Interview Practice for Competitive Advantage
By — — Posted in Interview Strategies & Tips, Real Job Seeker Stories & Successes
An interview coaching client hired me after having not interviewed for 25+ years. He now finds himself having to switch jobs. He’s a wonderful structural design engineer, who said after session #2:
“This is helping so much, I really can tell this practice and your input is helping me. I already feel much more confident & comfortable answering the questions.”
I guess so because he bought another 3 hour package.
During the feedback about one of those tricky questions like, “Tell me about a time a co-worker or client got angry with you & how you handled it“, he said,
“It’s a lot to try to remember to address during 1-2 minutes – a good example, told clearly, through the ‘PC’ filter, the ‘positivity filter’ and all the most applicable details and outcomes (sorted out from the ones that aren’t as important), while not looking nervous or confused!”
“Yep, it sure is! It really is!” I said.
I keep reminding him that in all likelihood his competition isn’t investing this time & effort to practice.
Practicing interview questions and answers also gives you ideas about stories to share that most support your ‘brand’ and his top skills that match the qualifications required. (by the way, a question framed to get the candidate to tell a story and share an example is called behavioral interviewing (sometimes structural interviewing) Even if a question isn’t framed with “Tell me about a time when…” or “Please give an example of….”, you can often work in an example story, which will strength your interview answers! This is why I teach and coach my clients on behavioral interview questions and the simple step by step outline for answering clearly every time!
Competitive advantage matters.
Other candidates probably haven’t thought to review job evaluations to look for praise from supervisors, either, which can be mentioned modestly, and also helps you to remember old projects almost forgotten that are really relevant to the new job.
Without preparing for an interview, most applicants won’t be nearly as polished and relaxed, giving my client -and anyone that makes this effort – a very real competitive edge.
I really admire how much this client is putting into preparing himself for this interview – the above & beyond will pay off, whether it’s this job or another, no doubt.
Practice makes perfect – or at least, MUCH more confident! (Read a client testimonial about the practice interviews we did together)
Reach out if you’d like to learn, and try your hand at a structured approach I teach to delivering clear, concise interview answers that tell the right story to illustrate – and thus prove your skills – in the interview!
