Imagine yourself sitting in front of an upside down triangle with the pointy edge facing back at you. Do you see the image?  Hold that thought.

Remind yourself: You have arrived at this interview because someone has a problem. And something they saw in your resume compelled them to set an appointment with you.

It is now up to you to figure out WHAT’S THE PROBLEM and how you and you alone can be uniquely qualified to solve it.

Once you realize it’s NOT ALL ABOUT YOU, the better off your nerves and conversational flow will be.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR THEM – Return on Investment.

Why should they invest in you? You have now entered the mind of the interviewer.

Ask yourself: What do I have that they need?

Begin your conversation with the essentials…Great Smile, good EYE CONTACT, a direct handshake, dressed for success, on time for the interview, confident of your ability to solve their issue.  You have one goal in mind:

Pour all their answers to all your great questions into the funnel of that triangle. All of which is leading you to YOUR prosperity cup waiting at the end.

DO NOT slip and start talking about yourself on and on before building rapport and investigating relevant pieces to their problem puzzle.  You need the following data to sell your experiences into the job or your prosperity cup as it were.

DO YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT THEY’RE LOOKING FOR? HOW CAN YOU BE SURE YOU’RE ‘IT’? Do the following:

RESEARCH.

INVESTIGATE.

CONNECT.  COMPARE.  CLOSE.

Let me break it down for you:

RESEARCH:

Big Picture – Open with something you’ve researched off their website about what the company, industry, or their competition (know their competitors!) is currently experiencing, and how that relates to the department you will be working in.  (Note:  Subliminal assumptive close used throughout).   A.B.C. (ALWAYS BE CLOSING). Whether you want the job or not, go for it anyway! It’s much more fun to turn an offer down than not get one at all.

INVESTIGATE:

Departmental – Ask them to describe the current landscape of the department that your role will be contributing to? In other words, the who/what/where/when/how questions.  Who currently works within the department? What is their particular role is? Where is the entire department physically located (maybe they’ll invite you for a tour, great way to see where you’ll be sitting and working conditions)? And, when did this position first become available?  Fuel for closing with your skills.

CONNECT:

Interviewer– How long have they been with the organization?  Hopefully you researched their profile on LinkedIn before the interview because again, building common ground, assessing personality, management style, past successes, why they made the changes they did, all lead to your objective: to CONNECT and engage your interviewer. Learn about the person in front of you.  Close them.

REMEMBER!

PEOPLE – HIRE – PEOPLE.

LISTEN INTENTLY.  BE GENUINELY INTERESTED IN WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY.

RESPOND CONCISELY.

COMPARE:

Job Description – Ask them to help you to understand what their vision of this position is.  What worked in the past?  What didn’t?  What challenges drove them to need this position filled?  What’s their time frame to fill this position?  What’s their hiring process?

QUESTIONS YOU HONESTLY ASK YOURSELF…Were the interviewer’s expectations clearly delineated?  Are they realistic?  Can you be successful based on the information you’ve gathered so far?   You know you better than anyone.  What would some of your concerns be?  What if anything feels like a red flag?

AND NOW TO YOU and your prosperity cup…

THE CLOSE

“From what I have learned Mr. Interviewer, you have (recap the issues).  Here’s where my previous experience might actually support a solution for you.  Let me tell you about my previous achievements (tell a story about one of them). “  Build your value with each comment and statement.   Remind them of your qualifications through each part of your exchange on each segment. Cite examples from your resume of how you could add value immediately to their bottom line.

(RESEARCH, INVESTIGATE, CONNECT, COMPARE, CLOSE).

RETURN ON INVESTMENT = YOU

IF YOU WANT THE JOB…ASK FOR IT.

TELL THEM HONESTLY THAT YOU’D LIKE TO WORK FOR THEM.

ENCOURAGE THEM TO INVEST IN YOU.

ASK THEM THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION OF ALL…

WHEN CAN WE GET STARTED?

Lisa Dylus, Recruiter