In episode 299, founder of Big Interview, Pam Skillings, breaks down what makes an interview successful and how to best up your interview game.
Do your research on both the company and the position. Be able to speak at length in a non-generic way about why the job is a perfect fit for your skills. Note a couple of specific details about the company that you found distinctive and be able to talk about them. Demonstrating this level of preparation shows–rather than tells–just how motivated and excited you are for this particular role.
Use the art of storytelling to answer interview prompts. Storytelling adds relatability and can help you connect with the interviewer. Sell yourself as the best person for the job and highlight your strengths and experiences that will make you great in that position. Storytelling is your secret weapon in an interview, as it makes you a much more memorable candidate.
Prepare and practice before an interview. Identify your finest strengths and stories that convey these. Practice out loud a few times and tweak the language and delivery as needed. Replace adjective-filled generic statements with impressive factual ones. Write out bullet points instead of a full, verbatim, word-for-word script. You will find that your body language, confidence, and use of vocal pauses improves dramatically from having run through things a couple times.
Mold the narrative in the opening question. One of the first questions is almost always “tell me about yourself” or “walk me through your resume.” Don’t just make small talk here! Rather, set the tone by emphasizing your greatest attributes and what makes you unique.
Use the STAR framework to deliver your answers.
- Situation. Set the scene. Who are the characters and what’s the goal?
- Task. What specifically did you need to get done?
- Action/Approach. What key steps did you take to tackle the task? What unique, insightful, and/or brilliant twist did you bring to it? How did you conquer obstacles or opposition?
- Result. What happened? Share the finale, which hopefully conveys that it was a smashing success. Hopefully it was a smashing success. Share numbers or quotes that offer third-party validation of the result being awesome.
Quote someone else when describing your accomplishments. If you feel insecure selling yourself, quote a performance review or feedback from a superior. This doesn’t come off as bragging, but rather restating feedback you’ve received. Additionally, it adds a sense of credibility to what you are saying.
Listen to/read the whole conversation HERE.
