- You must prepare fully for the opportunity that an interview offers to learn more about the role and its challenges. Study these things before the interview so you can ask the right questions in it. Your marketability will be vastly enhanced if you take the position (politely and agreeably) that you are not just a seller but are also a buyer, and if you are able to ask the right questions at the right time.
- You will need to understand your transferable skills and to articulate them in a way that makes them attractive to someone who doesn’t understand your current work environment or the challenges you face in it.
- You must become comfortable with talking about yourself and what you want, enjoy etc. You must also be able to do this succinctly – in several minutes – in order to retain interest.
- You must become good at framing your career journey in a way that creates interest and prompts desire to gain a deeper understanding of you. Remember that in a movie, the same event can be a tragedy or a comedy, depending on how the Director wants it to be seen. You have the same power. We have all had negative experiences in our careers. Put the focus on the positives.
- You will need to understand your achievements and their value, and to be able to recall and recount them compellingly and with ease. Both of these things will require serious preparation. If needed, seek out assistance to ensure you can articulate and discuss them effectively.
- Familiarise yourself with behavioural interviewing techniques. Behavioural interviewing is widely used as a way to assess depth of experience and focus on and ability to achieve results. Use the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action and Result) when answering questions such as those about how you handled or would handle a particular situation. Be sure to have more than one example for each situation that is likely to be relevant to the requirements of your next role.
- Be prepared to summarise why you are the right person for the role – succinctly.
Remember, the candidate who gets the job will be someone whom the employer is confident can do the job, and above all, someone whom they LIKE! You must be so well prepared that your interviewer will see you at your best.
If you are ready for a career change or advancement that will bring REAL success and fulfilment, but feel you require some personalised advice on how to best go about it, contact us to arrange a free, no-obligation consultation with an EPR career management expert. We have assisted thousands of managers, professionals and executives to achieve breakthrough results over the past 17 years. The odds are we can help you do the same.
Here’s to your successful career!
