Interview Secrets That Get The Job - Sandbox Advisors Singapore

Interview secrets that get the job 2009 edition

Most candidates are not aware of how to approach the interview game

As a result, they often stumble into the biggest interviewing traps Background research Background research Background research Research & preparation

Not having a strategy for different types of interviews

Not knowing different kinds of decision makers and what they are looking for in the interview

Not knowing the 3 interview stages

Not having a profile of characteristics & preferences

Not directly tying personal background to job requirements

Not knowing how to answer common interview questions

Not knowing how to handle liabilities or ‘lack-ofs’

Not paying enough attention to body language

Not knowing what questions to ask employer

Not scheduling properly

Not asking important pre-interview questions

Not asking for the next meeting, at the end of the interview

Not following-up after the interview

Handling logistics Managing the interview effectively

Background research Background research Background research Research & preparation

The different types of interviews must be handled appropriately (1/2) Screening interview

Often over the phone and by HR

To screen out candidates who do not meet basic job requirements

Answer with direct and focussed responses, with emphasis on hard skills. Only provide information that is asked

Avoid salary questions, because they only ask to weed people out

Decision making interview

Typically done with hiring manager

Take a more proactive role, especially since hiring manager (unlike HR) might not be skilled in interviewing

“ Behavioural interviewing” is common nowadays. So be prepared with detailed work experience stories

Group interview

Keep a seating chart if you forget people’s names

Build rapport with all - Make good eye contact and refer to them by name

Ask questions to more than one interviewer

Get each persons business card to follow-up after interview

Serial interview

With a number of people one after the other. They will then compare notes

Get everyone’s business card

Be consistent in your answers

Ask about person you will be interviewing with next

Need to keep up energy in till the end (eat sugar snacks, use breaks well)

The different types of interviews must be handled appropriately (2/2) Meal-time interview

Order food that is manageable and not messy

Keep conversation very polite and cordial. Don’t get too friendly due to setting

Less structured, so be proactive and navigate the conversation

Better not to smoke or order drinks

Blessing interview

By high level management

Done at the conclusion of an interview sequence in many companies

Typically to ensure that your personality and style are a good fit with the company

Just be relaxed and be yourself

Peer-to-Peer interview

When fitting-in matters a lot

Establish rapport

Ask questions about company culture, employee experience and so on

Don’t get to casual and friendly

Everything you say & do is being judged

Stress interview

Stress based questions

Interviewer behaves ‘badly’ to assess your ability to handle stress

Starting late, being negative, taking a phone call, trick questions, totally unrelated questions, being rude

Retain your composure and stay polished

Each decision maker has a different agenda and you must prepare/behave accordingly

Looking for leadership qualities - decisiveness, passion, intensity, work ethic, integrity

High level things, not too much of detail

Senior executives

Checking for competencies to do the day-to-day tasks well (technical, business and soft skills)

More detailed

Hiring managers

Checking that you fit qualifications of the job

Overall fit with team/culture and potential to grow with the company

Human resources

Manage the interview in three stages for maximum success and impact Rapport building 1 Job fitting 2 Stating your interest 3

Take a few minutes in the beginning to build rapport

Engage in general ‘chit-chat’ conversation to help develop some connection

Non-official

Do some preparation through internet research, to find common interests and other information

Primary goal is to position yourself as most qualified candidate

Show how well you fit the job requirements

Connect the dots for the employer

Make it a 2 way dialogue and take a proactive role in steering the interview

Show some excitement and enthusiasm for the company and its:

Culture

Mission

Values

…

Ask questions

It is important to gather information about your past work experience to ace the interview

This information will form the most important part of your interview preparation

It will also provide vital inputs for your resume and all other communication with potential employers

So make sure you spend enough time and effort on this exercise

Start by making a list of your important achievements during your career

Start with your most recent position & move back in time

If you have many years of experience, go back around 10-15 years

Aim for at least 3-4 achievements for each job you have held

The stories do not have to be ground breaking, just something that you are proud of and/or something that helped your team/department meet its objectives

Raised xyz amount of money for my local charity

Performed in the top quartile in my company

Increased sales for xyz product in my region

Doubled customer service scores

Got a promotion in short timeframe

Made 2-3 important operational improvements

Raised satisfaction scores for my team

Examples

Here are some areas important to employers, to help you think about your achievements

Think of a time when you saved/made money for your company. How did you do it?

Was there an action you took that increased productivity or saved time for your company? When? Where? How?

What events, activities or projects have you planned and implemented from beginning to end? How did you organise it and what was the result?

Have you ever seen how something was being done and worked out a better way to do it? What was the old way? What/how did you change it? Results?

Were you ever involved with any significant team projects or activities? What was your role? How did you and the team work to solve a problem? Results?

Have you ever come up with a new idea for your company? Where did the idea come from? How did it help?

Have you ever recruited people for your company? How did you go about it? What were the results?

Did you ever have occasion to speak/communicate in public? For what reason? How did you prepare yourself?

Did you ever use writing skills in your job? What was the purpose? What were the results?

