Preparing for the Interview in a tough market

So you've got your application through and the managers you will be reporting to want to see if you fit the bill. How do you feel prepared and make the most of this opportunity, knowing you're up against stiff competition?


First off, understand that an interview is all about presenting yourself. The key to presenting yourself is brilliant two-way communication. No one can know otherwise how smart, passionate or well-suited to the position you really are till they see you first-hand, tell you what their problems are and listen to your well-prepared and thorough advice (read: pitch).

Secondly, know your target. Usually in the case of a first round interview, the target would be to get a face-to-face interview and if you are in the final stages already then you need to break through into the winners circle. This means your core objective is to 'be liked' - you could blend in with the other hotshots interviewing for this position but you need to stand out.


In order to 'be liked' you need to be able to answer yes to the following questions:

- Were you talking as an equal (as opposed to being subservient or desperate)?

- Did you demonstrate relevant insight (as opposed to being 'just okay')?

- Were you engaging and positive (as opposed to, 'can we just do this, please')?

- Were you focused on the interviewer's outcomes (as opposed to a brilliant performance no one really cared about)?

- Did you shut up and listen (as opposed to yak yak yak)?


An article from Fast Company outlines positive signs that confirm the interviewer was fully engaged, ready to get you on board, and open to sharing more about why they need you. Set yourself up for success through the following process to achieve this desired end:


1. Put yourself in their shoes to understand where they're coming from.

Realistically, you have to be the person that they've had in their heads when mulling the perfect candidate, or then you need to surprise them positively - you are not only great for the role, you bring in much more utility than they conceived and there is no doubt you are the team member they were hunting for.

Cultural fit is a given - but your uniqueness makes you stand out. Sure you can mix in with them as their peer, but you have a presence of your own - and that raises the standard to the level they want to achieve.

To be able to understand the role more fully, put the job description into context by human conversation with someone having insights into the role - such as the recruitment representative or the hiring manager. They may not be correct about everything but you will be able to sound out your thought and frame your ideas.

For e.g. if programming skills are on their wishlist but you don't have advanced programming skills, that may not be a show-stopper. They might actually be looking for someone who can really talk to the business but liaise with the IT development team at the same time. Remember to LISTEN carefully and take notes when your recruiter or hiring personnel explains the role.

Once you are confident regarding the context, read and re-read the PD and do two things: 1) List all the things you want to tell them under each of the key criteria and 2) merge this shell persona of the person they want to hire with your own and visualise yourself in the role.


2. Research the company and industry to understand the role better.

You should be familiar with the basics such as size of the company, nature of the business, reputation as well as the industry and their direct competitors.

Create an understanding of what challenges the company may be facing or recent developments to identify the values and attributes they truly respect - for e.g. law firms love communicative, articulate, confident resources while academic institutions may value resources that are hungry to learn and have a background in academia.

Your research should lend you key insights into how you can be their knight in shining armor, ready for the battles ahead.


3. Validate your application with relevant stories from past experiences.

So you have figured out the requirements and placed yourself in the role. Now get your killer elevator pitch in place for the inevitable questions they have on your 'background'.

Keep it short and focused on their requirements rather than sounding a rehashed script. Break away from doing what everyone does by saying what you do/ what you are and instead focus on validating 'what you will do for them' (i.e. all the good stuff you bring and the bad stuff you eliminate).

For example, Instead of "I'm an experienced data analyst", a good pitch would be "I saved a digital business very similar to yours around $50k p.m. in marketing costs by identifying bottlenecks in their customer acquisition through insights from our analysis into their conversion rates. I've helped a number of other clients with cost-savings and performance optimisation throughout my ten-year career, out of which four years were purely in e-commerce and digital".


In other words, use the issues-based approach - don't be a solution to a problem they may or may not have. Be the solution for the actual problem at hand.


When probed further to provide specific examples, common practice is to use the STAR model to describe your achievements in terms of the Situation, Task, Action and  Result, using specific measures, KPIs, names, designations, values, percentages etc. as much as possible to maintain credibility.


Add to this framework the following: Facts Tell. Stories Sell.

