Five steps to deliver a knock out interview performance.
As a recruiter and headhunter I interviewed many hundreds of people across most functions and disciplines over a 25 year period. Now, as a coach and mentor, one of the most frequent questions I am asked, is how can I perform best at interview? here are some of my thoughts.
1/To fail to plan is to plan to fail
An obvious point perhaps, but you might be surprised to hear how often candidates fall at the first stage in an interview process through poor planning or simply by not preparing as well as the next person. Research all you can about the company, its culture and current trading performance. What are the most important issues and themes in its marketplace? what should it be thinking about next? You can use linkedIn, company reports, advice from trusted contacts and any number of sources to build up a detailed picture.
Find out all you can about the background and values of the interviewers and what they are really looking for. This goes beyond the factual detail on the JD and should include information on why has the position come about? what are the key attributes which you will need to demonstrate? How well is your sweet spot and what you do best aligned to the objectives for the role? Detailed preparation will help you to ask intelligent questions, demonstrate knowledge and engage in meaningful coversation with the interviewer. If you get this right, it should be a conversation which you both enjoy!
2/Be authentic, say what you mean and mean what you say … and say it with purpose.
Get comfortable with who you are and be unrelentingly honest by aligning your answers with your underlying values and beliefs. Anything short of this will smack of insincerity.
This is partly a question of attitude, getting into the mind-set which says that the employer will hire you for who you are, or not at all. In a sense, you are detaching yourself from the outcome of the interview based on recognition that there is no point of talking yourself into a role to which you are ill-suited or not committed. Better to have a clear set of values, know what you stand for and not be afraid to express it. Even if the interviewer does not agree with your views, they will respect you for your clarity and strength of character.
You can plan your answers to an extent and there is no harm in having a practice interview with a recruiter or coach, but remain flexible and alert because..
3/No two meetings are ever the same and it is impossible to predict the questions and interaction exactly.
The important point in this context is to be mindful, in the moment and alert to everything which is going on in the interview room. Read the situation, sense the atmosphere and factor these assessments into your approach. What does the body language and seating arrangement say about the interviewer and how he or she is feeling? If there is more than one interviewer what is the chemistry and rapport like between them? Who is driving the meeting and how can you best engage with them both, even if one person is asking all the questions?
Reading the room and your alertness to the situation will help you to handle the meeting appropriately. Then it comes down to how well you answer the interview questions.
Listen to the questions very carefully and make sure that you understand exactly what the interviewer is asking you. If in doubt, ask them to clarify and above all, avoid answering the questions in too much detail. There is nothing worse than receiving a very long, meandering answer to a specific question, which suggests that you have not listened or worse, that you are verbose.
Some interviewers (particularly HR professionals) will work with a competency- or criteria-based approach, where they will ask the same set of questions of each individual on the shortlist and score each on how well the question is answered. Try to focus the answer on what you have done to make a difference and illustrate your answers succinctly with reference to specific, relevant examples, focussing on the I rather than the we. Be clear and honest about your contribution and proud of what you and your team managed to achieve.
4/Focus on content and delivery because..
It is what you say, AND how you say it which will make you stand out.
There has been plenty of research to confirm that interviewers respond to body language, tonal and delivery variances in speech as much or to a greater extent than they respond to the content of what you say. You will need to get both the content and delivery right to be the preferred candidate, and again it must be authentic and from the heart.
Make sure that you stay alert and respond to the verbal and non-verbal cues of the interviewer. Think about every possible variable of eye contact, gesticulation, body language and volume and get the balance right. For example, a very intense stare can be as off-putting as very little eye contact and speaking too loudly can be as bad as not being able to be heard. Using your hands to demonstrate your point can be effective (just watch the politicians at work) but excess gesticulation can make you look ridiculous.
So, balance is important and whilst some of these points will be a matter of common sense, there is every chance that you will have one or more blind spots. You need to find out what these are so that you can rectify them. Watching a video of yourself in a mock interview is an effective if not entirely comfortable way of doing this. Using a coach and mentor who is prepared to deliver honest feedback and tough love will be best of all. Remember to demonstrate that you are passionate about what you do. This will be particularly important for leadership positions where your energy and commitment will be the qualities which enable you to take others with you.
When asked about your strengths and weaknesses try to avoid the obvious trick of presenting a real strength as a weakness, such as, ‘I am known to be a real workaholic’. Think honestly about your development needs and the things you would like to do better. For example,
‘I would like to improve the way I engage with and influence difficult stakeholders.’
Is far better than
‘I don’t suffer fools gladly.’
The first answer implies ambition and a sincere desire to develop, whereas the second implies impatience and possibly a dictatorial leadership style. This might be effective in certain business situations, but generally employers are looking for a more collegiate approach. Equally, when interviewers ask you to describe a situation where you have failed, view this as an opportunity to impress, not as a threat. We learn most from our mistakes and failed initiatives. What matters most is how you answer the question, what you have learned from the experience, how you pick yourself up and then respond and grow as a consequence.
5/Get your exit strategy right
First impressions are often the lasting ones, but how you finish an interview can also be a deal maker, or breaker. Sadly, I have seen candidates fall over at this final stage through bad interview etiquette, over-enthusiasm or just plain clumsiness. There is no harm in expressing your level of interest in the role if that is how you feel, or thanking the interviewer for their time (advisable in fact). Unless you have a strong instinct about it, asking for feedback right away, or engaging in unconnected conversation when the interviewer has time constraints, are both inadvisable. Leave the interviewer with a positive, warm impression of you and reiterate follow-up actions, if there are any. A brief, well crafted email follow up thanking the interviewer for their time, is also advisable.
In summary
Try to put yourself in the shoes of the interviewer and ask yourself, what would you like to hear and see if you were sitting on the other side of the table? By all means use visualisation and whatever calming techniques work for you before the meeting, and recognise that this is your opportunity to shine. If you can enjoy the experience, all the better because it will probably reflect that you have connected with the interviewer on a social as well as cognitive level. People buy people and the level of engagement you achieve will be the clearest barometer of your success.
My next piece will focus on interviewing from the employers perspective. if you have any interesting experiences, anecdotes or reflections from either side of the table, do share them..
david.head@acceleratingexperience.com
