The 3 keys to giving a successful job interview.

#1

Think more about your audience and the people who are interviewing you and less about you. The people who are interviewing you have a real problem at hand. What is their problem? Your goal in the job interview is to show them that you are going to solve this problem. You are their solution.

In order to understand well the audience and the people who are interviewing you, you need to have empathy for them. You want them to be convinced by your idea. You are asking them to maybe let go of a belief that they hold to be true. This is not an easy thing to do. “For example, I need an accountant who speaks French and English. I need a project manager who is certified in PMP methodology. I need a programmer who has minimum 5 years of experience.”These are beliefs that the hiring manager has but they may not be true. You are there to show them that they are just beliefs but don’t have to be the reality. How can you do this? You see their point of view. You gain empathy. Your story becomes more convincing than their belief.

Why are these people interviewing you up at night and what is stressing them out? They probably have a project to complete and no good project manager. Or they have a deadline for a new app to be launched and no programmer to do it. Or, they have to complete the yearly financial statements and their CFO has just resigned.

Often the people I coach in their job interview preparation are totally consumed with themselves and their content. They have a narrow minded view.

If you are able to to change your perspective, and step into the shoes of the interviewer, you will be thinking more about your audience and your content will have much more impact, creating greater connection to your interviewer.

#2

Understand who you are in this job interview. You may think of yourself as the central figure with all eyes and ears glued on you. But, in reality, you could think of yourself more as the ‘savior’ rather than the ‘hero.’ Remember, your goal is show in this job interview that you are going to solve their problem and help them get unstuck. If you give an answer to a question, and they reject it, it is over. So you really need them to be on your side. How can you do this? Your goal is to have an attitude of humility not one of arrogance. This sets the atmosphere in order to get your content said and your idea out there without sounding like a hero but more of a saviour.

#3

Turn your content into a story that is unique and interesting to you. If you tell a great story, it’s like a sugar coated pill. It’s much easier to digest this way. People remember stories. Stories used to be books. They told history. We remembered history being passed down by mouth to mouth. Before the era of books, we listened to stories, we didn’t read them. And we remembered them.

Today, the presentation is often a bit dull and difficult to remember. Your goal is the be remembered! Make sure that you explain some tension in your story and then you show the release that happened. This is persuasive. This makes it more interesting. Be genuine. Be emotional.