So you’ve found a pretty good possibility for a job and you’re excited because not only do you tick all the boxes for the skill-set the organization is looking for, but you’d just love to work there! So when you’re invited to interview, you are very pleased indeed. Except… you hate the whole assessment process, especially the face to face interview.
You are not alone, most people don’t like the whole tension interviews create and agonize over what will happen on the day. It doesn’t have to be an ordeal, there are some simple ideas you can implement which will help the whole interview experience less harrowing.
I am not going to tell you to go and research the organization here. You know you have to understand what the organization will expect from you, where it is going and what its priorities are. If not prepared here, then you won’t likely get past first base. So once you’ve done your research….
Here are the Three Strategies for a brilliant job interview:
- Find your inner confidence and be yourself
You just know you could do that job, and being able to do so would be a gift to both you and the prospective employer. Understand you don’t have to be perfect: you need to be yourself, which is more than good enough. Your goal is not to get the job; it’s to simply be the best you can on the day, just being you. Coming out of the interview knowing you weren’t yourself and not getting the job is awful; knowing you did your best, keeps your head held high.
- Intend a brilliant outcome
If you constantly imagine interviewers aren’t going to think you’re right for the job, that’s probably what will happen. Alternatively you can visualise a brilliant outcome. Use your imagination to visual a great outcome. Imagine coming out of the interview thinking “I did the best I could. I answered with honesty and integrity. If I don’t get the job it was because it wasn’t right for me”. Imagine feeling proud of yourself for doing a good job. If you come out feeling like that, even if you don’t get the job it will not matter. If you find it difficult to visualise as a future state; remember a time when you were completely yourself, your inner integrity was at the fore and you felt happy with how you did, and recreate that memory as if it were the outcome of the interview.
- Polish up your best examples and practice
Because you know that you’ve got the skills and capability to do the job, you’ve got some great examples of achievements, or difficult situations you’ve handled well, or how you learned to do things differently because you learn from your mistakes. Of course the examples must be true, if they aren’t, any skilled interviewer will pick it up pretty quickly. These should be examples you are proud of, and if you told them would convince the interviewer you are the best person for the job. If you can’t think of examples before, you will likely struggle during the interview.
You may have used some of these examples in the application process, and while you should practice those too, it would be good to think of others which underscore your abilities.
Think of these examples like a story:
- Describe the scenario
- What did you do?
- Why you did that
- The result or impact of what you did?
Practicing and learning the detail of your stories helps you become adept in the telling, so if you can practice on a friend or family member, or even the cat! By telling these successful stories, you are reminding yourself many times of why you are right for the job, and so practicing will instill greater confidence, as well as help you focus on the day. On a cautionary note, you still have to be prepared to answer questions which don’t involve these examples.
So what do you think? Would any of these work for you? Do you have favorite strategies for preparing for an interview? If so, simply add your comments below.
