The Connor Consultancy - Outplacement Services "We see things differently"
Outplacement Interview Tips
Advanced Interviewing Techniques
What can we learn from people who are successful in interviews and from the best headhunters around. What these people have in common is that they have questioned the very way people traditionally approach interviews. Namely that of CONTROL.
Never enter an interview without the intent and means of controlling it.
Just as a lawyer never asks a witness a question in court unless the lawyer already knows the answer, you should not attend an interview unless you already know that you can do the job. You cannot match yourself to a job unless you know exactly what the parameters of the job are before you walk into the interview.
Use the same 'Insight' techniques you use in sales to research the job and your potential employers. It's surprising how little people know about a job they are interviewing for. And it shows. That is why most job hunters leave the interview wondering what is going to happen next. The answer is nothing.
The Four Questions
- Do you understand the job that needs to be done?
- Can you do the job?
- Can you do the job the way the employer wants it done?
- Can you do the job profitably for the company?
Key to this process are 'The Four Questions', you will be selling yourself short if your preparation is focused more than 10 percent on the formalities of interviewing. Ninety percent of your preparation should be spent on answering the four questions; that is,on understanding the employers business, your skills, and your ability to do the work. If you are the right person for the job, DEMONSTRATE IT. Try to be the solution to the Managers problem.
Do not let someone interrogate you so that they can decide whether you can do a certain job. You decide whether you can do that job before you meet with the interviewer. You attend the interview so that you can show a prospective employer what you can do and they can see why they need to hire you. That's how you will demonstrate your respect for them and their business. The tone of the interview will change, you will be able to feel it. Both you and the manager will become aware that you are working like a member of his team to solve his problems and get a job done, rather than being interviewed.
As soon as you have shown the employer that you are the person who can meet his needs, the power in the interview will tip in your direction, because you will have made him need you.
If you want the job TELL THEM. All too often, a candidate for a job leaves the interview convinced they did well. They want the job and thinks the interviewer knows it. But they have not explicitly expressed their interest. This can be a fatal mistake.
Below are some questions we can use to enable us to demonstrate our capabilities:
"I want to help make our meeting as productive as possible, without wasting any of your time. I want to be ready to show you exactly how I would do the job you need to have done"
"I don't really want to waste this time on where I went to school and what my last three titles were. Let me tell you what I know about your business and the challenges you're facing, and then I'll show you how I'm going to help make your business more profitable. Can I use your whiteboard?"
"May I make your task of evaluating me easier? Let me show you how much I know about your business, and how I think I can help you. I don't just want to talk theoretically, I want to show you. I want to demonstrate to you how would do this job. I know I'm taking a risk, but if I can't prove to you that I can do this job, there is no reason for you to hire me. Will you give me a few minutes in our meeting to do this?"
"I look forward to meeting you. When I come to this kind of meeting, I treat it with the same respect I reserve for my first day on the job - I like to be ready to do the work. I want to be prepared to show you how I do the work that matters most to you. What's the biggest challenge you foresee for the person that you're going to hire to do this job?"
"I want to get an accurate idea of opportunities in the (department name) department from a real employee. Can you give me some advice about how to do that, without talking to the personnel department? Is there someone you would suggest I talk with?"
