Interview Mistakes That Will Cost You The Job
I'm working with a woman who brings 30 years of experience in her field.
She's an industry leader who's well respected for her dynamic approach to management. She's innovative, informed, and up on all the latest technology.
She has interviewed and hired hundreds of people over her career, building successful teams from the ground up for well-known enterprises.
But, she hasn't been interviewed in a decade as she's been with the same company for that span of time.
Here's where it gets interesting.
When we talk through her messaging and work through mock interviews, she's wordy. Like snooze fest wordy. One might even forget the question they asked by the time she finishes answering... 😴
How does this happen?
First, she has so much knowledge that when she answers an interview question, it's really hard for her to pin down one singular example, or tell a story that's succinct and engaging.
Second, she feels obligated to be impressive. It's nerve-wracking to interview when you haven't done it in a while. Even when you're deeply knowledgeable about your craft.
So, in order to impress, she feels drawn to elaboration in order to show her value & expertise.
But, extensive elaboration doesn't signal intelligence, it signals a lack of empathy, or even worse, a lack of confidence. 😲
This happens to almost every senior-level executive I coach.
When the average American attention span equals that of a fruit fly (thanks to social media) and interviewers have thousands of applicants to get through, it's critical to get to the point in a compelling, likable way.
Step 1:
💖 Increase your empathy and decrease your word count.
It feels like mental gymnastics if you're not accustomed to constantly thinking about how the listener is feeling, but this is the best way to gauge how your message is being received.
🔎 Be aware of your listener while you're talking. Are they smiling and nodding? Are they looking at your resume or somewhere else while you're talking? Does it seem like they wish you would finish your answer because they got the info they needed and want to ask you something else?
Step 2:
👯 Practice interviewing with a friend (or a coach?). Prepare answers for a set of typical interview questions. ("Tell me about yourself. Tell me about a time when you were successful. Tell me about a time when you failed and recovered.").
Record your responses, study your pauses, and time to execute.
Revise as needed.
For more info on how to nail an interview at any level in your career, contact us today.
What We’re Reading 👉:
The Career Curator opens for enrollment soon! Are you on the waitlist?
Rands in Repose has an honest list of the 7 Meeting Types You Hate.
HBR also has some great interview tips. If it works for Harvard, it works for us!
