So, even if you aren’t sure if you nailed it in the first 20 seconds of your interview, here are the two simple words that could tip the job offer scales in your favor…
THANK YOU!
Think about this – you basically have 3 opportunities in the interviewing process to convey that YOU are a good match with the job and company:
“Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.” – Voltaire
That one ability is to ask “good” questions. Do this one thing well and you can win favor over other candidates. So that leads us to …
Interviewing Toolkit – item #7…
Have a list of “good” questions to draw from – about the company’s:
The questions you ask may be the most important part of the job interview for a few reasons:
I bet you can’t get over the 20 seconds part to even start wondering what this strategy is – so let’s talk about the 20 seconds first – then I’ll share the strategy…
So – “the first 20 seconds” – really?
Actually, no, not really.
It’s really in the very first second! – and there’s research to back this up …
Michael Bond summarized it well in a feature he wrote for NewScientist magazine – Come-to-work eyes: Secrets of Interview Success …
“Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov at Princeton University found that showing people an unfamiliar face for just one-tenth of a second is long enough for them to form judgements about the person’s attractiveness, like-ability, trustworthiness, competence and aggressiveness. Having more time to deliberate doesn’t change our opinions, it only increases our confidence in them.”
His article further explains that of course you don’t want to rest your laurels on that first second – keep oozing out that authentic charm and warmth especially through the next 29 seconds or so – here’s why…
Maybe you are all of these things – if so – yeah! Good for you and especially for those you serve! You truly are a job/industry/company “lover” – not a “hater”! Hopefully, you are not “lukewarm” to “mildly liking” of these things. I especially hope you are not a job/industry/company “hater” – if you are – I feel bad for you but I feel even worse for those you serve – so, as Cher in Moonstruck would say “snap outta vit!”
So, if you could “snap outta vit!”and demonstrate that you are at least one of these – which would you think is most important to an interviewer?
Did you know that one of the fastest ways you can kill an interviewer’s interest in your candidacy is to talk on and on about all the amazing things you did or all the great, profitable ideas you had? That seems so counter intuitive – doesn’t it? Isn’t getting your amazingness across to a hiring executive the whole point of the interview after all? Well, yes – actually it is, BUT talking about all the amazing things you did is not what really makes you amazing to anyone who has a stake in filling a job opening.
What does? It’s the same thing that would make someone else amazing to you if you were doing the hiring.
Talk about what everyone wants to really know…
Successful Job Changer’s Interviewing Toolkit – item #3
Values Clarity Statements
Before I explain what these statements are – let’s get on the same page about what I mean by values.
Values – meaningful contributions you want to be a part of creating in the world
So how do you connect with your values?
You can start by simply asking yourself who really matters to me and what do I most want for them? (If this doesn’t help you get started, don’t worry, I have a more step-by-step approach to offer you in a bit – and it will only cost you about 1 hour of your time).
Values are about what you intend and actively work to manifest for others. When you are clear about who matters most to you, what you want them to experience and feel like – starting with what you can most control which is every interaction with you – a role that will fulfill you and an intended way of being in that role (how to behave) becomes clear.
One of our primary life responsibilities is to get clear about our values. That includes the roles we play in life, the people who benefit from us playing in those roles, and our intentions for how we want to impact those people in our life.
Why so much focus on what we intend for others in an interview?
Successful Job Changer’s Interviewing Toolkit – item #2
A Demonstrated Commitment To On-Going Development
The next thing that belongs in your interviewing toolkit is a solid demonstration of your commitment to on-going development. I don’t mean just something you can point to and say “I’m learning/reading/attending X right now”…
I mean a solid demonstration that development (both personal and professional) is a normal, regular on-going thing in your life. One of the biggest mistakes a job candidate can make is to only talk about professional development opportunities that were afforded to them by their current or a former employer.
So how do you demonstrate that personal growth and professional development are a regular way of life? Here are 3 factors that demonstrate a commitment to development – might they inspire you to make this commitment for yourself AND for those you serve …
So you wanna change careers in 2015 but you’re feeling overwhelmed – how on earth are you going to compete with others who have more experience? The answer often lies in having the confidence to sell yourself – with all the experience and skills you have – and don’t have.
In the spirit of the holiday season, I am going to gift you some confidence. I am giving you tools to become a successful career changer yourself in 2015. Over the next 6 blogs I will share secrets with you about what belongs in your interviewing tool kit so that you never have to feel interviewing jitters again – whether you are changing careers or just going after a new job. So let’s get a jumpstart on the new year right now!
One way to get that confidence is to give yourself the tools to explain yourself. If your interviewing toolkit includes a handful of key things – you will not only feel less anxious at interviews – you might actually enjoy interviewing – it can be fun to take your new tools out for a test drive. So what should be in a good interviewing toolkit? One thing that is essential is …
