Working in sales, I view the job-procurement process just like any other sales process. I have something to discuss with you that may be helpful to you in meeting your goals and objectives – in this case, this just happens to be my own skills and experience — and you need to decide if my skills and experience are the best fit for you, and your company. One axiom of sales is that getting that first meeting is the toughest part of the whole process; so, if you have an interview, congratulate yourself! You’ve already dramatically increased your odds that you will be chosen for the job.
The way I often pitch introductory meetings (a.k.a. interviews) to prospective clients (future employers) is by saying, “We’ll share with you some of the stories regarding how our solution has worked for others and then see if it’d be appropriate for your company.” It’s a softer approach – nobody’s giving anyone the hard sell – but it will do the job and get the point across. The same approach works well with interviews: Create a narrative of why your experience has given you the skills that they’re looking for in this job.
Before going to an interview, sit down with three pieces of information – the job description, company website, and the LinkedIn profile (or, at least, the title) of the person(s) you’re interviewing with. Cull from the job description the skills that they’re looking for and then map out what experiences you have that illustrate that you have those skills. If you’re still in school, these may well include experiences from volunteering, clubs, etc. Depending on the type of person that you are, you may want to create an actual deliverable that looks like:
Job Requirement: _____________ (example: database experience, collaborative, etc.)
Yes, I can do that because _________________ (example: during my on-campus job, I worked with a Microsoft Access database to … and list three things that you did that are germane to the database experience that they’re looking for).
Each story should be about 2-3 sentences, 4-5 clauses, or a maximum of a minute long. Make sure you have the top 10 job requirements covered with a story each. They don’t have to be different stories. For example, you might say, “During my job on-campus working with Microsoft Access, I also collaborated with my co-worker on a project to consider a new database product.”
Once you have your narrative laid out, review your information and come up with at least 10 questions you want to ask. These could touch on topics like the hiring manager’s management style, the culture of the company/department, the career path your job has within the company, the company’s marketplace, what the interviewer thinks are the most important attributes for the job. For that last one, make sure you have stories ready so that you can say something like, “Oh, I’m so glad to hear that – that reminds me of a time when I …” and insert a sentence about how you (of course!) possess exactly those attributes.
If I had to guess, I would say that your interview is going to go like this: introduction, interview, questions, transition. Here are some preparation tips for each portion: Have enough printed copies of your resume ready for the introduction portion so that you can give one to each interviewer. Have your narrative prepped for the interview portion. Also, know your resume – it’s basically an outline and flash cards for the stories you want to tell in the interview. Have your 10 (or more questions) written down on your folio where you’re jotting notes during the interview and write down a couple reminder notes as you get the answers. Lastly, make sure to get business cards from interviewers so that you have the proper spelling of their name and their address for when you send your handwritten thank-you notes. You will want to send a follow-up email, as well; but I always send a handwritten thank-you note to each person that I interviewed with. I’ve always gotten positive reviews from people, and I’m sure it’s significantly contributed to my getting certain jobs.
Happy interviewing!