Guide the Interview Where You Want It to Go
Why are interviews scary?
We’re afraid of unexpected questions, we’re afraid of difficult questions, we’re afraid of questions we don’t want to answer.
What if I told you there was a way to put all of these fears at ease at the very beginning of the interview? We can (99.99999% of the time…)
As difficult as it is to guess what questions we’re going to be asked in an interview, the vast majority of them start in the most predictable way;
“Tell me about yourself.”
“Talk me through your CV.”
“Introduce yourself.”
With this opening we’re given the opportunity to set the tone for the whole interview and guide it to where we want it to go. Here’s how we do it;
Tailor your intro to the Job Description
Don’t lean on a one-size-fits-all intro to get you through every interview. Analyse the job description and highlight the most crucial hard and soft skills that appear on it. With these keywords we can change our full story into a highlights reel that skip the parts that are of no interest to the interview. Do this right and you’ll pique the interviewer's interest and get them to ask follow-up questions on these areas that you’re more than ready to talk about.
Don’t try take up time with the intro
It’s tempting to stay in our comfort zone and keep the introduction going as long as possible. We need our intro to be an appetizing starter that will leave the interviewer wanting more. Mention some key achievements with impressive results but don’t give too much away on how you achieved them. If they want to have more than just a peek behind the curtain, they’ll need to ask you about it after your intro.
End your intro with a question
This last part is optional but can be an effective way to steer the rest of the interview to an area you’re prepared to talk about. This question can be something like: “If you’d like, I’d be happy to talk more about how I achieved this in a bit more detail?” This comes across as being respectful of their time as well. Another example could be : “Is that ok, or would you prefer to hear more about my technical/leadership experience?”
Use these tips and put in the effort to craft a strong introduction tailored to the job opportunity. With this you’ll be setting yourself up for a comfortable, confident start to the interview and beyond.
As for the 0.00001% of times an interviewer neglects to use this staple opening that adorns the toolbelt of recruiters worldwide, may fortune show you mercy…
Want to make sure you’re ready for every question? Even the unexpected ones? Book a session with us and turn interviews into opportunities
