From the course: Creating a Career Plan
Prepare for a job interview
- When I do mock interviews with clients and I play the boss, I begin each session by telling them that there's only one person in the meeting who matters and that's me. I'm not really interested in what they want, it's what they can do for me. After all, the golden rule of business is whoever has the gold makes the rules. So, if you're the one who's interviewing with me, whether for a job or project, let me clue you in beforehand about what it is I'll need. One, remind me again who referred you and how you know them. I don't normally hire strangers. I'm not going to know you in half an hour and will not risk my job only to discover a few weeks into your employment that you've misrepresented yourself. Someone I trust vouched for you and I like your resume, that's why you've made it in this far. So, remind me who we have in common and how well they know you. Two, demonstrate your knowledge about my company. Did you thoroughly research what we do? Specifically, how can you help us achieve our goals and in what ways can you help us to either make money or save money? Three, be self-aware. From the moment we first connected, I've been evaluating you and you thought this interview started just when we sat down together. All along I've been looking at how professional you are. Did you consistently follow up? Did you send me what I asked for? Your resume, cover letter, list of references, et cetera, when I asked for it. Did you arrive early for our meeting today? Are you dressed appropriately? Did I get a firm handshake and a smile? Did you bring the things I asked you to bring? A couple of hard copies of your resume, for example. Are you going to follow up? Will I get a handwritten thank-you card? If I ask you for more references at the end of this meeting, will you send them to me in a timely manner? I'm watching your body language, too. I'm looking at how you're sitting, how engaged you are in our conversation. If you really seem to care about contributing to this company or you just need the work and are pretending. If you've actually researched us or are faking it. The interview I've just described above is a peek behind the curtain to explain what really happens during the hiring process from the perspective of the person doing the hiring. Hopefully, understanding how this process works will not only provide insight but also empower you to be far more effective in interviews than you've ever been before.
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