The Interview Moment of Truth – Learning from my mistakes

After two job searches, I’ve been through loads of interviews. Here’s a few of the big mistakes I made, they may seem obvious, but often this is what we overlook.

One: Too much prep, Too little practice
It’s all in the delivery. I would figure out the key questions I expected to get and write out my answers. That is good. However, I never practiced saying the answers aloud – so when the time came, I just rambled or sounded mechanical. The solution: Practice saying your answers aloud 5 or 6 times. You will feel more confident, cut out the clutter in your answers and sound natural.

Two: Talking to an insider
There are loads of ways to learn about a company, but the best way is to meet a current employee. Spend a coffee with someone and you’ll be amazed at what you did not know. You get a good feel for the culture, common language used and issues facing the firm.

Three: Build the brand in advance
Sometimes it’s not the best skill, but the best brand. The more people that know your story inside a company, the better the chances you advance in the process. Work your network like crazy to either meet people inside the firm or have your network call on your behalf. Don’t try to sell yourself, just reach out to connect.

Four: Let the story build
I felt compelled to share my amazing story in its full glory… well, it seemed amazing to me. Think of your answers like a commercial – short, informative and compelling. If the person interviewing wants to learn more, then they will ask. If they don’t ask, then perhaps they heard enough or it’s not a key decision point for the position. Either way, just be patient and build your story.

Five: Being able to answer “Do You Have Any Questions for Me?”
This is an easy one to miss, because we focus so heavily on what to say about ourselves. It only took me once of answering this question with “Ummm, let’s see…” to know I needed a change. I prepared a written set of questions for every interview and brought copies to share. Many questions got answered during the interview, but there several that did not about the position, business model, peers, current staff, etc. I highly recommend, “201 Best Questions To Ask On Your Interview” by John Kador – a great resource.

As always, hope this helps!

Good luck today!

Mark Richards

www.candidateschair.com – Tools and Advice from a Candidate’s viewpoint to help get past job search roadblocks and keep your spirit strong. Please take a visit.




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