Do you have an example of where you have exceeded customer expectations? What was the situation? What did you do? What feedback did you gain?

Think of a time when you were called on to be flexible or adapt to a new situation. How did you handle it? What were the results?

You then need to select 7-10 of the most significant achievements

Aim for:

At least one achievement for each job held and

At least one for each important skill or other requirements for the job(s) you are targeting

Refer to next section for tips on finding out job requirements

Elaborate on each of the shortlisted achievements using the CAR approach

Challenge/Context : What was the situation or circumstances you faced?

Action : What did you do to deal with the situation?

Result : What were the results that followed? (Quantify wherever possible)

CAR example – Challenge/Context At Company 1, I worked as a Relationship Manager (RM). My clients were large global investment firms, who made their investments through our company. As an RM, my main responsibility was to manage these client relationships. In this capacity, I functioned as a single point of contact for clients, ensuring that all their transactions were processed smoothly. Clients would consult/work with me on various issues relating to their investments; such as deal structuring, regulations, market practices, and matters relating to , trade settlement and foreign exchange. Working continuously to assess and meet their needs, I had to be the clients’ most trusted source. In my position at Company 1, I was several years younger than my peers, yet my clients included the biggest global relationship. When I was assigned to this relationship, the Product Sales Manager (a fairly senior executive) was sceptical of my abilities and the client was not happy with a change in their relationship manager (RM). As an RM I had no direct reports; however, I was tasked with motivating seventy employees from various operating units to work efficiently for me whenever required, a challenging undertaking.

CAR example - Action It has long been my conviction that maintaining the highest standards and a clear focus on responsibilities and clients must yield success. Keeping this in mind I did the following things: Increased frequency and duration of contact (in-person, phone, email) with the client Made a big effort to develop and maintain excellent relations with the seventy support staff, to ensure they gave priority to me and my clients. I spent some time daily, talking with them at a personal level and treated them all with respect Closed all outstanding issues raised by the client. Made a list of such issues, along with a schedule for completion and shared it with my supervisor and the client. I then systematically tackled each one and tracked them at various milestones to ensure completion on time Reviewed our operational processes, to see where improvements were possible. Involved respective departments and created flowcharts of processes, in order to pin-point where improvement were possible. Made sure departments received due credit for their help and participation

CAR example - Result Within four months of my assignment, I had far exceeded the client’s expectations and was even offered a job with more responsibilities by the Product Sales Manager. The most meaningful demonstration of my success came from client, who noted that my work was “by far the best service” she had received from our company. Also in an annual third party survey (the biggest in our industry), our company rating jumped by 20% since the time I joined.

Think about the unique characteristics that each of your stories highlights

By doing this you will know which stories to use, depending on which characteristics best meet the requirements of the jobs you are targeting

Think about this yourself and also show your stories to a few close friends/family to get their inputs

Have a look at the ‘Preferences & Characteristics list’ to get more ideas about different transferable skills, values and personality traits

You might also find it useful to make an inventory of your functional/hard/technical skills, which can be done using the ‘Functional skills’ workbook

Why is it important to have CAR stories?

Useful for identifying characteristics/preferences and linking them to job requirements

It is widely recognised that past behaviour is a good indicator of future behaviour and performance

CAR stories bring your past behaviour to life

It goes beyond just telling an employer what your strong points are, which is what most candidates do

They are the best way to demonstrate, as tangibly as possible, your ability to do the job

CAR stories make it easier for employers to believe what you are saying

Make you more memorable

CAR stories can and should be used in your resume, cover letters, interviews and all communication with potential employers

Background research

Not tying personal background to job requirements

Researching the industry and company is crucial to perform well at interviews

Industries trends

Key players

Factors for success

Company vision/mission

Competitive position and strategy

Culture

Growth and profitability

Key executives

Recent news

Industry Company

You must get specific information about the requirements for jobs that you are targeting

Look at job postings for your target positions on the internet and see what they typically ask for in candidates

Search an occupational database (such as O*Net - http://online.onetcenter.org/find/ )

Look for skills, knowledge, personality traits, values, etc. that are required

Note: In case your target jobs require characteristics which you have not written CAR stories for, make sure you write some additional stories for these requirements

Once you know the job requirements you can show how well you meet those needs Job requirements/Ideal candidate Your skills, background

X

Y

Z

Outperform other candidates

Extent to which you meet each requirement

Project your characteristics (CAR exercise) that match the specific job requirements

Show the interviewer how well you fit the requirements by highlighting all your relevant characteristics only

Gives tremendous confidence that you will perform well and stay longer with the company

Background research

There are many interview questions but in the end, interviewers are looking for a few things

Can this person actually do the job?

Who is this person? What are they really like? What type of personality? What characteristics and traits?

Will this individual fit in my company, team, and culture?

How much will this person cost me?

Whenever possible, use the CAR framework to effectively answer these main questions

Challenge : What was the situation or circumstances you faced?

Action : What did you do to deal with the situation?