In order to be compelling and engaging, use stories and insights that get the interviewers talking -  storyline your STAR experiences and juice up your insights to enlighten and build curiosity so they can openly discuss more about their challenges.

Listen, explore and understand those challenges before offering your expertise and solutions as a preface for the rest of the story you will be writing with them.

4. Be ready with great answers to straightforward and trick questions

For trick questions, remember that you need to show your presence in the moment and ability to think on your feet. Both kinds of questions try to elicit a response that shows your personality and validates your candidacy for the role.

Practice interview questions by writing them on a card and planning out your answer with specific examples in light of their requirements on the reverse. Practice each question card and flip over to see if you missed anything. This kind of rehearsal puts you in control and goes a long way.

Common questions are:

- Tell us about your background (they're really asking: how is your background relevant to the requirements for this position?)

- What do you know about our business? (they're really asking: do you know anything about us or are you just another desperate job seeker?)

- What are your greatest achievements? (they're really asking: tell us something we'll remember about you to frame our decision on whom we are going to hire) There's a huge opportunity here so try to hit the ball out of the park. Make sure you ask them whether they want to hear a workplace achievement or a personal achievement (e.g. a career highlight) - but make sure you convince them you are perfect for this role after hearing your story.

- How do you deal with ambiguity? (they're really asking: do you have the organisational skills required for this job?) Make sure to demonstrate in light of past experience using STAR

- Talk about a time you had to manage difficult stakeholders? (this is a more advanced test on several levels. Show your professional maturity and understanding of project management principles for managing stakeholders - see this post for different schools of thought - my chosen path is Lean Software Principles which has a humanistic communicative and incremental approach to working with stakeholders)

- What are your plans for the next five years? (they're really asking: how serious are you about seeing this job through to the next level and beyond, or do you think you are going to grab as many paychecks as you can then make a run for it?)

- How do you manage conflicting priorities? (they're really asking: will you be able to manage the typical demands of this job or will you get bowled over by the pressure? Build confidence and show them you recognize transparency as a core value - demonstrate using an example if possible. I like the principle of the Eisenhower box shown below and the use of an Agile wall to keep track of project deliverables)

Other typical 'tricky' questions bowled at you are to assess your level of self-awareness, maturity and ability to work in a team - and to understand how you perceive yourself, your confidence and ability to speak honestly with guile and tact:

- What are your strengths?
- What are your weaknesses?
- How do you deal with negative feedback?

Always be positive and front-footed, not defensive. For e.g. don't make it a habit of dropping disclaimers, instead come across as confident and respectful, someone who trusts themselves and can be trusted.

Also if you are going to support your presentation with a slide deck or a visualisation, make sure that you set the bar high as they will be expecting to get blown away. If the supporting deck or visual isn't simply amazing, it might be better to park it away for the time being and focus on something more solid.

5. Have a list of good questions

Interviewers always remember candidates who ask good questions, and saying you have no questions means you have fallen short. But try not be annoying or overpowering with too many so they're wishing you could just end the interview now, if you please.

Some things about the immediate situation that are always good to learn, particularly when they ask you if you have any questions in the first part of the interview:

- What are their major pain points they are trying to overcome?
- What are their short and long term goals, for the organisation as a whole and the department?
- How has your potential manager helped the organisation so far and how can you partner with them to help them succeed?
- How do you get ahead in your career and/or how will they measure your success in the role?

Plus, in order to stay sane at the job, it might be a good idea to find out:

- What is the best thing about working here?
- And the worst?

This will also help you understand the stress levels you will potentially be dealing with and what your relationship with your boss will be like or how you get rewarded, as well as how you can shape a career rather than simply land a job - you want to be sure you will enjoy working with the company and this attitude will make you a more realistic candidate.

Thanks, Liz Ryan, for making this point - read this article for a complete list and links to other great mind-openers.

You will want to leave the room with a good understanding of the logistics of the job, as if you are ready to hit the ground running, so make sure to ask regarding work timings, stakeholders you will be working with, systems you will interact with etc.

6. Build rapport before, during and after the interview.

Any article detailing what a successful interview looks like can be summarized in two words: established rapport.

