How to Stop Losing Your Dream Job at the Interview Stage
It can take months to find a job depending on the specific field of interest. COVID19 has only complicated the timeline due to disruption in many industries. The first step to that new job is securing the interview. In this competitive job market, an enormous effort is required to find the right interview. Active, smart networking, phone calls, emails, texts along with vigorous LinkedIn communications and a pristine resume have rewarded you with identifying your dream job! After receiving an invitation to the interview process, you realize that you have one shot to make a positive impression persuading the hiring manager that you are indeed the right candidate for the job.
Here are a few tips to ensure you don’t blow your dream job opportunity…
PATIENCE
This process can take weeks or months, so pack your patience. There may be one or more screening rounds so congratulate yourself on each round you successfully complete. No matter how tedious these screening rounds can be any progression is a step in the right direction leading to the more in depth interview rounds. COVID19 may have caused some organizations to reimagine positions due to the prevalence of remote work so understand that decision making takes time. Communication from the company could be sparse. Take a breath. Yes, this is about your dream job but they make the decision on their time and their time only.
PREPARATION
It’s time to make a massive investment of time into preparing for the interview. I see so many clients spend all their energy getting the interview only to then relax and neglect the work needed to prepare for the actual interview. Preparing how and what will be said in order to influence the hiring manager’s decision is crucial for success. You must be able to persuade the manager through thorough explanations and examples of your work experience proving that your capabilities will further advance the team’s success. You must consider how to answer any behavioral and technical questions. Clients come to me after coming in second in the interview process lamenting the fact they didn’t know how to answer questions or provide proper work stories to explain their vast experience. This is heartbreaking to see. So what goes into a solid preparation plan?
HIRE A JOB INTERVIEW COACH!
A job interview coach provides clients with a set of tools to best prepare them for the job interview. Focusing on an individual's skills, talents and abilities the interview coach is a guide, providing instruction in various strategies for the candidate to build the best case to the hiring manager as to why you should be chosen for the position. The interview coach assists clients with practice, mock interviews and authentic, genuine coaching feedback.
It is key that clients are comfortable with their job interview coach. Searching and finding a new job is a major life experience so the coach you choose must act as a vital resource for you. It’s important to feel secure and able to be vulnerable, trusting in your interview coach.
CREATE YOUR PERSONAL BRANDING STATEMENT
This is a critical success factor. Many times this is referred to as an elevator speech. I see it as a declaration describing professional characteristics, capabilities and expertise that make a client unique. It’s a glimpse into how a person functions professionally providing a better understanding of their value to prospective employers. A properly constructed branding statement is like a menu from which a candidate can choose elements to highlight their talent during the actual interview. A personal branding statement serves as the core selling argument to the interviewer, signaling a candidate’s specific talents and why they matter to the interviewer.
RESEARCH
Educate yourself about the company you are interviewing with. If it is publicly held, how is the stock doing and why? Explore any recent press releases. Has there been any recent changes at the top of the company?. Listen to the last 4 quarterly earnings calls. These calls are full of information that help provide deeper insight into the organization. Study the past annual reports. These reports may give a glimpse into the future direction of the company. This knowledge provides direction to craft thoughtful questions during the interview. This level of preparation is impressive and is appreciated by hiring managers exhibiting your seriousness and preparation. Check online to see what is being said by employees of the company. Glassdoor and other job platforms can give current or past employees perceptions of the company.
JOB STORIES
The interviewer will be asking you a series of questions designed to reveal your talent, qualifications and fit for the job. It is your responsibility to be prepared with answers to their questions. Practicing the answers in advance regarding your past job experience is helpful. Practice these answers aloud. Storyboarding your work stories in advance allows you to create a catalogue of pertinent job stories. This catalogue is then available to you without the stress of thinking on the spot. The candidate can then easily relate how their experiences have assisted them in the past. Your stories are not an exercise in fictional writing rather they are stories that you have already lived. Identifying stories in advance and practicing them with an interview coach will boost your answers making them clear, concise and persuasive!
ASK FOR THE JOB
Asking for the job is the most forgotten element of a proper execution of the job interview. It is the period at the end of the interview sentence! Most of my manager colleagues report that it is rare that a candidate asks for the job but this is a pivotal detail that cannot be ignored. Asking for the job will definitely differentiate you letting you complete the interview on a bold and positive note. Candidates often say, “I’m applying for the job so I must want it. Why do I have to ask?” It is awkward for some to exhibit this level of boldness! Don’t overthink it. After you have asked your questions at the end of the interview, simply look at the interviewer and say something similar to, “I look forward to working with you and I am asking for this job!”
I have had colleagues tell me that if the job is a toss-up between two candidates and one asks for the job and the other does not, they will hire the candidate who asked for the job. Your initiative may well be rewarded.
Finding your dream job online and then receiving an interview for said job is a real win in this COVID19 jumble of job hunting competition. Don’t allow the position you have always dreamed of slip through your fingers because you are not properly prepared. Candidates work so hard expending so much energy into landing an interview but don’t put all of their energy or the necessary energy into the proper preparation for the interview. An attitude of “I’ve got this.” isn’t going to work with the current job competition and could lead to major disappointment. I can help you with being fully prepared for any job interview. As Benjamin Franklin famously said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
I offer a completely free 30 minute introductory job interview coaching session. Contact me today to prepare for your tomorrow!