Episode #10: “How to Rock Your Interview”
The Update Podcast
With Allan Dubon
Air Date: Tuesday 6/26/2013
Show Opening
“Welcome to this episode of The Update. My name is Allan Dubon.
this podcast is dedicated to discussing Leadership, Social Media, Life, and Motivation.”
Episode Preview
Today we will be discussing how you can Rock your Interview!!!!. I’ll also share with you my take on interviews and lots of useful tips. It doesn’t matter how smart you are, you will definitely want to be personal. The more relate-able you are, the more memorable you will be.
Main Content
First of all I just want to thank you for checking in every episode. I value your time because I know everyone is super busy and you have chosen to spend some of that time with me. I take a serious amount of time preparing for these podcasts because I want you to be able to get a lot of value out of your time.
Ok so lets get into this thing. I have had a lot of people talk to me about interviews and how to not be nervous, overcome shyness. How do I tackle the issue of not being experienced enough, what do I say? When they ask if I have any questions for them, what are some good questions.
My friend, these are all fantastic questions. We will cover that and much more today. I love this stuff. I know I’m weird, I love public speaking and interviewing. I know crazy right!!!
You will definitely want to do a little research about the company you are going to interview with. They are going to ask you why you want to work with that particular company. You are going to want to answer with something wayyyyyyyyy better than “well…..I need a job and you guys are hiring” This is a sure ticket to get you lower in their minds. Here is the tip for this difficult segment of the interview.
Like I mentioned above, do a little research before you interview. So if you’ve been listening to me for awhile you know that I work in a hospital laboratory as a medical lab scientist. So I just did a search for a local hospital and looked at what they had going. Clearly on their front page they have a link for you to check out their ER wait time and they also have an app where you can check it directly from your phone. They also are very proud of their new TomoTherapy® which is a state of the art cancer treatment device. And a link to pre-check in to the ER.
So when they ask me what was something that made me want to work there I can honestly say “ what I am seeing is that you are trendsetter’s looking to stay ahead of your peers. As a whole this hospital has embraced technology and are looking to stay modern. I really like that you are not satisfied with the status quo”
Now isn’t that a much better answer than, “uh well I think you guys are good. You have a decent hospital and I went to school to do lab work and I saw you guys are hiring.” Let me tell you how long it took to prep that answer….2 min. Maybe if you have a little slower internet and don’t read very fast 5 min. If you are serious about wanting to work somewhere you need to put in a little time.
Next concern, Nervousness. This is a legitimate concern. You may be in a position that if you don’t get this job or any job for that matter, your family may not have enough money to eat. Or you may be terrified because this is your first interview. You may hate being the center of attention. My wife hates being the center of attention in groups where she is unfamiliar. Within the past year she interviewed at a new place and we talked about things she could do to not be so nervous.
First of all I told her how great she was. If you don’t have someone to tell you how great you are then you tell yourself how great you are. It is difficult but you want to keep this in practice. i don’t mean you need to be a jerk and think you are the what is going to save this organization or that they can’t survive without you. I said know that you are great, but you don’t need to be cocky.
Then remember that you are there because they saw something that peaked their interest in the application you sent in. Maybe they have already called your references and like what they had to say about you. There is something there, you just have to bring it to the surface.
There are a few things you can do to overcome this nervousness. First of all the more prepared you are the less you have to be nervous about. Understand your purpose and how you can benefit that company. Too often I see a lot of people who have taken the attitude that they are there so the company can offer them something. This is definitely the wrong approach. Yes these corporations may have a lot of money, but remember no one owes you anything. You have to be of value to be paid for your time and or talents.
Ok back on topic, nervousness. You can ask someone who has some experience with this arena to help you do a little role playing. Have them interview you for a position and help you with certain aspects so you can get better. This will be good because you will be more familiar with the format and when you are more familiar you are less likely to be nervous.
I think being a little nervous is good. You just don’t want to puke in the middle of your interview lol. This goes the same if you are shy. I hear people use that as an excuse all the time. Just because you are shy doesn’t mean you are boring. You need to be clear about your purpose and your desire for where you want your career to go. Some jobs may be a stepping stone, covering a necessity, or they may be your dream job. Define your goals and then move forward knowing where this current position you are interviewing for fits into that.
What if you aren’t experienced enough. No I don’t mean trying to be a doctor right out of high school. What I am talking about is those pesky little sentences that say 2-3 years of experience required. Does this mean they will absolutely not hire you if you only have a year of experience? Or maybe you are straight out of school, will they not hire you? Possibly, but you will never know if you don’t apply. I have had a few jobs where I definitely didn’t have the experience they were looking for, but I was able to showcase myself in a way that led them to believe I would be working my butt of to make things work out.
Often times passion and determination beat out experience and complacency. You have a lot to offer, just show it to them. You definitely want to be enthusiastic. Not in an annoying way, but you don’t want to come off as drab and dull. In preparing for this episode I spoke with some friends who are involved in the hiring process. They have told me of candidates that were so well qualified they seemed amazing on paper, they had the experience, they had the referrals and everything lined up. Until they came in for the interview. Many people take a lack of enthusiasm as indifference. You definitely definitely don’t want to come off as indifferent.
