You’ve done the hard part. You’ve got your foot in the door. You’ve given yourself a fighting chance.
We’re even going to assume that you’re not incompetent and you’ve done some research on the company, know how to dress appropriately, can shake hands, look people in the eye, etc.
But interviews are especially challenging because you never know who (or what) you’re going to get.
Are they going to ask the standard “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” (Which is a garbage question. Seriously, it’s right up there with “What’s your biggest weakness?”)
Are they going to outline scenarios and ask you how you’d respond?
The point is, you don’t know, and you have zero control over what the interviewer will ask you.
So how then do you tilt the balance in your favor?
Excel at the part you can control by using carefully crafted scripts.
Take the job description and match up skills you possess to elements of things the employer is looking for.
Also, if you have access to information about the person who is interviewing you (Linkedin, company bio, etc.) try to match your strengths with things they likely hold in high regard.
Once you’ve accumulated this information, create 5-7 scripts highlighting how your skill set, personality, etc. align with the job description and/or traits the interviewer will appreciate.
Talk through and practice these scripts enough that they come off very natural. You don’t want to sound like a robot, but you do want to know them well enough that they roll off your tongue confidently, and flow smoothly during your interview.
Redirect the interview by using your rehearsed scripts.
Let’s say, for example, your interviewer asks you the dreaded “where do you see yourself in 5 years?”
Instead of saying something like, “A product manager for your company, sir,” why not try using one of the scripts you’ve concocted.
“It’s very hard to say; however, because of my insatiable desire to continue learning and innovating as evidenced by the fact that I read 50 industry articles a day after I leave the office, I envision myself continuing to hone my ability to set the standard for how to measure key performance indicators that tie directly into the bottom line of the business. I genuinely hope that my diligence with respect to measurement will help your company track and test the most effective methods for marketing product X, and in turn enable me to continue to grow under leadership’s guidance.”
You didn’t give them a typical answer, but maybe you:
- Played to the fact that you know this particular person puts a lot of emphasis on continuing to learn and grow.
- Showcased that you value metrics, which was something that was mentioned multiple times in the job description. Bonus points for having a very concrete example on hand (i.e. through A/B split-testing I discovered that the 80×40 banner ad outperformed the 140×20 banner ad by 85%, thereby generating 12 more conversions at $15K per conversion at company X).
This is a perfectly acceptable way to manipulate the system and even the odds.
Even if you’ve read up on the company, the interviewer, etc. it’s too easy to get rattled and stumble through tough interview questions.
Having 5-7 scripts that showcase how your personality and skills align with the job your interviewing for enables you to convey key things about yourself in a comfortable and confident manner.
This will put you miles ahead of more qualified candidates that trip up, get flustered, lose their confidence, and stumble through hard to answer questions.
Have you tried something similar? Did it work for you? What other tactics do you use to excel at interviews? What challenges do you face in the job search? How can I help you land the job of your dreams?
[Update]: Ramit also posted a post on acing interviews today.
If you enjoyed this post please consider subscribing to receive future updates or connecting with me via Twitter or LinkedIn
I’m in job search mode myself so I find your advice pretty helpful and accurate at that. I would say this advice could apply to both phone and in-person interviews, but maybe even more so for phone interviews because those are often the first impression and more awkward than in-person interviews. (Plus, you could actually have your script notes in front of you to jog your memory!)
I actually have an interview for a job I really want tomorrow afternoon and was preparing over the weekend and thinking along the same lines as what you’ve presented here. I kept thinking, “how can I prepare for the questions I just don’t have answers to?” like “Who are you?/Tell me about yourself” — gosh I never know where to start for that one. I started thinking, “Well, if I can just avoid the question like a politician and just sort of change the subject and say good things about myself I’m sure that would be better than just fumbling for words”.
I didn’t prepare full-blown scripts & practice them so I’d remember (my interview is at a local bar, so pretty casual, and I have a horrible memory regardless), but I did spend some time researching the company, checking out the staff bios and LinkedIn profiles, and then reviewing the job description again and preparing a cheat sheet of work history examples of how I meet all the criteria. Just enough so that when they ask me about my ability to multi-task and work in a fast-paced environment I have some examples to back me up.
Unless it’s a really important/formal interview I’m not sure preparing and memorizing so many scripts would really be worth the time I would end up putting in to it though. At least personally. But for someone with a pretty good memory to begin with I think it would be a great idea.
.-= Carlee Mallard´s last blog ..Online and offline Event Planning Resources =-.
Thanks for the feedback Carlee. It’s always great to get perspective from someone currently in the trenches.
I’d say reviewing the descriptions, the company websites, and staff bios is pretty standard, but I’m glad you went the extra step worked some examples for relatively common questions you can anticipate. That likely puts you ahead of the game.
