Laughing – via Flickr
The Undercover Recruiter “recruited” me to write a guest post for his blog. I’d like to share the post with you as well. ? Follow me as I share a recap of the amazing interview you just had and how your preparation made it a success. You made them laugh and cry…
You made them remember you.
Let’s pretend…
To help you remember the best stories from your history, you have been compiling a list of interview questions. These stories are very specific and designed to leave a positive impression on the listener. These stories were put together on a regular basis, even when you weren’t worried about an interview. You add new experiences from work that make great stories to this list. It is important to be proactive in your interview preparation!
You can also list highlights and results, being as specific as possible. 130% improvement in customer satisfaction scores, etc.
This job posting was posted by a recruiter. It was easy to choose the highlights and results that you wanted to include on your resume. You chose a subset of your master list that was tailored to the company and job.
Not to mention
You already had beautiful report covers. It was easy to prepare the resume and cover letters for the interview. You checked spelling to make sure you knew their names and their titles. They will be the recipients of the portfolio cover letters. Easy.
You also included relevant examples of work, documentation of awards, certificates, letters of recommendation, and other documents. What information should you include in the packet? Because you already had it prepared to go, it only took a few moments.
You have enough portfolios to give to everyone who is interviewing you, plus two additional generic ones just incase.
It’s now interview time
You feel relaxed. Calm.
These stories are part of your past that you revisit on a regular basis. These stories are second nature to you. You know that you can answer any question with a match from your past experience.
No generic answers to the question “I would do this …” nature.?” There is no way. These stories are easy to forget by hiring managers. You have a wide range of real-life stories to choose from. You will be noticed by managers who think back to all the candidates they interviewed.
Why?
Because of the precision of your answers. How you told a story. How you set up characters and situations, and how you relay the challenges and how they were overcome.
Your amazing interview preparation has allowed you to relax and have a conversation.
You don’t need to know much about the company to prepare for an interview. These are not questions you can find online. Questions about the culture and how they perform whatever function you are specialized in. Ask them about their challenges. Your expertise can be used to offer advice.
Go out and work hard in your new job. Do good work.
