Preparing for a Job Interview: Develop an Unbeatable Game Plan!Forget about “winging it!” - carefully preparing for a job interview is crucial to your success. As applicants, we must take an active role or approach by coming in with a specific and powerful “game plan” to keep us focused and most effectively persuade the employer that we’re the one they’ve been searching for. Here are 6 powerful strategies to help you develop a unique and customized game plan for each and every interview you attend. Preparing for a Job Interview Strategy 1: Constantly Focus on the Employer’s Needs The main focus throughout the interview and throughout the application process with each employer you meet is on explaining how you can help them to meet their goals. As author Wallace Wattles reminds us, you must give employers what they want before they will give you what you want. In fact, employers don’t care in the least what you want until you consistently and reliably demonstrate that you care what they want. So make it clear from start to finish that you know, care about and can easily meet the employer’s needs. Similar to the cover letter and resume that got you to the interview, a strong interview performance continues to present your “game plan” of how you meet the employer’s needs. This is similar to a “game plan” for a professional sports team. No sports team plays without first developing a strong and specific game plan, and this applies equally to job searching. Preparing for a Job Interview Strategy 2: Emphasize 1-3 Key Messages As I suggest you do in the 2nd paragraph of your cover letter and in the headline and summary sections of your resume, focus on from 1 to 3 key messages explaining why you are the best candidate for the position. You can convey those key messages clearly, consistently and repeatedly when you answer both conventional and behavioral interview questions as well as at the end of the interview when you ask the interviewers your own questions. You can continue this as well in your thank you letter and in future contacts with each employer you meet. Preparing for a Job Interview Strategy 3: Find the Essential Issue Ask yourself what’s most important – the essential issue – in the interview? Make an educated guess about what it is beforehand, and then continue to look out for it as the interview progresses. Sometimes you can even create it or contribute to it yourself during the interview. The essential issue can often be summed up on one word that represents a particular value. In interviews that I’ve attended over the past few years, examples of essential issues included statistical outcomes, commitment to teamwork and empathy. Among many other possibilities are professionalism, a positive attitude, success and individual accomplishment. It depends on the company and the position you’re applying for, but you can often get some clues from researching their website and if possible speaking with staff. Preparing for a Job Interview Strategy 4: Review and Match Your “Big 4” Consider that an Interview is not designed for you to "sell yourself" or "promote yourself." Rather, it’s a time for you to share powerful information about your skills, experience, education and motivation. Part of your game plan involves reviewing your “big 4” issues of merit - decide which of your ... 1) Skills/attributes, 2) Experience/accomplishments, 3) Specialized knowledge, and 4) Education/training ... are most impressive and relevant and that overlap or match with the specific qualifications and responsibilities listed in the job description or posting. For most occupations, it’s a good idea to feature both specific technical and people skills in this mix. Technical skills are the core skills that allow you to complete your official responsibilities, such as the ability to summarize accounting documents using computer software programs, or put up drywall using nails and plaster. People skills are all of those skills that allow you to communicate effectively and get along well with others. Preparing for a Job Interview Strategy 5: Explain Your “Motivation to Serve” It’s also important to figure out in advance how you are going to explain in the interview why – besides the pay, benefits and other financial compensation – you are so motivated or inspired to win the job. I call this your “motivation to serve.” So part of your game plan also includes finding natural ways to talk about relevant aspects of the position, your occupation and the organization you’re applying to that you feel quite passionate about. Preparing for a Job Interview Strategy 5: Express Your “Contagious Enthusiasm” It’s also important to determine how you're going to express what I call “contagious enthusiasm” throughout the interview in a way that comes across to the interviewers as genuine and appropriate. Speak about what motivates and excites you about your work – your passion! If the interviewers don’t ask a question about it, speak about it anyway before you finish the interview. But better still, find a way to fit it into your answers. Express your passionate side even if you’re speaking to “deadbeat” interviewers who refuse to respond to it the way that people usually would. Preparing for a Job Interview Strategy 6: Use Customized Keywords Throughout The job posting is a fascinating document filled with many clues about what the employer most wants from you. Take time to dissect it and create keyword links between it and your interview question responses, just as you could do when writing a most-effective customized cover letter. Keywords are particular words – single words or word phrases - from the job posting that represent important qualities sought by the employer from you. They’re very important words to the employer. Do both yourself and the employer a favour by acknowledging their importance. Perhaps you’ve forgotten about the specific details of the job description since the day you applied for the job. Brush the dust off of it and review it again. Become more familiar with the specific qualifications and responsibilities, and the keywords carefully chosen by the employer to describe them. Really study the job posting as if it’s the very last page of a fascinating novel, or on a big exam you’re studying for in your high school, college or university exams. Look for clues – what’s mentioned first? Read carefully to pick out keywords – words that are emphasized in any way: Repeated, typed in bold or italics, given top billing at the beginning of the qualifications list or specifically referred to as “assets.” All of these are important to mention in the interview, and they give you ideas about what to focus on in your game plan. Distribute several of these keywords naturally yet strategically wherever it fits in appropriately and smoothly throughout the interview in your answers and comments as well as the questions you ask the employer at the end. This way, you’re sure to “speak their language.”
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