Making the Initial Interview Successful

The job interview is a staged, contrived event. It is not an event that has anything to do with a person’s ability to do a job. Each party in this process is putting his or her best foot forward.

This module reviews the top ten mistakes most job candidates make in the initial interview, but more importantly, presents two basic versions of a four-phase interview process, including some tips and the scripts you need to avoid mistakes and be successful.

1. Can this person do the job?

2. Do we like him or her?

3. Is he or she a minimal risk?

4. Can we work the money out?

1. They forget that this is a selling situation—and don’t ask for the job.

   1. This is a selling situation; don't ask for the job. The objective of the initial interview is to sell what you can do for the company. You are so unique and valuable, over and above every other candidate, you need to be hired. What do i need to do to get the job?

   2. You have nothing to decide until you have a job offer. Success in the initial interview is the first step to that job offer.

2. They think that interviewing is a “two way street.”

   1. You think interviewing is a "two-way street"? The interview is not a give and take between you and the hiring authority. The initial interview is a "one-way street". A hiring authority is going to have a plethora of initial interviews for every job. You have to prove yourself as superior above all of the other candidates.

3. They focus on what they want in a job.

   1. Instead of focusing on what you can get out of the job, focus on selling yourself and what you offer the company you are interviewing with. How has your past experience made you the best candidate for the job?

4. They don’t know what they’re really selling to an employer.

   1. A hiring authority is going to have a plethora of initial interviews for every job. You have to prove yourself as superior above all of the other candidates.

5. They cannot articulate or “bridge” for the employer their specific abilities.

   1. Most candidates cannot articulate their specific abilities. They "know" they're good, and even if they're aware of their specific features, advantages and employer benefits, they can't articulate them. In other words, "this is what I've done for others so I will be successful for you". This takes practice and doesn't come naturally.

6. They have poor communication skills.

   1. Look people in the eye and communicate clearly and concisely what you can do for the company that nobody else can. If you mumble, slouch, don't look people in the eye and can't speak clearly, you won't get hired.

7. They dress improperly or poorly and/or their body language is unprofessional in the interview.

   1. Amazingly, there are still people who dress casually for an interview, slouch in their chairs and have poor eye contact. A candidate should dress like a banker and be well groomed.

8. They don’t research the company or the position their interviewing for.

   1. Candidates that do not research the company or the position they're interviewing for put themselves at a disadvantage. I'm always amazed at the number of well-educated, professional candidates who don't research the company or the job they're interviewing for. The people getting the jobs usually know a lot more about the company and the person they are interviewing with than their competition.

9. They are unable to articulate what they would like in a new job or company.

   1. "Tell me about your professional goals and how our company fits in."  -  You need to be able to articulate what you would like in a new job or company. I'm not talking about salary, title, etc. I'm talking about people who don't know what their professional goals are, where they would like to be in the future and what they're striving for personally and professionally. Too often, they come across as, "Well...I just need a  job".

10. They badmouth their present employer.

    1. AVOID BAD MOUTHING YOUR PRESENT EMPLOYER. Most candidates don't recognize that employers identify with employers. Whatever you say about your present employer or past employers, you will say about them. Your present and past employers have to appear positive.

Other "sins" that are common mistakes:
Discussing personal problems in the interview, being late for the interview, not apologizing for being late to the interview, not "closing" the interview properly, not asking what the next steps are going to be and not asking about the competitive candidates.

I am going to offer you a format and script that I have developed. It is successful 95% of the time. This is a bold statement, but it is true.

Remember: All you are trying to do is get from one interview to the next, until you are in the final group of people who are interviewing for the job.

You are rested, refreshed, and prepared. Let’s watch and learn.

Discuss your job background
Give a description of:
What You Do
How You Do It
Whom You Do It For
How Successful You Have Been

Discuss previous jobs
Always speak in positive terms and remember to weave in stories.

Phase 1
State 10-12 descriptive adjectives. See the downloadable materials to help.

Transition Phrase
Now. tell me Mr. or Ms.____, how does what I have to offer stack up with what you are looking for?

Phase 2
One question will lead to another question, which will lead to a conversation, which is exactly what you want.

End Interview Questions to Ask
Based on what we have discussed here, what do I need to do to get the job?
Is there anything about my experience that I haven't made clear?
How does what I have to offer stack up with what your looking for?
How do I stack up against others you have interviewed?
What do I need to do to get the job?

Now the conversation may go off in a number of directions, but basically you are going to “tell ’em what you’re gonna tell ’em…tell ’em…then, tell ’em what you told ’em.”

Don’t forget use our PDF form to help with notating your descriptive adjectives or basic intangible traits.

Transition Phrase
Use descriptive adjectives explaining your work ethics so the hiring authority will see how you will benefit his or her company.

Background Phase
Give a short, but very thorough, description of exactly what job function you had, how you did it, whom you did it for, and how successful you were. Please make sure you are describing and talking in terms the hiring authority can understand.

Remember to weave stories about what you have done as examples of your successes.  People love stories.  People remember stories.  People remember you when you tell them stories about your past.  Stories bypass conscious resistance and preconceived notions.  Stories, analogies, and metaphors about you that pertain to the hiring authority's need are absolutely the best way to be remembered. Of course, they need to be short, to the point, and above all, pertinent to the opportunity for which you are interviewing. Storytelling experts tell us there are six types of stories:  Who I am stories, Why I am here stories, Vision stories, Teaching stories, Value stories, and "I know what you are thinking" stories.

Explain why you want to leave or have left your job
Use very positive terms.

Remember
The hiring authority is concerned about taking a risk. Nebulous, unclear, broad generalizations have risk written all over them.

Communicate positively
Speak postively about previous employers even when it’s hard to do. Employers identify with employers.

Remember to weave stories about what you have done as examples of your successes.  People love stories.  People remember stories.  People remember you when you tell them stories about your past.  Stories bypass conscious resistance and preconceived notions.  Stories, analogies, and metaphors about you that pertain to the hiring authority's need are absolutely the best way to be remembered. Of course, they need to be short, to the point, and above all, pertinent to the opportunity for which you are interviewing. Storytelling experts tell us there are six types of stories:  Who I am stories, Why I am here stories, Vision stories, Teaching stories, Value stories, and "I know what you are thinking" stories.