Perspectives
Are You Ready for an Unexpected Job Interview?
by Deborah Walker
Most job
seekers wait to polish up their interview skills until they are looking for a
new position. Important interview opportunities, however, can present
themselves at any time.
For example,
Unplanned
internal job openings: There is a sudden
opportunity to advance your career from within, and your boss recommends you as
a candidate for the job. Are you ready to communicate your
contributions to the company?
A recruiter
calls: The position sounds like just the
career move you’ve been wanting. Will you say the right things to win the
job or will you blunder your best chance?
A former
colleague introduces you to his boss:
They are building an exciting new division for their company and looking
for new staff. Can you entice his interest in you as a must-have new team member?
Those who
continually grow in their careers are always prepared for these
situations. Their interview skills are
sharp at all times. To know if your
skills are sharp enough to handle a surprise interview, see if you can answer
the following four questions:
1. Can
you concisely state your value proposition in 30 seconds or less?
A value
proposition is meant to intrigue your listener with a quick overview of your
skills, expertise, and industry know-how.
If you can offer a precise summary of why you are the perfect candidate
for that job, you are more likely to get to the second or third interview. A concise value proposition can make a
critical difference in winning you a new position.
2. Do
you know your top five accomplishments, and can you communicate their impact to
your employer’s bottom-line initiatives?
A list of
your top accomplishments will allow a potential employer to imagine what you
can do for him or her. Accomplishments
give employers a way to associate your skills with their needs—and a reason to
remember you. Be prepared to list your
top skills and show how they can help meet corporate needs.
3. Are
you prepared to answer your own toughest interview questions or do you hope
they just won’t come up?
Don’t leave
yourself vulnerable to questions like “If you’re doing so well in your job, why
do you want to leave?” A good recruiter or hiring manager will see you sweat
and stutter and squirm; you’ll lose their confidence and destroy a chance to
get your dream job. Think about the
questions that will be your biggest pitfalls—and be prepared to answer them.
4. Do
you know how to find out your interviewer’s motivations to understand how best
to answer their questions?
This is a
very important question. Without knowing
your interviewer’s motivations, how will you know if your answers hit the mark
of what he or she is looking for in a perfect candidate? There are many ways to conduct research
discreetly and determine exactly what that employer needs. Once you have those answers in hand, you can
target your interview answers accordingly.
A good career
coach can help you answer all these questions and more, preparing you for the
interviews you plan—and the interview you didn’t expect. With those answers in hand, you can take your
career from mediocre to marvelous with “always-ready” interview skills.
About the Author: Deborah Walker, President of Alpha Advantage, Inc.,
is a nationally respected career coach with extensive experience as a former
headhunter and corporate recruiter. Find out more about Deborah and additional
job-search tips and resume samples at www.AlphaAdvantage.com or via email to Deb@AlphaAdvantage.com