I've got great experience! I can handle multiple tasks, customer complaints, high work loads and short deadlines! So why does the thought of my next interview make my palms sweaty, turn my memory into a murky fog and delete my ability to speak intelligent English about stuff I do every day?
Kirsty Feguson of www.pinstripesolutions.com has been coaching candidates for eight years and can tell you why.
Most candidates come to me with similar concerns:
- I stumble around the answer.
- I haven't had an interview in years.
- I am not sure what the right answer is.
- I don't know what I have to offer.
- I am not sure what or how much information to provide.
- I get nervous.
- I forget what I want to say.
She says, "You simply don't do interviews every day. An interview is out of your comfort zone. In fact, what makes you an excellent professional are often the exact things that make interviews seem so daunting."
According to Kirsty, it has a lot to do with your personality. People in professional roles who struggle the most are what she calls "Process and Procedure" driven personalities. Just like Accountants, Doctors, IT professionals and Airline Pilots, your personality profile will probably say things along the lines of, I like to work within systems, I like to plan, I like order, I like challenges, I like to be prepared and I like to know my responsibilities or parameters, I also like to be in control. It certainly doesn't feel like you have any control in an interview, does it? But apparently you can be.
Kirsty explains that there are actual procedures in any personal interview even it if doesn't appear so. There are also proven communication techniques you can apply to your answers. Remember that your personality says... you like procedures, well you have to know what those interview rules are in order to perform well, just like you do on a day-to-day basis.
How do you overcome this 'fish out of water syndrome' and look like the intelligent, resourceful person you know you are?
It might sound simple but Kirsty says "The key is self knowledge and a specific type of preparation required for interviews. Most people perform better when they know what is required, so get the right information and get prepared before you open your mouth."
Interview Preparation checklist:
- Talk to the people you know at the company or in that industry and ask what to expect at the interview. See if they can remember what questions they were asked. They were successful so their insight is invaluable.
- Research the business thoroughly using the web, company profiles and media releases. Know what is going on with this company and what their values and goals are.
- Build rapport with the recruitment team or HR department by introducing yourself and keeping in touch. They will be on your side if they know who you are and you already have a relationship.
- Undertake some personality/career profiling, so you know how to describe yourself in those terms. The web has excellent on-line resources for this kind of thing.
- Make sure you have a powerful, professional resume, cover letter or on-line application. These are often your introduction to the company, or in other words, your first impression, so make it count.
- Image; what does your image say about you? That includes your tie, your briefcase, right down to your fingernails. Is your look contemporary? Have you paid attention to every detail? Because the recruitment team will notice everything.
- Get some practice... undertake some communication training or mock interviews. Treat it just like another project and get the rules or procedures of the task. This will give you guidelines to use in the interview and help you to make a lot of the decisions about what you are going to talk about before you get in there.
Kirsty says "It is not always the most intelligent, well-qualified and experienced person who gets the job, often it is the person who performs well at the interview and the person who the recruitment team remember out the 100 people they have interviewed that week". What two things would they remember about you?
For more information contact Kirsty Ferguson, award winning interview coach.
contactacoach@pinstripesolutions.com
www.pinstripesolutions.com