You can't always control what the Universe throws at you, but when it comes to your job search, one of the things you can control is how well-prepared you are for your interview. The interview remains the most heavily weighted selection method for most organizations and in some cases, the only method, so it's even more important that you are ready to shine when the opportunity comes.
In this episode Melanie walks you through two stages of preparation:
Research
Practice
Here is a summary of the show:
[2:11] - Melanie shares some sage advice from Jack Canfield about how to approach unprecedented circumstances like COVID-19.
[3:07] - We can't control what other people do, we can only control ourselves and our own behaviour.
[4:54] - You can control how prepared you are for the interview.
[5:52] - The purpose of your resume and application is not to get the job, the purpose of these materials is to get the interview. The interview (and selection process) get you the job.
[7:08] - Now that you have the interview it is time to kick your efforts into high gear and to prepare yourself for this important conversation.
[7:47] - There are two stages to preparing for the interview; research and practice. Melanie talks about a worksheet you can download to work through as you listen to this episode. You can find it here or by using the link at the bottom of the page.
[8:32] - The first thing you research is the role you are interviewing for. Get crystal clear on the requirements for the role and how they align with what you offer and where you add value. Then explore where you are not perfectly aligned. Do you have transferrable skills that would address these? Are any of the requirements critical or 'must have' requirements? Make note of these.
[10:52] - You also want to know if this is a new role if possible. This helps you prepare for interview questions about how you would approach this. You may also want to find out why someone left the position.
[11:45] - The second thing you want to research is the organization and the department if possible. Check out their webpage; become aware of their history, their vision, mission, purpose and values. Is their alignment to your values? Not sure what your values are? Listen to Episode 3 and I will walk you through it!
[13:18] - It is also helpful to know what type of businesses this is. It can give you some hints as to the type of structure the organization has and possibly the type of interview process you are participating in. Unionized positions often require that external candidates meet ALL the stated job requirements, so be prepared to speak to this. The organizational chart also provides clues.
[15:46] - Researching company social media is very helpful. You can learn about their culture, values and how their employees and customers feel about the organization.
[16:50] - The third piece of research is company reviews. Check out Glassdoor, Indeed and customer reviews on Google or other review sites.
[18:34] - The fourth thing you want to research and prepare are a set of possible interview questions and answers. This is a bit of work, but definitely worth your time. Put your recruiter hat on and consider what you would want to ask if you were hiring for this job and interviewing you as a candidate. Melanie gives you an example of a behavioural interview question as well as some topics you might expect to be asked about. The worksheet also helps you work through this step by step!
[26:00] - Melanie summarizes all the information you want to research before the interview.
[26:49] - Now it's time to practice! The first thing you want to practice is answering your interview questions. Melanie gives you a few options to make sure that you feel incredibly comfortable answering the possible questions your prepared. She also shares a personal example of how this process helped her land a job she really wanted.
[30:48] - The next thing to practice is your interview outfit!
[32:27] - The last thing you want to be prepared for is your references. You need at least three references (2 work related - ideally a supervisor). Make sure your references are contacted and prepped in advance of your interview.
[34:01] - Melanie summarizes the three things you want to practice; your interview questions, your outfit and your references.
Helpful links for this episode:
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