Competence and confidence are important qualities for career success in general, and more specifically in job interviews. Clarity is the foundation under them. You need to know where you are headed to confidently use your skills to get you there. What are your dreams? Where do you want to be down the road? What would you like to achieve? Before you start your search for the right job, ask yourself the following 10 clarifying questions to focus your search: 1. What did you want to be when you were growing up? 2. If you could do anything at all, what would be your ideal career? 3. What job skills do you have? 4. What are 10 things you do really well? 5. What job skills to you need to learn, develop, or master? 6. What career opportunities are within your reach? 7. What are the top 3-5 things that are important to you in a job? 8. What excites you/want MORE of in a job? 9. What drains you/want LESS of in a job? 10. What work environment would be the best fit for you?
Make a list of 50 targeted employers and find 50 job posts which most closely match your skills and pique your interest.
When you’ve dedicated time to reflect on the above and formulate your answers, you’d be ready to handle interview questions such as the 5 examples below?
• What’s most important to you in your career? • What’s your ideal company? • What is your ideal job at this stage in your career? • Explain how you’d be an asset to our company? • Where would you like to be in your career 18 months/3 years/5 years from now?
No one expects you to go into detail describing exactly where you expect to be in 2020. In asking these questions, the interviewer wants to learn more about your career plan and goals. Such clarity indicates that you are motivated to work hard and do well. Clarity is important in thought (forming the message) and in communication (delivering the message.) Interviewing can be nerve-racking. Some interviewers may try to throw you off by asking unusual questions coming at you completely out of the blue. While I’ve trained interviewers to stick to job-related questions only, I’ve heard of some very strange questions. I think some interviewers just get bored. But some try to see how you respond to an unexpected question being thrown into the deep end. In creative jobs, this might be an opportunity to demonstrate your superior out-of-the-box thinking skills. A few recent ones clients have shared with me are:
• How many light bulbs are in this building? • What three things would you take on a trip to Mars? (Interviewer affected by The Martian???) • How would you sell me this paperweight? Your best strategy is to maintain clarity of thought. Don’t panic. There’s really no wrong answer. Don’t take yourself or the question too seriously. A witty response should do the trick. And always keep things in perspective. This is just one interview; you’ll have great meetings and some that wouldn’t go well. An interview is just one of the many steps in the selection process. Pick yourself up when you stumble, dust yourself off, and keep trying until you succeed. This is a good time to address the question whether a job search is a “numbers game.” Well, it depends…. When it comes to applications, you should have a solid job search strategy and marketing plan in deciding which companies are of interest to you, how to get your foot in the door, and how to prepare for and present yourself during interviews. Endlessly applying for and submitting resumes indiscriminately won’t yield the desired results. You don’t want to waste your time interviewing for the wrong jobs. Don’t play the “numbers game” with the interview process; refine more and send less. Be selective in the companies you target and the jobs you apply for. The process is all about clarity in answering the question: “why should we hire you instead of one of the many other qualified candidates for the position?” However, even when you do everything right, you may not land the job. There are other very qualified candidates interviewing for the position. Networking is the only “numbers game” that works. Don’t underestimate the value of your network; the number of people you know. Take the time and make the effort to expand your network to increase the probability of connecting with the right people so that new opportunities are clear for the right jobs. I invite you to record your answer to any of the questions above and share with me via Google Drive, Dropbox, or your favorite collaboration platform. I will respond to everyone within 3 business days but can commit to providing detailed feedback only to the first 5 who contact me. More about interviewing skills in my next blog posts. Be sure to follow the savvy professional series for job search and interviewing tips and offers for free feedback and critique. Email me at info@choicefulpath.com
