Job interviews are an opportunity for employers to assess the candidate pool and find the best available talent for their company. They are also an opportunity to put your best foot forward, evaluate prospective employers, and find a job you love.
How do you stand out in the interview process? What can you do to take your interview skills to the next level? Are there mistakes you should avoid when interviewing? Below are four tips to quickly improve your interview skills.
1. Harness the Power of Storytelling
You do not have to be award-winning showrunner Shonda Rhimes to harness the power of storytelling during your next interview. Leveraging storytelling during the interview process is a simple yet impactful opportunity to not only make your interview answers more memorable but also increase your chances of receiving a job offer in the saturated job market.
Consider creating a bank of a half-dozen stories you can tactically weave throughout your interview. I advise my interview coaching clients to craft stories that encapsulate their career wins as well as the major challenges they have faced in the workplace. Doing so ensures you have enough stories prepared to handle nearly any interview question thrown your way.
2. Connect Your Answers Back to the Company and Position
One of the biggest mistakes I see interviewees making is not tying their responses and stories back to the company and position. Each time you answer a question, highlight how it relates to your prospective employer. This helps the interviewer envision what it will be like working with you.
Additionally, describe how your answer specifically relates to the position you are interviewing for. This is particularly important if you are making a career transition, as your transferable skills need to be salient and clear. Further, call attention to how your experience is unique compared to other interviewees.
3. Inject Your Secret Sauce Into Your Interview Answers
Remember your interview is more than just an opportunity to describe how you are qualified for the role. Again, your interview is about underscoring how you are uniquely qualified compared to other interviewees. In other words, your interview is an opportunity to set yourself apart from the crowd.
With this in mind, you want to inject your fabulousness into each interview answer. I encourage my interview clients to create a ‘fabulousness phrasebook’ with high-impact phrases they can weave throughout their interviews. This makes it simple to effectively incorporate their secret sauce into their interview answers.
4. Be Mindful of Your Interview Presence and Answer Delivery
Finally, there is more to your interview than merely the content. You also need to be mindful of how you deliver your interview answers. Practice speaking clearly while maintaining appropriate eye contact. Additionally, be mindful of your non-verbal communication and body language.
Furthermore, practice taking pauses and breathing between your sentences. This allows your interviewer to absorb what you are saying, take adequate notes on your interview answers, and interject with any questions that may arise. This also helps you come off as calm and confident.
Know that improving your interview skills takes time. Be patient with yourself as you work to refine your interview presence. You’ve got this!
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