Being prepared can go too far. At least that’s the view of one CEO, Neil Costa of Hirelix, who told CNBC Make It he’s interviewed about 500 people for his company. Costa suggests preparing, however, he’s wary of scripted answers sounding like … scripted answers. So, he suggests having a plan for standard questions like, “Tell me about yourself” and its common cousins. Beyond that, he advises job seekers to not waste energy trying to anticipate every question. Instead, ask the recruiter. They can provide specifics about that job interview instead of generalities everyone anticipates in interviews. One other thing: Costa says to have your questions ready, too. It signifies high interest in that particular role.
By Todd Dybas, Editor at LinkedIn News
5 quick tips #jobseekers can use for any Interview Preparation‼️
▶️Job aspirant often make the mistake of working backwards when preparing for an interview.
▶️They start by worrying about how to answer frequently asked questions & prepare answers for each of them separately.
▶️What questions is the interviewer likely to ask?
▶️What are my best skills & accomplishments to showcase?
▶️What stories can I tell to back up each answer?
▶️The process is long drawn out and memory often fails at the actual interview. 👉5 Steps to reverse the process and spend least amount of time. 1⃣Instead of starting with how to respond to FAQs, start with: What does the Company actually need me to accomplish?
➡️What are my most important skills/accomplishments that can illustrate that I can meet those needs e. g. generating leads, reducing costs, improving conversion rate etc. 2⃣Study the Job Description minutely to decipher the Company’s needs often hidden inside the JD.
➡️Prepare 1-2 strong stories to showcase your skills and experience aligned to the main bread & butter needs of the Company. 3⃣Package the stories in a strong framework (CAAR formula) C Context – mention the context in detail to capture attention and elevate your presence A Approach – Elaborate the Approach taken A Actions : List down the various step-wise actions taken. Talk about the Obstacles & hurdles faced & how you overcame them R Results: Finally the Results achieved. 4⃣Now that you have 2-3 strong stories ready, you have Got closer to the bull’s eye.
➡️You can now think of the various commonly asked questions:
➡️What’s you’re greatest achievement? What was your best contribution? Tell me about a time you failed (speak about the obstacles) Tell me about a time you had a disagreement (maybe your team couldn’t agree on a project)
➡️Bunch similar questions and decide which of the 2/3 stories you can weave into the answers .
➡️The idea is that no matter what questions you are asked, you’re drilling down your power stories and confining your answers to what you want the interviewer to know.
➡️The impact, in all likelihood, will be powerful.
➡️Prepare less number of impactful stories. Craft them in detail and practice, in front of an audience, record and review. Practice, Practice, Practice until they sound spontaneous.
✅Do add any other helpful perspectives that you may have.
