Here's The Interview Strategy That Actually Works

“I am so excited! The recruiter reached out to let me know that I was moved from my 2nd interview into the final round with the SVP!”

The federal government just announced that the rate of unemployment got better, even though the country is still dealing with some level of corona virus-related restrictions. Much of what goes into the numbers has to do with how they categorize people in the Payroll Protection Program, as well as those who are furloughed – they’re not officially considered unemployed. Presumably, they’re still looking. And if you count yourself among that group, it may benefit you to follow an interview strategy that actually works.

Here's How This Came About

I’m working right now with Darlene, who’s pursuing project coordinator roles with major entertainment companies like Disney and Netflix. Interview 1 was with the recruiter, who reached out to her based on her new LinkedIn profile that we put together. The recruiter felt like she was a strong candidate for the role, and he recommended that the 1st hiring decision maker interview her.

It Was All Going Great...

“Tell me about yourself.” She had the answer. “Tell me about a time when…” And her STAR stories were all ready. (She and I had worked on this in interview strategy sessions before.) “What is your greatest weakness?” That answer was smooth, succinct, and genuine. “Do you have any questions for me?” Of course she did.

Uh-Oh! Problem!

Turns out Darlene doesn’t have all the qualifications for the job. One of the key areas she’s missing is JIRA. But the powers-that-be had to have known this before they even called her in, because JIRA is mentioned nowhere on her resume. The technology section that is presented lists other software applications.

This Is What Saved The Day

Both the recruiter and the hiring manager told Darlene they really liked her personality. She is – this is my opinion, now – positive, enthusiastic, bubbly (without being ditzy), and eager to recommend smart ideas that show she thought about things before deciding to speak. She’s also genuine: how she presents herself to me – who is not evaluating or judging her – is very much in line with how she likely presented herself to the interviewers.

Here's The Lesson

You can’t learn how to interview from the Internet. But what you can do is conduct a deeper study of you, and show up prepared to talk about your achievements that are similar to what the role requires. Most of all, drop the stiff, canned answers that you think are what people want to hear. They don’t. They want to know who YOU actually are. 9 times out of 10, that’s what will win you the job, even if you don’t have all the qualifications.

I predict Darlene will do excellently in her final interview with the SVP. I look forward to a future post about her new job.