Description
A huge challenge in the interview process is preparing for the unknown. Even with a fairly detailed job description or a briefing by a knowledgeable recruiter, job candidates often don’t know the company’s needs or what will happen during the interview. Huge shifts take place that we—the ones being interviewed—can’t predict. That is one of the reasons why interviewing successfully is so difficult; we have to pay close attention to what we’re told and what we’re not told, as well as to the many non-verbal signals we receive. And many people conducting the interview aren’t well prepared, haven’t been trained in interviewing, and often don’t like the process.
The Essential Job Interview Handbook takes a practical approach to this critical challenge, and will help you prepare effectively for interviews; become familiar with different types of interview questions and answers that focus on a wide range of functions including science, IT, finance, and marketing; know what to do after an interview; and then put it all together. You will learn how to integrate the intangibles with solid practice. What’s unique about this approach is that it’s both proprietary and road-tested. These are strategies that I’ve developed throughout my 19 years as a career coach and I’ve seen firsthand that they work.
The body of the book consists of sample questions with answers—multiple answers with an evaluation of what makes the best one. By going through these common interview questions, you are not only given an immediate way to do better on interviews, but you will also gain an understanding of successful strategies. In other words, instead of a list of questions with possible answers, this book puts those samples into a context that will prepare you for any situation.
Other interview books don’t:
- use the MAP that is a critical part of both preparation and doing well in all-day interviews.
- give you a systematic way to probe for needs.
- explain what makes the best answer.
- base the interview questions and answers on years of coaching job seekers of all functions and levels.
- provide a critical technique for turning negative or difficult questions around.
- help you find a way to subtly “run” the interview or support an interviewer who is unprepared, inexperienced, or distracted.
This book has five sections: Preparation, Types of Questions, Types of Interviews, Managing Expectations, and Putting It All Together. In each chapter there is an overview that proposes major concepts, followed by case studies, work sheets, sample questions and answers, and useful templates. Next, you’ll find a fun section called Ditch It!, which are examples of weak responses to interview questions that you want to avoid, accompanied by a brief explanation of why they’re ineffective. The last section is Tips, a list that distills the major points of the chapter and that adds additional information.
What makes this book different from many on the market is how it teaches readers to think strategically. Let’s say I’m asked a typical interview question such as: “Jean, why have you pursued jobs in so many different fields?”
1. My first task is to figure out the essence of what the interviewer is after. Are they worried I’m not going to be committed to the job? Or are they simply curious about how I managed to make several career changes?
2. Next I’m going to focus on the job I’m interviewing for and what I know so far about both the person interviewing me and the company. Let’s say it’s an outplacement firm looking for a career coach and I’m meeting with the person who would be my boss.
3. Now I bring these two pieces, the job description and what I know about their needs, together. In other words, I’ve recognized the type of question this is (preliminary or substance) and have taken a few seconds to figure how to use my answer to make a key selling point.
4. My answer: “I’ve been lucky to have had a wide and diverse experience as a writer, corporate trainer, and career coach. What I’ve discovered is that, rather than being three separate areas of expertise, these all boil down to communications. So, for example, in my extensive work as a career coach over the past 19 years, I use my writing and training skills to help clients communicate effectively, which is critical in networking and in making sure they ace their interviews.”
5. Debrief: If I were interviewing for a writing position or one in training, then my example would be drawn from those areas, not my career coaching work. I think of this as a funnel: Broad concepts need to be brought down to specifics. Another way to look at this is headline and example: give an overview that paints the big picture and then prove it through an accomplishment story. (See Chapter 2 for more on this subject.) Right now this process can feel like way too much work and you might be wondering how you could possibly go through these steps without waiting five minutes to answer the question. The quick answer is practice. With practice this becomes much easier. Think of interviewing well as developing new muscles. You can’t do that in a day, but with regular exercise you’ll get stronger and more agile a little at a time. Just be willing to start and I promise you this becomes second nature.
In looking for work, it’s easy to get lost and discouraged. Although no book has all the answers to a complicated and unpredictable process (that many people dislike intensely), my hope is that The Essential Job Interview Handbook will give you an excellent foundation for this critical part of finding your next job, and very good company for the journey. The people whose stories you’ll learn about in this book are real. They’ve been through a wide range of interview experiences as they looked for their next position, and some examples illustrate how tough it can be. But they kept going, they learned from the process, and persevered. They didn’t let the down parts of the ups and downs, stop them. And they made it to another opportunity even if this ended up being different from their initial goals.
A note on confidentiality: None of the examples in this book are based on a single client. I’ve stuck to things that really happened, but drew from several resources both to make a point and to protect my clients’ anonymity. In the outplacement field, as in other kinds of counseling, confidentiality is critical.
I am deeply grateful for my 16-plus years with Lee Hecht Harrison, a leading talent solutions company, and for all of the wonderful job seekers I’ve had the privilege to work with. You are my teachers and I’m always amazed by your courage as you enter the job search arena and prove to others how talented and valuable you are.