ShareThis1 |
I've been on a slew of interviews lately. I find the interview process to be stressful so I try to prepare as much as possible so I'll be ready for anything thrown at me. There are different ways to prepare for interviews though:
|
2 |
For each interview I attend I will use one of the above styles. If I enjoy the interview and feel like it was a good connection, or am offered the job I'll feel that I used the right type of preparation (or I'll know that over-preparation is NOT always the answer) |
3 |
When I find a preparation style I can use most of the time that is efficient for me and helps me feel confident I will know I am done. The best measure of being done is employing this style, acing an interview for a position I'm interested in and obtaining a job I love. |
4 |
How will I make this enjoyable? I'm open to suggestions on that one. |
What's the Best Way to Prepare for an Interview?
Created Jun 22, 2010
| Category
Other
Comments & Observations
kelli I tried #4 - preparing for an interview I was nervous about using the mock interview technique. A few hours before the interview my friend came over (who has a lot of experience conducting interviews) and we did a fake interview. At first it felt silly but by the end I was feeling very confident. I rocked the interview, was offered a second interview but declined because of the too low salary. It felt great to have such a successful interview though.
Jun 22, 2010
kelli I tried #1 - which was the scariest of all. No prep. The company called me for an interview and wanted to hold it a few hours later. No time to prep - perfect opportunity to experiment. The person I interviewed with talked the whole time so I really didn't need any prep. I just listened. He was interested in me working with his company but expected someone 60 hours/week which I was not interested in. In this case no prep was the perfect prep. I didn't waste any of my time.
Jun 22, 2010
kelli I tried prep style #2 - minimal prep. It was an interview for a company I wasn't sure I wanted to work for. I didn't think it was the perfect match for my abilities but I loved the organization. I reviewed their website and only thought about a few answers to some tricky questions they might ask. Again they talked most of the time, they even lead my answers so I knew I was on the right track when I was answering. I was offered the job the next day. I declined it because there was no possibility of ever doing anything at that company besides what I'd be hired to do and I didn't think I could be happy with that long term.
Jun 22, 2010
Lizzy Hey Kelli, this is a great experiment. You are learning some interesting techniques. And definitely, interviewing for a job is very stressful, so having this kind of approach seems really smart. I like it!
Jun 22, 2010
kelli Yesterday I used Regular Preparation (#4)but really over did it. Wrote out my answers for any question they might ask. Reviewed them over and over again. Overly researched the organization. When I got to the interview which was a casual dinner I think I was over prepared. I had too many things going through my head making me nervous and too many people and things going on around me to stay focused and route the conversation where I needed it to go.
In this case too much preparation was detrimental.
But, the organization already called this morning to continue talking more with me.
Jun 22, 2010
kelli Thanks Liz - I'm kind of cheating since I've pretty much already done the experiment, just catching up with it here :)
Jun 22, 2010
Matthew Cornell Kelli, what an amazing experiment! You're trying a range of scary things, and I completely respect your courage. Also, look at the impressive results - called back, offers. (Then again, I already knew you are impressive.) What I like was your smart application of each interview technique, which looks like it managed risks. Really interesting that some of the interviewers talked so much. I wonder if that reflects on the company, or just the person.
Really fascinating experiment, Kelli. Keep us informed, and thanks for sharing.
[Side note: It'd be fun to see a short write-up of your experiment along with your recommendations. In this economy, I'll be your approach would be a welcome change from the usual advice. Not trying to get you to do it, just thinking. Liza and I are collecting topics for a TTL Companion Series - short works on topics like Dating, Innovation, Healthy, and ... Job Search! :-)]
Jun 22, 2010
kelli UPDATE: I came up with a new techinque along the way that seems more helpful than anything so far. I seem to do okay in any interviews no matter how nervous I am (unless it's obvious that it's a really bad match anyway, and then who cares?). It's like I become a different, more professional person when I need to, and put others and myself at ease. Before my last interview I named that person I can become and trusted her to handle the interview (okay so it sounds a little Sybil but still...). I was offered the job a few times jokingly during the interview. I think moving forward I'm going to stick with the technique of: researching the company I'm interviewing with enough to know why I want to work there, and then just make the interview a natural conversation. Now if I can just find a company/ person I WANT to work for.... :)
Aug 14, 2010
kelli Hi Matt,
I like the idea of the TTL companion series . Are you still looking for a job search write up?
Aug 14, 2010
Matthew Cornell "A natural conversation" - beautiful. A compromise between preparation and confidence. Plus, you're channeling your inner Sybil, which seems like a health form of detachment. Good work!
Re: The interviewing series, it could be written anytime. My approach with my "Where the !@#% did my day go?" daily planning book (http://matthewcornell.org/products.html#where-did-my-day-go) was to thoroughly research the topic (interviewing, in your case), try a bunch of ideas out, and write it all up as a how-to from the TTL perspective. E.g., why is it an experiment, what experiments are there to try, how do you measure them, what's the perspective on success and failure, etc. It'd make a nice PDF, and could stand on its own. We could write a short 1-2 page intro to TTL. I'd help if you were excited about it.
Aug 16, 2010