The Good News About Interviews – Tip 2 of 10
Going to an interview can seem a daunting prospect, so here is this week’s tip that you can take to improve the probability of your career success.
Tip 2 of 10: Pre-Interview – Managing the Process – Practise
Practise your pitch, your contribution, your fit, your added value. Focus on the organisation’s and the interviewer’s needs, not your own. Your primary interest must be on their problems and opportunities not on your need to become employed or your concerns about whether you would enjoy the role. If you focus on the latter, you will not sell yourself effectively in the interview.
Three questions will test your preparation:
- Do you understand the job?
Consider what skills and knowledge are needed, make sure you have a job description (assuming one has been prepared). If not, get in touch with the recruiting manager direct.
Now think about the job as if you were doing it: how would you manage the people, what resources would you need, what information would you supply and what goals would you set? Think of how you would deliver the first 30, 60 and 90 days.
- Can you do the job?
You, not the interviewer, are responsible for deciding that you can do the job. Be absolutely clear about your skills and the contribution you will make; express it to yourself in simple language. Plan how you can demonstrate that you can do the job.
- Can you do it profitably?
Without a profitable contribution, there is no job. Have some ideas on how you see this job contributing to the organisation’s goals which you can then confirm with the interviewer in the interview.
Hiring a person is a business case decision: give the interviewer the answer, how much you will contribute to their profit. Only go to interviews where you can answer ‘yes’ to these questions. That way you will not waste your and the interviewer’s time and your confidence will increase through knowing that you are a good match for the job.
So performing well in the interview might not be as daunting as you first thought and may not require anything more than a fresh perspective and way of looking at it. It sounds simple and it is, it’s just not always easy, especially when trying to do it alone.
For practical advice on how to make the change without being overwhelmed contact us to discuss how we can help.