Where Leaders Come To Grow.

Welcome in, before we jump into our blog today, I want us all to take a big deep breath and pause – come on do it – deep breath, pause and relax………

Ok, good, you focused………shall we get into it 🙂 todays blog came about following a call I received from a client who has been working with me on her career. She called yesterday to say that she has been asked to attend an interview in January 2020 and wanted to get some time prior to our xmas break so she could prepare.

Firstly congratulations to her for securing an interview (we had spent time working out what, where, who, how and this organisation was high up on her wish list…….) as I said to her yesterday xxxxxx now the hard work starts!

What is the definition & meaning of Interview?

An interview is a formal meeting at which someone is asked questions in order to find out if they are suitable for a job or a course of study (thanks Collins English dictionary for clearing that all up).

Now, its not for me to change the definition or meaning of Interview but I am very keen to add this, An interview allows you (the person being interviewed) the opportunity to understand more about the position, more about the managers approach and the organisation. It is an opportunity for you to articulate who you are, what you are great at and the areas you need support on, ultimately to see if the position fits into your career plan.

Getting Results

Its extremely important to the clients who work with me on Interview Coaching that they get ‘results’. But what does that mean, well it could mean getting to round 2 of the interview process, it could mean feeling confident about walking into the interview room, it could mean that you are prepared for your interview, it could mean you being offered the position, it could mean you understand more about yourself and how to articulate that to those who don’t know you.

My success rate for 2016/17/18 and 2019 is high and I am thrilled that many people have now gone onto new positions, both internally and externally. To those wonderful clients, GREAT WORK…

So what are some of the insights, thoughts and ideas that we can share with you today? how might you want to show up for your interview and what are some of the things you may want to avoid.

Interviews to me are very much won or lost in your head. You can have the absolute best well rehearsed answers – the very best questions to ask – the smartest clothes – the polished CV etc – but trust me – if your head is not clear and focused you are not going to get the results you deserve, period.

So, what do I mean about your head!

As professionals, We all appreciate that our head plays a MASSIVE part in how we show up. We are taking specifically around, Positive or Negative thoughts……If you read, listen or speak to any famous sport star, I will bet my last dollar that he/she will share how in order for them to be at their best they got in ‘the zone’……..to me as a coach this means their head was in the right space……….nothing else…..just in the right space…..now its your turn……..

I have worked with individuals who have felt nervous going into an interview, they felt the interview went badly, they felt that they always interviewed badly, that they never answer the questions how they truly wanted to answer them. My job here is to work with you on getting yourself in the zone, just that – how are you going to get in the zone so the rest takes care of itself……..

Those who I have coach to success have spent time on ‘getting in the zone’ they share with me post interview – that they just felt confident, passionate and had clear thought, ultimately they felt at ease with who they are and what they do (no matter the outcome) and just for the record this is how I know my clients are getting results when it comes to interview coaching.

I would love you to try and exercise with me – it is something I get my clients to do in between our coaching sessions

grab a pen and 2 pieces of paper (old school hey…….) – lets get to work………

On both the pieces of paper draw a line down the middle and on one side of the line (left side) lets put a + and on the other side of the line (right side) lets put a –

Now the + is going to represents positives and yes you guessed it the – is going to represents the negatives (thoughts and actions here….)

I am keen for you to Think back and remember the last time you felt extremely confident (+) about something, answer these few specific questions please

• what was that something? write it down

• what led you to feel confident? write it down

• what had been that ‘routine’ your did that day? write it down

• what was you wearing? write it down

• what was you thinking? write it down

• what had you eaten / drank? write it down

• what do you feel made you feel positive towards that something………….? write it down. GREAT WORK……

Take some time to notice what you have written on the + side of your page, this is going to help you in the lead up to your next interview……..

