Live An Extraordinary Life

Photo courtesy of Jano Kray

Hi everyone and welcome back!

Today unemployment is higher than it has ever been in my life-time. This has made having a job a pretty darn important component for living an extraordinary life. But not just any job, the job you want.

Competition is fierce, no question. Whether you are a new college graduate or an experienced professional, it is all about DIFFERENTIATING YOURSELF IN THE INTERVIEW. That means being the person who stands out because you are confident, articulate, engaging and compelling. You want to leave the interviewer knowing that you are the obvious choice for the position. This will help you get the job, AND it will put you in the best possible position for negotiating your compensation.

How To Rock The Interview And Get The Job

Look, I’m not going to be coy. I believe that a good interview coach is essential to ensure that you do your best, particularly in this job market. I also happen to believe that I am one of the best out there having been “on the inside”. I have managed global recruiting organizations, worked as a Senior Vice President of Talent Management, I’ve hired thousands of people, I have developed and trained leaders on interview skills AND I am an experienced coach. Suffice it to say that I’ve got a very good grasp of what it takes to be that candidate who blows the socks off a hiring manager. Plus, nothing makes me happier than coaching people to achieve their potential! 

4 key Strategies That I Use With Clients So That They Get The Jobs They Want:

1. Understand and then articulate with confidence and ease, how your skills and experience match the organization’s needs. This is your #1 job in the interview and believe me, if you don’t do it, it won’t happen. The good news is, a lot of people don’t do this so by being the one who does…that’s right, you differentiate yourself. This requires some homework. First I ask you to help me understand your education, work experience, unique strengths, successes, failures etc… Then we spend time with my helping you REALLY GET how unique you are and why you are perfect for the job.  This seems obvious but I can’t tell you how many of my clients under-sell and under-estimate the impact of their achievements. Once we understand you, then you do a ton of research on the organization so that you understand their vision, mission, values, business model; Know what the market opportunities are for them as well as competitive or financial/funding threats that they may face. Next integrate these two things…you and your skills/experience with them and their needs. MATCH POINT!
2. Develop techniques for engaging with the interviewer in a conversation versus feeling that it is a one way interview. This is important because it will help you relax, be present and not only share, but obtain the information you need to decide if YOU want the job. The best way to do this is with thoughtful and meaty questions. Having done your homework in #1, I will then ask you to write a list of questions and together, we will perfect them. By the way, important to ask different questions of different interviewers. Ask questions not only about the organization and the role but about the interviewer!  People like talking about themselves so, create that opportunity. For Example, “What has been your greatest  career highlight since working here at the XYZ organization?”
3. Perfect your ability to ask and answer questions in a way that allows you to engage in a compelling and meaningful way with the interviewer. There is no question that practicing out loud is the best way to do this. Remember, you have taken the time to know yourself, the organization and you have written your questions. Now you need to HEAR yourself integrate all of this together intelligently. This will take the interview to a whole new level I promise.
4. Do mock interviews so that you go in confident, curious, authentic and fully present. There is no substitute here, you need a good coach to fully prepare you.  Family and friends  can be helpful but they will likely throw you softball questions and they will not risk the relationship with the brutally honest feedback you need to really ace the interview and get the job.  This is tough love time with a trained professional! 🙂

So that is a good start. Helpful? Got Questions?  Let me know.  Future topics will include: how to handle receiving an offer before you have heard from your #1 choice, negotiating compensation…things like that. 

I would really appreciate you passing this along to friends and ask them to “follow” (button bottom right) to receive more tips.

Also, if you like what you are reading, please check out my other blog  http://maddencoaching.com/  as well as my Madden Coaching & Consulting Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Madden-Coaching-Consulting/187760837936973

Happy Hunting!