When you are scheduled to interview with a prospective employer, there are some techniques that can help you be remembered and increase your chances of winning the job. it is important to understand that the interviewer might be just as uncertain as you are. He or she may not have much interviewing experience. Maybe that person didn’t have enough time to review your resume. The interviewer might even be a bit passive just to see which candidate shows the most desire for the job. This is why you should do everything that you can to help the interviewer interview you. With a little preparation you can put this individual at ease, make the job much easier and be able to lead the interviewer into questions that will improve your chances.
If you make the mistake of going into your interview with the mindset of answering only the questions that you are asked, you limit your chances of success. This is the time to be proactive and take every opportunity to highlight your unique strengths, talents and accomplishments. This is your opportunity to sell yourself, to make expertise statements. Don’t be falsely humble and wait for the interviewer to ask you about your strengths and past accomplishments. Implement past successes and areas of expertise into your answers to the interview questions. Just be sure to highlight your attributes in a manner that is relevant to the question that is asked.
A skillful way to help your interviewer is to use transitional phrases at the end of your answers. For example, after you’ve answered a question about your education, tell the interviewer the story of how it prepared you for your first job after graduation. This is almost certain to trigger a follow-up question about your work experience and how it has prepared you for the position for which you are now interviewing. Always end your answers with a transitional phrase that wraps up your answer and shows how your accomplishment or experience can be of benefit in the context of the open position.
Your interviewer most likely will ask you to provide specific examples that show how you’ve dealt with a certain scenario or performed under pressure in the past. Many interviewees dread these types of questions fearing they might not be prepared with applicable experience. Some simply think that their answers won’t be good enough. You can easily prepare stories and examples that demonstrate leadership, performing under pressure and handling conflict so that you feel ready for this kind of question. Don’t wait for these types of questions that require example-laden answers, instead be proactive and weave them into your answers.
You can also help your interviewer by asking some questions of your own. As an example, ask about the types of qualities and talents that the ideal candidate should have. The interviewer will appreciate that you’ve shown an interest in his or her perspective of the position.
If you implement asking questions, using transitional phrases, and using stories and examples to highlight your strengths and past performance and you have a great chance of transforming the interview into a conversation that the interviewer will remember.
If you’d like more information on how to interview skillfully, give us a call at 281-293-7070 for more information on interview coaching.
By The Self-Expression Center Team