Try now doing the same on the other side of the line the (-) think about when you didn’t feel confident, answer these few questions please

• what was that something? write it down

• what led you to feel less confident? write it down

• what had been that ‘routine’ you did that day? write it down

• what was you wearing? write it down

• what was you thinking? write it down

• what had you eaten/drank? write it down

• what made you feel less positive towards that something…………? write it down, GREAT WORK

Now as you look at your page of + and – I would like you to repeat the + exercise on page 2…..go on give it a go, whats the worst that will happen? Think about another time you felt extremely confident and again answer those questions, GREAT WORK………

Now that you have completed exercise one – thank you, I am keen for you to take a good look and see what you notice here, what are some of your similarities + and what are some of your similarities – my challange now is for you to keep these 2 pieces of paper close by and the next time you are heading into something that you are not feeling so positive or confident about please pull out that piece of paper and FOCUS in on your +, notice what is going on with you (today) and act accordingly to the positives you have highlighted down, I am confident that doing this exercise will really add value to you and help you get in the ‘zone’.

(for those of you who did do the above exercise – when the time is right can you let me know how you went please – what were some of the common + themes you notice……and how in doing this exercise has it helped)

So, back to our interview.

There is no size fits all here but trust me when I say getting the above in order will help you a great deal.

What are some of the things to think about in the lead up to your interview

• getting in the zone (see above for support on that)

• allowing time to get to your meeting (its never a good start being late…)

• wearing clothes that make you feel confident

• understand who it is you are meeting – manager, peers, board, Hr etc and what format with the interview be (behavioural, informal, panel, presentation etc)

• what is it you understand about the position, the organisation, the manager, does the culture / people / product or service fit with you and your values?

• why are you actually going for the interview (does it fit with your career plan?)

• what would I like to find out about the opportunity (don’t be afraid to write these down and take them with you so you dont forget)

• do you have the current job description and have you taken the time to read and understand it?

• what is the timeframes of the entire interview process – (1st, 2nd 3rd 4th rounds, testing, presentation, references etc)

  • its very helpful to understand the time lines so you can prepare accordingly)

There are many more things here to consider but I hope this get you started in your interview preparation.

Now, a very special person took the time today to email me (as I was writing today’s blog, getting the kids fed and trying to stop the dog from climbing the xmas tree……..).

He had seen my post last night and was keen to share his top tips on this very topic. So I am thrilled to include his wisdom…..for purpose of confidentiality he is a C-level executive and has hired many people in the past. So if its ok with you I want to share his message (I have checked with him and he is absolute fine for it to be included in todays blog…..) in his words…..

“We had an interview for a head of marketing position last year. Normally these style of interviews are – sit in a room and ask questions. (no suprise here you may feel….) but what happened will make you re think how you go about being interviewed.

Instead the person turned up to the interview and with him had a presentation ready, he walked us through his presentation and the normal key areas (that we would have covered off in the interview….)

• why this company

• how he operates

• key challenges he sees and how he would overcome them

• as well as a few other things

It was interesting because this allowed ‘him’ to control the interview. Ensured that he spoke for the amount of time he wanted to on key topics and then leads to smaller questions and answer session as we knew where he stood in most areas.

(now I might also like to clarify that this was for a very senior position and like my C-Level Executive shared – this approach is highly recommended as a way to approach your job interview…………just for the record he ended up getting the role. Just goes to show you can turn up to an interview and be ‘in-control’………

Thank you for sharing this story with us and for allowing me to share with our readers……

So as we close of our blog today on “It’s Your Interview’ I ask you to think big, think differently and keep pushing yourself forwards.

About the Author;

Nick is a Master Certified Executive Coach and owns Roud Career Coaching. He has helped over 500 individuals since starting the business in 2016 and is approached by individuals who want to ‘improve and get results’. You can find our more about Nick, the programs he runs, the assessments he uses, blogs and podcast at roudcareers.co.nz to book your coaching session click here

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my thoughts on Interviews and if I can be of any support or help let me know.

Look after yourself and each other

Nick