Richman: Make interviewing practice realistic
Richman: Make interviewing practice realistic
Q: I’m in my mid-40s. By now you’d think I’d have figured out how to get a job, but I’m still a deer in the headlights when it comes to interviewing. I review study guides, memorize Web sites and I practice. I practice in front of the mirror, when I’m walking my dog, even on my commute to work. I think I’m ready, but I go to the interview and I feel like I did when I was in high school — frozen stiff while staring numbly at an expectant teacher who’s given me five essay questions and 10 empty blue books. How can I get better at this?
A: We could dig deep for the root cause of your test-taking terrors or focus forward and come up with a better way for you to prepare and present. I’m all for going forward, so here’s the good news: You’re older now and wiser. You’ve had plenty of life and work experience. You’ve been in jams and gotten out of them. You’ve succeeded and failed and succeeded again. You know that when you’re at your best you focus on what you do best and enjoy most. That’s what you should bring to the employer’s table.
Employers aren’t grading you based upon what they know. They’re evaluating your fitness for their position based upon what you tell them you know. They want a match between what they need and what you provide. They’ll ask you questions about what you do and how you think, questions that ask you to respond in ways that are candid, decisive and descriptive — for you, not them. There are no right or wrong answers. Answer them as you are, not as you wish you were or as others wish you to be.
Practice for real, not for pretend. Employers won’t ask you to interview in a mirror, while walking a dog or driving a car, so don’t rehearse that way. Practice with people willing to ask you questions and give you honest feedback. They don’t have to be professional interviewers, they just need to ask open-ended questions that cause you to think before responding. Here are some examples: Tell me about yourself. Why are you interested in working for us? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Why do you think you’re qualified for this job? How does this job fit into your career goals?
After each role play, ask for candid feedback: What am I doing well and what might I do differently? When did my answers make sense and when did I go off track? When did I seem most confident and when did I lose my stride? Why would you offer me the job and why wouldn’t you?
Then make the necessary changes and adjustments in your reactions and responses, and do it again. Practice with a new partner, ask for feedback, adjust and do it again. You’ll know when you’re ready for prime time.
Q: I’m a real good talker. I’m not getting any job offers and my wife says it’s because I talk more than I listen. I hate to admit it, but she’s probably right. Here’s my problem: I know what I’m talking about, which is why I need to talk about it. If I don’t, how can I convince the interviewer I’m right for the job?
A: Interviewers want to know what you think after they’ve had an opportunity to tell you what they want you to know. If you don’t listen to them and you don’t integrate their message into your response, they’ll think you can’t or you won’t. Manage your exuberance, exercise patience and pay attention to what they’re saying so that when you do talk, they’ll listen.
Joyce Richman is a speaker and career coach conducting seminars and workshops throughout the United States, and the author of “Roads, Routes & Ruts: A Guidebook for Career Success.” You can reach her at 288-1799 or JERichman@aol.com. Watch Richman’s latest career advice Wednesdays at 6:35 a.m. during “The Good Morning Show” on WFMY News 2.
