Let’s face it. Job interviews are nerve-racking.
Interviews involve more than answering questions. Getting the job involves being prepared, understanding what you have to offer and providing brief, concise answers.
When it comes to nailing the interview, follow the five C’s, according to Romona Camarata, a senior executive career coach and consultant. Remember to converse, connect, convince, be confident and come clean.
Camarata advises her clients not to feel compelled to tell their life stories when answering questions.
“Don’t lose the thought of what you are trying to relay by a long response,” she said. “The company wants to know what you can do for them.”
When the interview ends, don’t forget to ask what the next step is in the process.
1. Converse
To put the interviewer and yourself at ease, start off by offering thanks for the time to discuss your skills. Tell the interviewer about yourself and what you can bring to the company.
“Telling them that you are researching jobs within the industry gives them an idea that you are focused,” said Camarata.
Discuss your skills and how you can use them to benefit the company. Use this opportunity as a self-advertisement. This introductory time will answer questions the interviewer has, as well as help formulate others during the interview.
2. Connect
Ask questions to keep the interview moving.
“Talking during an interview should be 50/50,” said Camarata.
Listen to what the company is looking for and explain how your skills would apply. Give examples of how you have learned from others and how you have shared your ideas with them.
Explain professional problems that you have faced and how they were resolved. This technique may answer questions such as why you think you can do the job.
And always be a good listener, so you can provide good answers.
3. Convince
Present your skills in a convincing manner and be effective in telling your story. One dramatic method:
1.) State a problem or opportunity that presented itself to you. 2.) Use action steps to explain how you solved the problem. 3.) Discuss the result of your actions.
Provide a timeline, the number of people involved, the amount of money that it saved the company.
“Let the interviewer know how your steps affected the bottom line within your area of responsibility, or the percent change that the company realized as a result of your work … anything quantifiable,” Camarata said.
4. Confidence
Use strong body language. Smile. Keep things positive. Mirror what the interviewer does. For example, if he or she leans forward, you should lean forward. If he or she stands, you should stand. Your body language can help build your confidence and relax.
“Your body language shows you are paying attention,” Camarata said. “It puts in their mind that you are a candidate they should be looking for.”
If the interviewer asks for a conflict you have incurred in a prior job, tell them how you resolved it. Offer good results. When the interview is ending, recap what you said to validate your interest.
5. Come clean
As the interview ends, make sure your perceptions of the job and its responsibilities match what the interviewer has conveyed. Recap what was said in the interview to make sure you and the interviewer are on the same page.
Be prepared to answer any interviewer’s assessment that you “may be overqualified” by strongly conveying your interest in the job and emphasizing what you can do for the company.
