Many jobseekers often fail to come prepared to an interview with a clear STRATEGY. The type of strategy used or lack of strategy impacts candidacy. Start by doing your homework to know and understand in detail your Unique Value Proposition (UVP) and your target.
★ BE PREPARED TO HANDLE THE UNEXPECTED AT INTERVIEWS
The irony is that you never know how an interview will progress.
Find out what type of interview will be conducted and by whom. Interviews can be phone screening interviews, behavioural or situational, panel, sequence interviews, or even lunch interviews. Knowing this information is important to carving out your exact strategy for succeeding in the interview process.
Interview coaching is a great way to refine your interviewing skills to perfect and synchronize your verbal and non-verbal communication, handle challenging questions, and navigate different scenarios.
Going with the flow and preparing for the unexpected is your best course of action.
Being able to forecast and navigate challenges, manage your emotional intelligence, and leverage effective interpersonal and problem solving skills is essential to establishing rapport and ensuring a successful interview.
In this changing world of work, employers are seeking candidates who can adapt to any situation and can think creatively, but also critically under pressure.
Interviewing is a learning experience that involves understanding the employer's perspective and authentically presenting to the employer that you are the best candidate to do the job.
Remember: interviewing is not only about your needs and goals, but considering the employer's needs and goals as well.
Can you highlight to the employer why he/she should hire you?
★ ADDRESS THE EMPLOYER'S BUYING MOTIVATORS
Knowing how you can leverage this value to meet the goals and buying motivators of the employer is essential to standing apart from the competition. Evaluate the company's situation and employer's needs beforehand. Consider:
>> Is the employer preparing for a change or transition?
>> Is he/she seeking someone who can spearhead new product lines, creative ideas,
or revenue-generating strategies to grow the company?
>> Is the employer wanting to turn around the customer service or logistics side of
the organization while reducing costs?
>> Is the employer looking for a take-charge leader who can take the ball and run
with it when it comes to boosting morale or revitalizing team performance?
It involves asking yourself the critical question that many jobseekers often sidestep:
"How will I address the employer's particular pain points?"
THE KEY QUESTION TO CONSIDER:
The paradigm has shifted. In today's world of work, you are the CEO of your own brand and career security lies in your own hands.
...It's not what the company and/or employer will do for you, but what you can and will be able to do for that company.
While the world of work is changing, opportunities abound for those who are resourceful, proactive, strategic, and ambitious.
★ CONDUCT INTROSPECTION & RESEARCH
It is important to conduct introspection and research well in advance of the interview. This will help you to...
✔️ Be prepared and empowered to interview and answer questions
effectively. Employers appreciate resourceful candidates who can
convey both quantitative and qualitative results they have accomplished.
✔️ Position yourself to confidently embrace your next career move through
networking. LinkedIn can help as a trusted resource here.
✔️ Understand the value, offerings, and skills you bring to that company. How does
that align with the employer's needs/goals and vice versa.
✔️ Leverage your marketable skills and identify possible areas of improvement.
✔️ Elaborate how you would be a good fit for the company, role, and its culture.
✔️ Equip yourself with all the relevant knowledge to understand your role or true
purpose and potential in that company in both the short and long-term.
✔️ Avoid any unexpected surprises and know what to expect when it comes to the
role, company and its status, as well as its culture and team members.
Research involves more than just viewing the posting for keywords or uncovering basic facts about the organization.
It's about conducting due diligence.
Delve deeper using various tools to analyze facts and capture an accurate snapshot of the target job, employer, and industry.
Then, carve out a solid interviewing strategy to position yourself as the "preferred candidate."
★ KNOW YOURSELF:
✔️ Identify personal and professional career goals. What is your precise vision,
mission, and values? What are your must-have criteria, nice-to-have criteria, and
not-have criteria concerning your ideal role? What are your driving motivators?
✔️ Affirm the specific qualifications that are in sync with the employer's goals.
✔️ Define your areas of expertise, background, style, and exclusivity –– what sets
you apart from other candidates?
✔️ Identify your accomplishments –– both qualitative and quantitative. Utilize the
CAR Method (Challenge-Action-Results). Employers want you to talk about results!
✔️ Collect relevant information including milestones using your updated résumé,
performance reviews, job descriptions, salary reviews, accolades, biography, and
reference letters etc.
★ KNOW THE TARGET:
✔️ Learn all you can about the job, company, and industry you're targeting. Start
with general information about the company or organization. Explore the
company's products/services, teams, number of employees, corporate history,
corporate culture, competitors, and management style. Leverage LinkedIn.
✔️ Understand the company’s vision, mission, and values and your
alignment. This is a critical component of career satisfaction and
often determines a candidate's positioning within that organization.
✔️ What objectives, responsibilities, and requirements do you need to meet? To
what extent do you meet these criteria?
✔️ What are the employer’s key issue or buying motivators? For example: is revenue
generation, customer satisfaction, cost savings, or innovation key priorities? How
you would tackle certain pain points using your expertise and skill sets?
✔️ Conduct your due diligence on the company and industry with the career field,
historical and current trends. What does the future forecast look like?
>> Evaluate recent articles, periodicals, business magazines, or news pieces. Your
savvy knowledge, current research, and fact-finding will be an asset
when answering: "What do you know about our company?"
>> Scope the internet for regional and industry-specific Labour Market
Information (LMI) by conducting a Google search, setting up Google alerts on
the company or checking government sites such as HRDC.
>> Examine competitor sites for data on industry statistics, facts, and products.
>> Review financial papers to uncover the financial state of the company, which
can help you forecast the future viability and stability of the organization.
>> Explore alumni and business networks –– a golden nugget of information.
>> Network with friends, industry colleagues, and business partners to discuss
current issues, industry trends, and company developments.
>> Attend industry association meetings, review trade magazines, and
read corporate annual reports to stay on top of industry developments.
With a solid interviewing strategy and knowing your value and your target, you will be prepared to interview more confidently. Remember, success is up to you!
Lori Jazvac is a Certified Interview Strategist through Career Professionals of Canada. For more information about uncovering a solid interviewing strategy to excel in your next interview, contact Lori. Visit www.creativeresumestrategist.com