If you want to win that job, it’s time to ‘Put on the Interview Hat’. Switch into selling mode as soon as you enter the interview room and then take the hat off and revert to your normal self once you leave the room.
How do you do this? Here are 7 tips to set you up for an outstanding interview performance.
Tip #1: Give the interviewer enough information
Most candidates are so worried about being boring and rambling on that they give very little information to allow the buyer to select them.
Or, they haven’t done their homework – they haven’t thought about exactly how they bring value to the workplace and therefore are incapable of selling that value to the prospective buyer.
So, when invited to ‘give an example’, as in the classic behavioural interviewing technique, their answers are usually limp and unconvincing.
How long should my answer be in a job interview?
One of my career colleagues had an egg timer approach and his emphasis was on clients spitting out the content as quickly as possible and then keeping quiet.
I’ve never agreed. I always compare a great interview response to an engrossing movie. If we’re caught up in the story, we simply don’t notice time passing. So, my recommendation is to deliver a well structured story that fascinates the interviewer.
- Use the PAR model
Problem…Action…Result is a great model to construct a coherent answer. You need to make your answer really zing. So, with the ‘Problem’, set the scene and make them care about the issue. With the ‘Action’, keep it to the 3 key things you did. And when it comes to ‘Result’, ensure there is a concrete outcome. - Use numbers wherever possible
Numbers add immense credibility to your stories. - Mention other people in your stories
Your stories should paint a picture that people are important to you. - Have a hook
Find something about your story that makes it memorable. It is not enough to create a momentary good impression. Your buyer needs to remember your stories two hours later, two days later, so that you stay front of mind as the outstanding candidate. - Provide insight into your philosophy / rationale
It’s dangerous to expect a prospective employer to extrapolate from the specifics of your story to the problems they would want you to solve in their workplace. You need to give them insight into your thought processes. That way you sound thoughtful, self-aware and mature.
Tip #2: Make them like you
Charm the listener so they think it would be great to work with you. According to a survey by Recruitment site CareerOne, more than 86% of employers said that a candidate’s lack of likeability or interview etiquette would probably cost them a job opportunity. We’re talking about crucial stuff here!
- Use coffee shop talk
It’s very hard to be charmed by someone who sounds like they’re being interrogated or who is stiff and formal. - Obey normal rules of social discourse
Smile, nod and use Active Listening when appropriate. - Provide content that makes you appear mature and thoughtful
Nuanced answers, even those that may reveal (carefully chosen) inadequacies make you sound like a real human being, someone they can relate to.
Tip #3: Engender trust in your technical competence.
Your aim is to make them feel you will easily slot into the role without needing too much hand-holding.
- Know your stuff
Make sure that your answers fit with best practice. - Broaden your research and thinking
Once you’ve covered off on the essentials outlined in the job ad, make sure you can talk about general management principles. For example, I have never met any client yet who could define ‘Leadership’ in any coherent way.
Tip #4 Eliminate damaging words
Do you use words or phrases that damage you in an interview? Here are just a few that come up again and again:
- ‘I had to’ as in ’I had to talk to the customer about her problem.’
This sounds as though the only reason you completed the action was because someone else insisted. It makes you seem reactive and lacking in energy or self-motivation.
Replace these with direct language that conveys purpose e.g. ‘So, what I did was…’ - ‘They’ as in ‘They told me that I had to move to a different department’.
This presents you as alienated from your managers and lacking in agency. Remember the person sitting opposite you in the interview is your next possible manager. Do you really want them to imagine you describing them in the same way?
Replace this with something like, ‘My Manager asked me to …’ - ‘We’ as in ‘We decided to contact the client immediately’.
Some people answer all interview questions using ‘we’ without even thinking about it. Other candidates do it deliberately, believing that it shows inclusiveness / teamwork / leadership etc.
Replace this approach with a precise description of the value that YOU brought to the issue.
Tip #5: Match the language style of your marketplace
We all make grammatical errors but you need to eliminate those which will shock your audience. Here are some common issues:
- ‘Youse’ as in ‘When are youse going to let me know whether I’ve got the job or not?’
This, of course, is the ultimate fingernail-down-the-blackboard-word. - ‘Somethink’ as in ‘It was somethink that I really needed to do.’
For anyone applying for middle level to senior roles, this makes you sound uneducated. (It’s also surprisingly common). - Malapropisms, where a correct word or phrase is used with an incorrect meaning e.g. ‘pacifically’ instead of ‘specifically’ or a lovely one, ‘for all intensive purposes.’
