Interview Tip From Radio
Job interviews are tricky. We all know this. As someone who has never enjoyed interviews (conducting them or being in them), they’re a chip on my shoulder as a career coach because I know that most of the questions are “traps.” The other really frustrating part and I know this doesn’t make going to interviews any better, is that interviewing is an imperfect process. It’s highly imperfect. Most of the time, top candidates are selected based on appearance (as in who is the most attractive and most like the other people at the company——hello diversity issues and grossness.) Is it all hopeless? No, of course not. However, be mindful that when you prepare for an interview, the preparation has more to do with leaving the interview with your dignity intact and less to do with guaranteeing a job offer because that isn’t 100% up to you.
I recently listened to a podcast episode from My Favorite Murder, and co-host Karen Kilgariff (at least I think it was Karen,) said that one thing everyone learns in broadcasting is to never answer the question being asked in an interview. Yes, you read that right.
Let’s unpack what that actually means for you as a job seeker.
A lot of clients I’ve met with over the years are concerned about “lying” in interviews whether it’s by phrasing something in a diplomatic manner (e.g. your former boss wasn’t a jerk, you just learned a lot from that relationship) or glossing over/omitting certain details (e.g. needing a leave of absence at your previous job because of a chronic health condition.)
Most of what interviewers ask is meant to screen candidates out. If you answer certain questions like, “Why are you looking for a new position?” or “Describe a challenging supervisory relationship?” too directly, you are providing them with reasons to cross you off the list without sharing anything about your qualifications.
As you prepare for your interviews, develop stories based on your work experience that showcase your best skills and talents, and turn every question into an opportunity to showcase those skills and talents rather than focusing specifically on the question itself.
Most employers want to know the following things about candidates:
Are you safe and easy to work with?
Why are you interested in this position? Specifically: are you going to stay or are you just applying for the sake of applying?
Can they afford you?
Are you going to add value in that position?
The particular stories you choose to share about your experience will depend on the specific qualifications for the job, of course, and you do want to show that you are a good match for the work and the organization. These stories also need to include certain components. This is sometimes referred to as the PAR technique for interviewing.
P= Problem, situation, issue
A=Action-What did you do to address it?
R=Result-What happened?
If you have written a value-driven resume, it should be easy to find examples to elaborate on. (And yes, align your examples with what’s on your resume and make sure you read your own resume before you walk into the interview. It’s really embarrassing when someone asks about a detail you forgot you left on there a few revisions ago.)
What do you think? How might this help empower you to feel more confident in your next job interview?
