01/04/2023
HNY From Kevin at Northwest Resumes!
The new year is here. Many of us make pointed plans to improve ourselves as people. But well before your last resolution has sputtered (before suffering an unceremonious demise), other folks are busy getting their resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles spiffed up for a run at their 2023 “dream job”.
As many companies and organizations look to replenish their workforces, the start of any new year is THE time for ditching the old boss for the new boss (even though, according to Pete Townsend, that one will inevitably be “Same as the old…”).
But what to do… when you actually land that interview?
You may recall a Jerry Seinfeld bit in which the celebrated comedian joked about people being MORE afraid of speaking in public than they were of DEATH. (“So let me get this straight: you’d rather be the one IN the coffin than the one delivering the eulogy?”) A recent Yale research study revealed the average person gets just as nervous for a job interview as they do when speaking in front of a large audience. So by the transitive property of stuffy, Ivy League research group studies…you get the picture…
If you’re like the average person, you’d pretty much rather be beaten with a sack of quarters than have to even THINK about interviewing for your next job. (Even if you’re not generally into that kind of thing)…
So what’s the remedy for this?
Uh oh, do you feel a “listicle” coming on?
Here we go, from the Home Office in Loyal Heights, Seattle…Kevin Daniels, President of Northwest Resumes’ Top 5 tips for Nailing your Next Job Interview:
1. Actually prepare: This seems like it’s coming from the Department of Redundancy Department, but you’d be surprised. Studies conducted by the HR departments of some of the most recognizable companies have shown that a staggeringly high percentage of interviewees (responding anonymously) admitted their only real preparation for the interview was …”hoping it would go well”. More than 50% admitted to NOT EVEN HAVING VISITED THE COMPANY’S WEBSITE. So what does this tell you? If you do anything at all, you will surely be putting yourself ahead of the average candidate! And yes, the most basic thing you can do is visit the website. You can also Google “Behavioral Job Interview Questions” (because 75% of your interview will be comprised of these; usually starts with something like “Can you give an example of a time when…”). Practice answering as many as you can---by writing the answer by hand—in the SAR format (start with explaining the Situation you encountered, then the Action you took in response; then finally the Result of that action).
2. Stick to Work topics: Just by nature of some of the questions, you will find yourself thinking, “Do they want me to talk about work here, or my personal experience?” (Classic example is the dreaded “tell us a little bit about yourself”). The Answer? Always Stick to Work. You’re there in a professional capacity to talk about professional things. They don’t want to hear about your golf game. They want to hear stories about how you work. So, in the case of “tell us about yourself”… Respond with your “professional elevator speech”; a concise synopsis of the history of your employment (high points). And again, I suggest writing this out by hand—and practicing it. A lot.
3. Dress like you mean it: Another puzzler is, “Oh geez, what do I wear?” Horror stories abound, again from HR departments, about what some folks have donned to an interview. Bermuda shorts and flip-flops? Yeah, not a great idea, even if you’re applying for Banquet Manager at the Margaritaville in Key West. The rule of thumb here is… you pretty much can’t overdress for an interview. For a male, a professional looking shirt and tie is great, and even today, they’re not going to throw you out for wearing a suit jacket. If you’re female, any conservative-looking, business-ish look (think business casual), is great. You can always call the HR department of the company and ask them what their office attire policies are, but again, even if folks sometimes wear t-shirts and jeans---avoid that for the job interview. Just think about the message you’re sending.
4. Refine Your Messaging: There are so many myths about job searching. One of the most common is, “The Most Qualified Candidate Always Gets the Job”. Not always. Not even close. The one who gets the job… is the one who can sell the idea that [they] have the strengths, the motivation, and are the right fit for the company and the position. Keep this in the back of your mind while you’re interviewing. Strengths. Motivation. Fit. Make sure your messaging is consistently steeped in illustrating you have all three.
5. Ask them questions of your own: The worst thing you can do, when they ask you if you have questions for them (and they will), is say, “Nah, I’m all good…” Based on the research that you do before the interview, you should already have at least two or three ready to go, and during the interview, more questions will arise. A neat trick here too, is asking a question that will set you up to be the solution to a problem, for example, “What do you think will be the first project I’d be working on?” Based on their answer, you might have the opportunity to say, ”I’m so glad to hear that, because I have 10 years of recent experience doing exactly that.”