In terms of amount of preparation I will say that if you want a particular gig bad enough everything you can do to prepare and give yourself an edge is worth the time. Ramit talks about how some of his peers (Stanford Grads) would meet weekly to give each other mock interviews for a couple of hours. (Now that’s intense, but for those ridiculously hard to attain, highly competitive jobs I suspect it was worth it).
I also say, many of the scripts (and I call them that… it’s not like 7 pages of actual written out scripts – more like 7 key things I want to hit on and a few bullet points to trigger what I want to say beneath each) are versatile. Once you use them in a couple of interviews, you’ll find they stay with you and you can consistently go back to them with increasing comfort.
You’re giving Tim Ferriss a run for his money here.
It sucks how much interview success depends on playing a role.
.-= Tyler Hurst´s last blog ..The public exposition of Jared Lee Loughner =-.
I’m WAY more stacked than Ferriss.
See… I disagree. I don’t think it’s about playing a role. I think it’s about finding ways you fit with a company and then strategically mapping out a way to convey that to the interviewee.
I think if you “play a role” and get the job, you’re screwed, because you won’t fit the role you applied for. You won’t be the person they hired. That doesn’t do you OR the company any good. I’m not advocating bullshit. I’m teaching people how to prepare effectively.
Yea, I agree with you Ryan. I’m not interested in pretending to be someone I’m not in an interview. It doesn’t do anyone good.
.-= Carlee Mallard´s last blog ..Online and offline Event Planning Resources =-.
You nailed it. Practicing your interview answers is way underrated.
However, I would add this: Be yourself.
You would think that would be a given, but learning how to relax and be natural also takes practice.
Seems ironic.
Good addition Chris. (And glad you stopped by, we need to catch up soon!)
I hope nothing in the post eluded to not being yourself (between you and Tyler I’m worried it came off that way).
Like I mentioned in my response to Tyler, if you’re NOT yourself and you get the gig it won’t be the right fit anyway. Either you won’t be good for the job, or you’ll have to keep “faking” who you are to succeed.
Having scripts is merely a way to settle into a comfort zone and make sure you’re able to convey some key messages that should enhance your chances of interviewing well and obtaining the job.
Good post…knowing what you want to say in an interview before you get there is key.
However, you also need to remember that the interviewer knows how to interview too so if you are too rehearsed it might come across as fake… also, although I think you can redirect questions to futher demonstrate what you are about – if you don’t answer the question you might piss the interviewer off and there is a fine line of it looking like you are re-directing because you don’t have an answer – so something to be careful about 🙂
As an interviewer for a large FMCG, if someone gave me the answer that you have written for the ‘where do you see yourself in 5 years’ question, I would have a few concerns as it goes slightly off topic. and sounds like you are trying to show off your knowledge of the company in the wrong setting.. the part about learning and developing is great but bringing in metrics comes acrossed as a bit contrived.Anyway, just my opinion, a lot of companies interview differently and look for different things!
Sorry to comment slightly negative, but a lot of people read and listen to the advice on your blog!
I think Chris’s comment on being yourself is the most important advice.
The other advice I would give is to think about why the interviewer is asking the question in order to give the right answer – they are usually waiting to hear something.
@Sarah – Thanks for your comment from an interviewer’s perspective. I think where the confusion is coming from is the fact that I call what I use as “scripts.” It’s not so much as something you’d read in an interviewing screen play as it 5-7 key ideas I want to make sure I convey.
The critique of the example is a fair one. Admittedly this post was sitting in queue waiting for ‘an example,’ and I decided to ship it. The original intent was to pull a real job description, staff bio, etc. Perhaps I’ll revisit and clear some things up.
It boggles my mind that people read and listen to my advice so thanks for keeping me honest. And please, never apologize or preface yourself for a “negative comment.” If you’re not challenging me – then I’m not getting better.
This is very post Ryan. I like the idea of having scripts, what worked for me was understanding this concept. There are basically 4 types of interviews/interviews (which you could have a script for each). It is more of a matrix to be honest with two scales based on how much the interviewer is looks for skill-set or personality traits. The other axis consists of formal and informal.
So there are:
Formal personality-oriented
Informal personality-oriented
Formal skill-oriented
Informal skill-oriented
You would think Informal personality-oriented would be the easiest type of interview, but you would be wrong. The lack of structure and unexpected questions can be tough for many.
.-= Bryan Cromlish´s last blog ..Exploring Twitters Sentimental Side with our New Hootsuite App =-.
Thanks for this post! I’m sharing it with my husband who has some interviews this coming weekend. =)
I agree as well that being yourself is important- I always try to remember that if I act like someone I’m not and I get the job, then maybe I won’t fit into the corporate culture very well since I offered a fake personality!
I love that you mentioned practicing! Too often I think people worry they will sound rehearsed, but if done properly and you have already thought through some of your “proudest moments” you will be better able to whip them out and using them in a way that will answer the interviewers question and impress them.