Result : What were the results that followed? (Quantify wherever possible)

It is best to show, prove and back-up what you say, with examples of what you have actually done. This makes the difference between an average and an excellent interview/candidate

Do not speak too much and give long winded answers

Studies have shown that, in general, people who get hired:

Follow the 50-50 rule

50% of time speaking and 50% listening

Answer each question in a timeframe lasting between 20 seconds and 2 minutes. No more

Tell me about yourself?

Use positioning/personal brand statement

Objective of developing a brand/positioning statement is to leave a lasting impression with the employer

Short story that is comprised of critical messages that positions you as unique and valuable to the employer

Like a 1 minute personal commercial

Clear and concise language to summarise 3 things

Education and/or experience

Key accomplishments and and/or assets

Unique strengths/talents

Needs to be scripted and rehearsed (but shouldn’t come across as rehearsed)

During all contact (interview, resume, cover letter, etc.) reinforce the messages in your personal brand statement

Only provide information that is relevant for the specific position

What not to say

“ What would you like to know”

Talking about where you were born/raised, how many children you have, any other personal/non-job related information

What are your salary requirements?

Way to quickly eliminate candidates early on

You have nothing to benefit by answering this question in initial selection stages

Address it after you know more about the company/ position and have sold yourself to them

You can then negotiate salary effectively

Sample responses:

“ I’m interested in knowing more about the position and will then be able to make an estimate of the salary”

“ I’m interested in the position but don’t have enough details at this point to make an estimate of the salary. What range are you looking at?

If they really press you for an answer. Give a broad range and mention that it is negotiable based on job requirement and total compensation package

What are you strengths?

Focus on concrete and tangible job skills which are needed to be successful in the role (e.g. increasing sales, managing turnaround or merger, written communications, software programming)

Most people give generic and clichés as answers

Good with people, focussed, hardworking

You need to use new and powerful language instead

Incorporate a short CAR story

What not to say

“ I’m a really great person and team player and I’m sure I’ll fit right into your organisation” (The problem: too subjective and intangible)

What are you weaknesses?

You certainly don’t want to give a valid reason or shortcoming for not hiring you

Site a trait that was challenge in the past but which you have learned to overcome. Always end on positive note

You don’t want to use clichéd language either

I’m a perfectionist, I try too hard, I’m think too much about the team

Again use CAR stories if appropriate

What not to say

“ I don’t really have any”

“ I know the job required computer skills and I really don’t have much experience with that (the problem: this is a shortcoming not a weakness)

What are your career goals?

“ I want to use my skills in a challenging role and interesting role”

“ I also want to keep working in companies that match my personal characteristics and traits”

Gives the message that you only target jobs for which you are a good fit

Makes interviewer more comfortable

What did you like most/least about your last position?

Tie your answers into what the needs of that job are

Turn it around – “There was one thing that I would have liked more in that position”

Example of good response

“ Though I liked most aspects of the job and company, the one limitation for the lack of customer interaction”

Why did you leave your last job?

Keep it short and sweet

Don’t be negative or complain about your previous employer/role

If laid off, simply mention that the company was downsizing

Clearly state that it was not for performance

Similar response as question - What did you like least about your last position?

Why do you want to work here, or, Why should be hire you?

Again, reinforce key message in your brand/positioning statement

Again, say how your skills and personality are a good fit for the company

This will convince them that you will perform well and stay with them longer

Background research

Liabilities can be managed by using the ‘acknowledge and re-direct’ technique Examples Response

Acknowledge : “I appreciate and understand your raising that issue

Redirect : I know xyz was one of the requirements for the job

Question : If I can demonstrate that I have use such skills successfully and been exposed to them in my xyz experience, would that help relieve your concern?”

Then follow with a story to illustrate

Gaps in resume

Not meeting skill requirements directly

Not having right degree

Not having worked in the industry yet

Background research

Body language is as important as the actual words you use

Examples of positive signals

Making natural eye contact

Warm open smile

Relaxed movements/appearance

Proper handshake

Sitting up-straight (but relaxed)

Leaning slightly forward and looking attentive

Hands away from pockets and face

Feet planted firmly on ground

Examples of negative signals

Closed folded arms

Leaning away

Being too stiff

Too many hand gestures

Background research

Good questions show you in positive light and also help you learn about the company “ What the major short and long range goals for the company? How is success being measured and how is the company doing on these metrics” “ How has your company’s business philosophy/strategy changed over the last 5 years? How does this compare to your competitors?” “ What are some of the characteristics that make your company unique?” “ What are the three main functional tasks of this position?” “ How would you describe the culture and working style of the company/department/ team?”

The questions should aim to get information on few things (similar to what employers look for)

Is the job being offered what I am looking for? Will I be able to perform well and deliver results on the job?

Who is this company? What is their culture? What type of people work here?

What makes this company unique?

Will they be around long enough to provide me employment, a good salary and growth opportunities?

Background research

The day and time of the interview CAN have an effect on how your interview goes

Better on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

Nothing too early or too late in the day.

Between 10am and 3pm

Background research

Asking these questions before the interview can provide you with vital inputs

Ask names and positions of the people who are meeting, so you know what type of interview to expect. You can also do some background research on the people