Séances and interviews sometimes have a lot in common. Primarily, no one really believes in the person being interviewed. The answers are suspect. Everyone involved is afraid to act on what they heard.
Interviewers believe you may lie about the following questions:
- Will you work hard?
- Can you do this job?
- Will you make the team better?
- Do you want this job?
Because they don’t trust your direct answers, they ask a lot of indirect questions. There is only one way to answer. To be believed you must:
Give concrete examples
You must be enthusiastic, positive, believable, happy and self assured. But, that’s not enough. They won’t believe you unless you give concrete examples. Examples in the last year or two are most effective.
Let me help you come up with believable examples. Write down the answers to these questions:
Will you work hard?
When did you work late? Did you get in early regularly to finish a project? How often did you carry a beeper? What assignments did you volunteer for? Who did you take over for when they were on vacation? Did you travel out of town on assignments? How much work did you do from home after hours?
Can you do this job?
What parts of this new job have you already done in your old job? When did you work independently on applicable tasks? How do you do research on related problems? Who did you mentor that had these responsibilities? Which similar projects did you manage? How big was the team you worked on? Did you lead a team doing this kind of job?
Will you make the team better?
When did you take over for a team member? How did you deal with a difficult coworker? Did you work late to help someone else? When did you back your manager in a tough call? Were you a mentor? What questions did everyone come to you with? Which team awards did you win? Why did they pick you to lead a team?
Do you want this job?What will the new job let you learn? How much can you bring to this company? Why will you be able to hit the ground running? Can you start in 2 weeks? What do you like most about the team members you met so far? Which facts about the company appeal to you most? Which specific projects sound fun? (Be careful NOT to complain and whine. Don’t beat up your old team or boss.)
If you have answers to all these questions, you can turn your interview from a séance into a fact finding session. Give short specific examples and you will be believed.
Something To Do Today
Take a notepad and jot down specific proof from the last two years. How have you absolutely proved your answers to the unasked questions? Write down undeniable examples.
Take those undeniable examples with you to review right before your next interview.