I know a lot of people will say, but Allan I am so shy and I can’t. Believe me you can. You just need to change your negative self talk. You need to envision yourself in that position. You want to know that you already got it. No this is not some hocus pocus mumbo jumbo. This is honest to goodness actionable advice. If you can envision yourself already there it makes it a lot easier for you to show how you will fit in. You don’t have to be this boisterous character. You still want to be yourself, while showing them the best side of you!!!
Now don’t worry, you don’t have to be perfect to get the job. You can be a little shy, you can be a little nervous, you just can’t let it paralyze you.
So what types of questions are they going to ask you? They may say things like:
1. Tell me about why you left your previous employment.
This is a very common question, and one where a lot of people get into trouble. Many people are a little too eager to air their grievances with their previous employer. You don’t want to say things like, “My last boss was a jerk. I don’t know why he was the boss. Man he sucked so bad, a trained monkey could have done a better job” or something like “Everyone at my last job was so rude. They just wouldn’t give a newcomer a chance. They have had soooo many people leave it isn’t funny”
If you are trashing on your last boss you are going to be seen as the person who brings in all the drama. It may be true, you last boss may have been a jerk and your coworkers were as pleasant as a bunch of hornets. That being said you don’t want to sit there and trash them. You just want to say something like “I felt like I had learned what I needed to learn there and wanted to transition to a place where my skills could be tested and I could grow as an individual.” Much better than my last boss was a deadbeat.
2. Why should we hire you over the other person/people we are interviewing?
Wow that is a hard one. Maybe you know the other person, maybe you don’t. Remember you don’t want to be perceived as arrogant, but you also don’t want to undersell yourself. My best advice is to take it away from the confrontational nature and bring it back to selling them on you. I usually say something like: “without knowing the other candidates I couldn’t tell you the differences in our capabilities and experiences. What I can tell you is that I will work hard to accomplish the tasks set forward for me. I want to be part of a team. I know you can find anyone to do a job, but I am definitely a hard worker who wants to be part of a winning team.”
3. Where do you see yourself in 5 years.
This one can be a toughie . If you are applying to an entry level position you can say that you want to have an opportunity to grow within this company. You want to see yourself with them and potentially in some sort of supervisor position or at least well on your way to that goal.
If you are applying for a position that is at the top without leaving your field you can say things like: I want to be able to continue learning and engaging with those who are just entering this field. I would love to help mentor others and provide an example of how dedication can take you to the top of your game.
You may also say that you would like to stay within the organization, but you might see yourself as a department manager, or going back to school to further your possibilities here at company X.
Of course there will be many variations of these questions and many other questions they could ask. But having a plan of action, doing a little research, and being enthusiastic will definitely set you apart from the competition. You don’t want to try to pull of being someone you are not, but you want to be your best self. Be who you are and love the experience. Have fun with it.
Here are a few other things my friends involved in interviewing mentioned.
A. Seem happy to be there. If you are looking at this as just another chance to fail, you will exuding that lack of confidence and negative energy. Smile a bit and look for the good.
B. Give a firm handshake. No don’t break the interviewers hand, but give a firm handshake. Don’t just put out the “dead fish”, you’re not the queen of England lol. She’s one of the few people in the world who can get away with it.
C. Don’t lie. Sometimes they will ask a question of a candidate and in an attempt to not seem ill prepared or un-knowledgeable they will attempt to give an answer. This just makes you look dumber lol. Sorry no other way to say it. You can definitely say you know I’m not sure.
D. Be prepared for the: What is something you can work on/are not good at? question.
This seems to be the new go to question. Potential employers will ask you what you’re not good at. Turn this into a positive instead of saying: Well I suck at x thing. You can say: I am not particularly comfortable with X, but I know that this company is fantastic with that. I have no doubt that I will be able to learn more about that here. There wasn’t as much opportunity for me to do X at my previous job, but I definitely want to learn.
E. Dress professionally. I can’t tell you how many jeans I have seen walk into an interview. You don’t have to dress in a three piece suit, but you should show enough respect to dress in the very least, khaki pants and a polo shirt. I recommend slightly dressier pants, maybe a nice shirt and tie. No tie, don’t sweat it.
Earlier I mentioned that I would help you out with a few questions to ask when they say “do you have any questions for us”
1. What has kept you at this company?
2. What would a success look like for this position?
3. Why do you love working here?
4. Is there potential for growth?
5. What were the reasons for your past three employee losses?
I don’t usually bring up pay in the initial interview. A lot of times they ask what do you expect or something to that effect. Or a lot of times I have been asked: “Aren’t you going to ask about pay?” and I reply with “I don’t usually bring that up until we are closer to a job offer, but if you would like to discuss it now that is fine or we can discuss it when there is a job offer or closer to that.” I think this usually impresses the interviewers because they can see you are more concerned with doing a great job for them than a “what’s in it for me” mentality.
Ok as we wrap this up remember to be yourself. Have a positive mental attitude. Envision yourself in that position, and crank up the enthusiasm.
I love to receive questions and tackle them on the blog or on the podcast.
If you would like to submit a question for me to tackle please send me a message on facebook http://www.FB.me/dubon.allan , tweet me @allandubon, or leave me a comment on http://www.AllanDubon.com.
Announcements
Just a few quick announcements.
my next podcast will be titled “Why you should podcast”
If you have a question about this topic, please leave me a voicemail message at 801-917-6045 or on AllanDubon.com. This is a fantastic way to get some free promotion for your blog because I will link to you in the show notes and on air.
Show Closing
Thank you for listening to The update, an allandubon.com podcast
