How to Smash Your Interview and Get the Job You Really Want!
Are you ready for a new challenge? You’ve seen your next job, you want to go for it BUT you’re put off by the interview process.
We see this SO often in our work.
Amazing women who KNOW that they can do a job but don’t know if they can get through the interview.
The good news is, turbo charging your interview performance is 100% learnable.
In this article we’ll go deeper into how to put in the groundwork AHEAD of your interview. In our monthly coaching webinar how to smash an interview and get the job you really want, we’ll go deeper into how to prepare and show up on the day.
How do I even get on the radar?
Despite what organisations say, many jobs are mentally allocated to particular people, in advance of the job being formally advertised. So the starting pointing in getting your dream job is to get upstream of the advert and make yourself visible! Women tend to have less access than men to this kind of sponsorship, so we have to dial up this upstream activity. If this isn’t something you’d easily do then get our ‘how to get visible without feeling like a fraud’ webinar session and dive deep into the learning there.
How do I research the role?
Recruiting the right team is one of THE most important things that leaders do. Yet 9 times out of 10 they’re too busy to put the time in nailing job descriptions and person specs. Standard documents get churned out which don’t tell you what the job’s really about or what the leader really needs. So if you want the job – be ready to do some detective work!
1. Talk to people who are smashing the role (or a similar role). Don’t go for the average performers or the people who are easiest for you to get to. Go for the people who are smashing it. Find out what differentiates OK performance in the role that you want, from high performance. Most recruiting managers dream of getting a high performer in their team. The clearer you are about what high performance looks like, the more you can fine-tune your responses in your interview to hit the mark.
2. If it’s an external role, find out about the organisation from people who work there or who have worked there. Of course look at their online presence, but dig deeper as well.
3. Research the manager who’s recruiting. If there’s a chance to speak to them in advance before the job interview, then do – even if it’s just 15 mins on the phone. It will set you up for success! You’ll get a chance to find out what really matters to them and take the guess work out of your preparation. It can also remove some of the fear from the interview process because you’ve already met a key person. Connecting with the recruitment manager before the interview also creates a personal connection and it shows that you’re serious.
4. Reframe this research stage as the first stage of you interviewing them! If you can’t speak directly to the manager find someone who knows them and get a sense of what matters to them. People tend to leave roles due to managers, not jobs, so having a chat with the recruiting manager you may decide the role’s not for you.
If the thought of this research stage is off-putting then now might be the time to brush up on your networking skills (join our networking session HERE) Men are more likely to network ‘instrumentally’ (to use their networks to get stuff like connections, introductions and job offers!) Women are more likely to network ‘relationally’ (to build connections and relationships) and are less likely to do this deliberate type of ‘instrumental’ connecting.
In this internet age there’s only a few degrees of separation between us and anyone in the world! This means that someone you know will know someone who can make a connection for you.
Further resources
Mastering the Art of the Interview - Ashley Rizotto
how to respond to ‘so tell me about yourself’ interview questions Joel Schwartberg HBR
4 ways to ace your exit interview and still get a reference Shelcy V Joseph Forbes
8 job interview strategies used by successful executives Marissa Perino Business insider
Want to go deeper?
Join us for How to smash an interview and get the job you really want
In this webinar you’ll learn how to smash interviews, pure and simple!
You’ll leave with practical strategies for pitching up to your interview feeling prepped, confident and at your best. 80% of people who do our pre-interview coaching go on to smash their interviews. 😊
We’ll go deeper into what to do IN your interview, shaping up your interview mindset and how to deal with those pre and mid interview jitters.
It costs £30 and you can join us here .