Job interviews: why there is no need to dread them
I guess it’s a sign of the times but just lately I’ve worked with more clients looking for a new job. They came to me for help, not because they were having difficulty finding the roles they wanted or getting shortlisted but because they found themselves falling at the final hurdle: the interview.
In most situations, like at a party or at the school gates picking up the kids, if someone asked us about ourselves or what we do, most of us would just answer the questions and think nothing about it. But when sat opposite an interview panel there are some of us that lose the ability to think or speak in coherent sentences. In fact, one my clients described it as standing facing a prison wall. So, what can we do to help us break down that ‘wall’ and perform in the interview like we know we can?
Here are Traction Coaching’s five top tips to help you be at your best during the interview:
Ignore what’s in front of you. Naturally in an interview we try to ‘read’ the panel; do they like me? Chances are if you think they don’t, you’ll lose confidence and focus. But what are we looking at? Everyone is unique and acts accordingly - an interview panel is no different. I’ve been in interviews where no one has smiled, no one looked me in the eye or acknowledged any answers but rang me shortly afterwards to offer me the role. Equally I’ve had ones where they’ve made loads of notes and nodded at my answers but never heard from them again. Ignore what they are doing and focus on yourself.
Ask for precise feedback and listen. I know most people ask for post interview feedback but are we asking the right questions and do we truly listen? I read a great book called ‘Thanks for the Feedback’ by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen. They say, we all have blind spots and two things that we are often unaware of when talking to people are our faces and our tone of voice, two of the biggest ‘leakers’ of our emotions. Ask for feedback, and if they tell you something challenging, get them to be precise, ask for an example. Really listen and it may be just their opinion but if you hear the same theme more than once, address it.
Be clear on what you want them to remember about you. When I used to work with CEO’S and Directors doing TV and radio interviews, I’d always remind them to be clear about the one thing they wanted people to hear. Trying to tell people too much often means they hear too little of everything. When you go into a job interview, be clear on what you want the panel to know and remember about you. Are you a good communicator, are you a brilliant organiser, or perhaps you are well trained on a platform they use? Narrow it down and then make sure the answers and examples you use showcase it.
Assume nothing. When I was at school one of my maths teachers drummed into us that we needed to show how we worked something out. If an examiner could see that we understood what we were doing but had just made a simple error in adding up, we’d still get good marks. We can’t assume the interview panel understood we knew what we were doing but just made a mistake. There are thought processes and evaluations you make when doing something in your role too, don’t assume that what you know or how you work is just what everyone does. Talk them through the why. Or as Mr Jones would have said: show your working.
Don’t take it personally. No one likes rejection but what counts is what you do with it. You have no idea who else is going for a job, or the circumstances around the vacancy. For example, there may be an internal candidate who has been acting in the role for the last six months or a candidate out there who has the exact experience in the sector or field they are looking for. In short, you have no idea what you are up against or what the panel has its sights set on. All you can do is your best and that is good enough. Get some feedback, dust yourself off and onto the next.