Tip #6: Demonstrate the appropriate persona for the role
If the role you’re applying for is a promotion, you may need to change your current demeanour. On a superficial (but important) level, for example, most experts will advise you to dress at that more senior level well before any interview.
Persona is a complicated matter and it goes beyond your attire. Here are some issues to watch out for in interviews:
- If you’re applying for a CEO role, you need to convey gravitas and presence. Your Board must believe you have what it takes to lead their organisation well.
- If you are wanting an Executive role, both your communication style and your interview content is expected to be nuanced. You need to sound mature and self-reflective.
- At the Executive level, you are expected to be at ease in difficult or awkward situations. You should look comfortable and relaxed throughout your interview.
Tip #7: Overcome bad interviewers
This last ‘tip’ is so important, I’m giving it the Full Monty. Let’s look at 3 classic problems that BAD interviewers present and what to do about it.
- Dominant interviewers
- Good cop, bad cop – except there’s often no good cop
- Silence as a weapon
1. Dominant interviewers
It may be that they’re self-important. Or, that they just ramble on and on.
Don’t give up. Put your ‘interrupt’ antennae into hyper drive. Listen to what the interviewer is saying and take advantage of any possibility to interrupt naturally. Acknowledge what they have just said and then start your (relevant) spiel. Speak strongly and confidently. In this way, you convey that it was normal for you to interrupt.
Let’s say the interviewer states: ‘We think customers are central to everything we do here’ (brief pause). You jump in with: ‘That’s great. I wouldn’t want to work for an organisation which didn’t think that way. In my last job, I…’ And off you go.
At the end of the interview, when you are asked if you have any questions, you can also use this prompt to add more content if you need. For example, you might say: ‘Yes I do have some questions but I’d also like to cover off on a few areas that will help you assess my suitability’. And, then deliver key content that has been missed.
2. Good cop, bad cop – except there’s often no good cop
What form does Bad Cop take?
At its most benign, it could be an interviewer who doesn’t look at you much throughout the entire interview. You start to think it’s because they’re not interested in you and it affects your interview performance.
If you do face the situation where an interviewer either asks you a confrontational question or has an aggressive manner, take a breath and pause. Deliver your answer in a calm manner. The pause makes you appear mature and confident enough to handle the pressure. Don’t become belligerent. Maintain eye contact in the normal manner for the remainder of the interview.
3. Silence as a weapon
You’ve just given an excellent answer to the interview question but the pause goes on and on.
Don’t feel you need to fill the vacuum. If the interviewer doesn’t take control, simply ask them if they’d like you to expand further on your answer. And then wait. They will either say yes or else will continue with the next interview question.
Don’t Judge. Do Your Homework
It doesn’t necessarily mean you should think poorly of the organisation just because they conduct a poor interview. One of my good friends had an interview panel where her potential boss did not look at her once until the very end of the interview. Very off putting! However, not only did Jennifer win the role, she worked very well with her boss and has loved working in the organisation for many years now.
It’s worth separating out your due diligence about the role, the organisation and your future boss from the entire interview process. These days, with LinkedIn, you can carefully investigate all three elements quite easily. So there’s no reason not to look before you leap.
The Show Must Go On
The bottom line is that interviews are a performance. I sing in Aged Care facilities and the response I get from my audience can vary considerably. Some days, there’s just not much feedback. When this happens, it’s quite hard to have faith in my performance and I do sing worse.
However, there is a standard below which my performance never drops because my singing is backed up by lessons and practice. The same theory should apply to you. Find someone to help you reach a (solid) minimum standard and then practise, practise, practise.
That way, you’ll attain a performance level where if you miss out on a job it’s for the right reason – that is, you and the organisation were not a good fit, not because both you and your interviewer were poorly skilled at interviews.
Or, to phrase it more positively, you will get that job of your dreams because you were skilled enough to make up for any deficiencies of your interviewer.
A Life Skill that lasts for your entire career
A few years ago, I helped a medical specialist with a job application. ‘Serena’ was a surgeon from South America who had spent several years studying/working to meet Australian requirements. If she was not successful in winning the role, Serena faced having to return to South America. Just think of the ramifications!
Serena was surprisingly poor at interview techniques so it was lucky that she scheduled two practice sessions. She won the job (thank God).
Almost all of us live and die by the interview sword. Yet, so many graduates, professionals and Executives fail to ensure that they master interview skills.
What about you? Are you winging it?
Use the above checklist to do something about swinging the balance of power to you in interviews. You won’t be sorry.
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