Let’s face it, it is tough to get any response from your resume or application. So if you are selected for an interview, congratulate yourself! You must have solid qualifications or you would not have even gotten that far.
Your resume has gotten you into the door, but now you have to bring it home. Sure you know your background and experiences, but don’t think you can walk in the door and wing the interview. A good candidate prepares and anticipates what the hiring manager wants to know and their expectations.
How do you prepare, you ask. Start with the job posting. Look for key words in the posting and be ready to give examples of how you demonstrate those aspects. Go through your resume and review how you will expand on each of your accomplishments and responsibilities. Think of whatever you’ve written on the resume as talking points for the interview.
Also, spend time in thinking about answering behavioral based interview questions. They usually start with something like, “Tell me a time when…” Anticipate what the hiring manager might be interested in hearing about. To answer this type of questioning, think of real examples from the past. Do not say anything like, “…well, I would…” The interviewer doesn’t want to know your theoretical answer, they want a solid example from the past. Come up with your stories on examples of how you address a question on team work, how you solved a problem, an ambitious goal you achieved, a colleague you struggled with etc.
It helps to practice beforehand. If you have an interview coming up, contact me for my Interview Coaching program.
