out and developed answer. In an interview situation, you do not have the opportunity to go back and clarify a point. Therefore, preparation is critical for a successful interview.
Writing out your answers, formulating your thoughts, and preparing each answer in written form will give you a well thought out and prepared presentation of who you are and what you can do for the organization. The interviewer may not even disclose his questions. Rather, he will look to you for providing him with an overview of what you can do for him and how you can solve his problems.
There are employers/executives that frankly, do not know how to interview. They expect you to “read their minds” and come to the table prepared to discuss what you can do for them.
Therefore, do not assume because an interviewer/employer does not ask you questions, that he does not have any. On some occasions, you may be faced with an interviewer whose ego gets in the way of appropriately evaluating candidates.
Egocentric executives on the other side of the desk may not even indicate expectations for a meeting, or an interview. Sometimes these individuals expect a certain behavior, yet never establish clearly, what it is that they want to accomplish. Frequently, these types of interviewers will brush you off and you will never know why — generally, it is because they have absolutely no idea how to control an interview, or how to set the agenda.
Therefore, you are best served in situations where you are unsure of what the interviewer is looking for, or are unclear of his objectives and goals for the meeting, to ask him at the outset of the meeting, what he would like to accomplish during your meeting. Ask him how he would like you to help him accomplish his objectives and goals; if there is anything specific, he is looking for so that you can ensure that his time is well spent; and if there will be an opportunity at some point in the meeting for you to ask questions. Make sure you establish that he is to set the agenda for the meeting, not you.
Remember — there is a big difference between an interview and a discussion.
Speak about your strongest character traits and how they have benefited the organization through ‘stories’ that demonstrate clearly who you are, how you work and how you think. Do not exceed 4–5 minutes in answering this question, but make sure that the interviewer has a pretty good handle on who you are after answering this question.
The employer’s goal is to find candidates who are intellectually sharp, agile and can remain poised when a situation or the environment is difficult, hectic or chaotic.
Bring the following with you to every interview
Resume
A copy of your resume.
Proof of standing
Copy of national standings, articles quoted in, etc.
Your questions
A yellow pad of paper with your list of questions on it.
Company research
Research you have done on the company and their products.
Questions written down you should be prepared to ask
Culture
Do you mind if I ask, how you would describe the culture here?
The perfect candidate
What would the perfect candidate look like to you — in terms of experience, education, talent and traits?
How they rank what they want
If you had to, how would you rank the things that you are looking for in a perfect candidate? For example, is education #1, or is experience #1.
Success in the first 6–12 months
In your mind, what would the selected candidate have accomplished in the first 6–12 months that in your mind would make him a success?
Top three challenges
What do you think are the top three challenges a candidate will be faced with?
Qualities they hire for
What qualities do you look for in the people that you hire?
Greatest threat
What do you see as the greatest threat to the organization?
How they got started
I’m curious, how did you get started in the business?
Management style
Do you mind if I ask how you would describe your management style?
Where the role sits
Can you give me an idea of the organizational structure, and how the candidate would fit in?
Why this role is open
Why is this position open?
The interviewing process
Can you describe for me the interviewing process?
Who decides
Who will be involved in the decision-making process?
What differentiates the best candidates from the average candidate is their level of preparation. The candidate will show up with potential solutions to the employer’s problems. Sometimes the interviewer does not know what he needs to ask to determine whether or not a candidate can do the job, etc, so you need to be prepared to both ask the question and answer the questions by saying,
If you were to ask me…
Can I do the job?
If you were to ask me…..”Can I do the job-----I would respond by saying……..
How I can help solve problems
“If you were to ask me how I can help solve some of your problems…..let me review some of the potential solutions I have thought through. Of course, these solutions are without knowing the specifics etc.
Profitability and my goals
If you were to ask me how does profitability fit into my goals and achievements,I’d like to share with you my philosophy and a few examples of my bottom line orientation
Culture, style, and fit
If you were to ask me how I would fit into the company—both from a culture, style and attitude and work philosophy perspective, I would say…..
What I bring to the table
If you were to ask me…..what I bring to the table---why should your hire me----I would say….
Interviewers test
An informal interviewer who praises you and asks “What would you like to know about us?” with 25 minutes still left is testing you. You have been given that block of time — have an objective, know what you want to learn, and remember he is evaluating how you spend it. That is what separates the winners from the losers. IT’S A TEST.
How to blow an interview
Even the best candidates lose offers if they bungle the interview with an employer or search consultant. Appearance, manners, charisma, communication, strategic thinking, and culture fit are all being judged. A strong interview can offset a weak resume — but showing up and answering questions is not enough, even if you were solicited for the role.