In fact the only reason any company would hire you instead of a box is the human element and the ability to work with other humans. The panel should be comfortable with not only the skills you clearly possess but also with you as a person.

You should be dressed to impressed, and sharp on the creases. Pay attention to your grooming or risk looking like a slob.

Might be a good idea to jot down a few interesting icebreakers that might come in handy from your social media research, such as your experience with past companies or schools they were in. Remember to listen carefully, especially the names of any panel members you've just met.

7. Establish the rhythm for the interview

In order to prepare effectively, you should know what the rhythm of an effective interview should look like to successfully arrive at your milestones for the journey.

On the way to the interview, it is very important to give yourself a pep talk with an honest one-on-one conversation with yourself - Is this what you want? Is this an opportunity that you really mean to capture or is it actually a deterrent from what you really wanted? Say a prayer and stay honest to avoid being defensive or unsure during the interview.

Never go into an interview feeling stressed or rushed, even in the worst case such as being late. Always better to relax, catch your breath and apologize with a justifiable explanation (having said that, never ever ever go late).

On being introduced, have a few laughs and interesting conversation - use an ice breaker to establish rapport quickly. Your handshake and eye contact should set a positive tone.

Once you have established some initial rapport, come around to business. Show you have confidence in yourself and shine through with positive synergistic energy. However, be open and flexible rather than going through a rehearsed script.

During the meat of the interview, you should be sharing experiences and adding value to each other through a reciprocal, two-way conversation. You should formulate a rock-solid understanding of the problem and be able to present yourself as a ready solution, all the while confirming your understanding of the problem.

Remember to be patient at presenting yourself as the solution and kill the urge to slam down a hard sale as soon as you see an opening. Instead, ask probing questions that leave the conversation more open-ended with a promising outlook once they have you on board.

For example, after listening in carefully you could transition into a story: "your situation reminds me of a similar project I worked on where...". And to transition out and get them talking: "is this similar to the problem you are having currently?"

While you're at it, learn more about the size of the prize - how pressing is their issue? how soon do they need a solution? how high is it on their list of priorities? what barriers are they facing? how will they measure success? This will also reconfirm the situation in their own mind and will help you assess your negotiating power towards the end game.

To summarise, you should know their OMG - Objectives (what they want to achieve), Measures (how they know they are achieving it) and Gain (the value to them in achieving it).

Once the interviewer has decided to close the interview, reinforce a positive outlook by congratulating yourself with a few more icebreakers and genuine laughs. Any chitchat from the interviewer is a very welcome sign and should be relished with open arms. Use this opportunity to connect on a personal level and show them how you can add color to the canvas (and that you are in control of the people skills required for the job).

Don't forget to ask them if you can send them a thank you note and the best way to do it, e.g. connecting with them on Linked In or sending them an email.

But before heading for the door (you're not done yet!) - don't forget the most important thing:
confirm next steps.

A clear time frame from the interviewer and an offer to call back are more signs that they are interested in you, so it may be a good idea to lead them into it and not be too pushy, however make sure to establish a timeline: "We're connected on Linked In so do you think you would be in a position to let me know by next week when I might be able to see X (the director)..." might be effective ways to end the conversation.


7. Follow up immediately.

Make sure you keep the positive buzz going on a good 20-30 minutes after the interview to write up your thank you message, retaining the essence of the conversation and what you've learnt to reinforce how you are the best fit and that you are ready to roll, as well as reassurance that you are genuinely excited.

An invitation on Linked In might be worded something like:

"Thank you for meeting me today. It was great discussing the [role] in detail and pouring over your specific requirements. I'm very excited to continue the conversation and potentially meet with your director once you have completed shortlisting candidates. Please add me to your network and keep me in mind for this role or any future projects."

Hopefully even if you are not the right fit for this role, your interviewers will remember you when a more suitable opportunity presents itself.

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Further reading: A lot of the material and ideas in this article were taken from a really cool book I'm reading: "Top Dog: Impress and Influence Everyone Your Meet by Andy Bounds + Richard Ruttle"