Maximize the impact of your interviews
Congratulations! Your resume made its way through the ATS and its filters and to an actual human being. You had a great conversation with the recruiter; now it’s time to talk to the hiring manager. You know you need to prepare by researching the company and your interviewer and familiarizing yourself with the job description. But, there’s something even more important for which you need to be prepared. Something that many people neglect.
The key to success in interviewing is to approach the interview as though you are a consultative salesperson. Consultative salespeople partner with their clients to understand their problems and align solutions with those problems. When you are interviewing, the number one question you need to answer for the interviewer is, “How can I help you solve the problem you currently face?” To answer that question effectively, you need to tell the interviewer compelling stories that make your case.
Storytelling is the fundamental way in which human beings communicate. Theater, music, poetry, film—all of these are media by which stories are told. When you tell stories, people are engaged and invested. Telling a story connects you with your audience in a very human and personal manner. Be prepared to tell stories that illustrate the following:
How can I solve the business problem at hand?
Will I fit in?
Why do I want to work here?
As part of your interview preparation, come up with 5-6 stories that showcase your superpowers. You’re going to want to have 2-3 success stories and 1-2 failure stories that you can spin into positives. You also need to develop hypotheses about ways to help and align your background, experience, and accomplishments with the current business problems. A critical question to ask, and one that will help you frame out your narrative, is “How do you measure success?” Once you have the answer to this, you can position your stories around those metrics.
You’re going to want to rehearse, make your story memorable, and sound compelling. Frame your story around three key points: the problem presented to you, your journey in crafting a solution (including barriers to success), and the result you delivered. Don’t give too much detail—if you get too granular, your audience (the interviewer/s) will lose interest. Only present salient, relevant points. Avoid using jargon—what you may think are standard terms might be very industry or company-specific.
Take your interviewer on a journey with you in which you regale her with tales of how you solve problems. And, while everyone knows that success doesn’t happen in a vacuum, you must focus on what YOU did. Instead of saying “we” and talking about your team's success, focus on “I” and highlight your role in driving results. If you’re able to tell compelling, engaging stories about your ability to solve problems and be a team player, and if you align those stories with the interviewer’s business problems, you will be able to sell yourself and close the loop effectively.
Think about the objections that you might encounter and be prepared to address situations proactively.
Storytelling is a great way to engage an audience and deliver your message with conviction and in a manner that will ensure your interview is successful!