This is how you master your next Job Interview 

Master these 3 tools before your next job interview

In the past six years I have coached hundrets of people and helped them prepare for their next job interview. One thing they all have in common? They don't want to sell themselfes or brag about their successes.

Now let's try to see a job interview from a different perspective.

Imagine yourself being a consultant and you want your client to buy your services. If you aren't confident in your service, how can anyone else be?

That's why knowing your successes and how to sell them (at least a little) is key.

Here are the three tools you need to master before your next interview:

1. The Elevator Pitch for the introduction

This means a short summary of who you are, your skills that are required in the job, short examples on how you solve challenges, a few soft skills and of course your motivation for this position. Usually, an elevator pitch only takes between 1:30 – 3:00 mins. The same amount of time you have in an elevator, hence the name. 

To build your elevator pitch ask yourself three questions:

A) WHO AM I

So start with: WHO AM I - And this is no philosophical question.

Talk about:

• Current situation​
• Last degree (study/training).
• Professional experience
• Important further training
• Foreign experience

Here is an example:

“As of March 2020, I have finished (final degree). During this time, I completed several internships to find out what I wanted to do professionally. I particularly enjoyed my last internship in area XYZ.”

B) WHAT AM I GOOD AT

Next, talk about your professional experience and what skills and strengths you have acquired as a result.

Need an example? Here we go:

“Here I realized that I particularly enjoy working on projects. My boss also confirmed to me that I have a feeling for what people need in order to provide them with the best possible support. Even though I was only in this internship for 1.5 months, my colleagues confirmed that I understood the processes very good and in a very short time.”

C) WHY AM I HERE

This third questions reflects your interest and motivation for the job. When I was working as a Recruiter before being a coach I never got a real sincere answer when asking candidates why they want to work for the company I was hiring for.

Mostly I got answers that reflected some paragraphs on the website.

Put yourself in the shoes of an interviewer. It ss almost the same when you are dating. Would you be interested in someone who does not show any interest in you or cannot say what she/he likes about you? I thought so :-)

So let's see how you build this third part.

Here are two questions that can help you with finding a good and true answer:

- What interests you about the company or the position?​

- What do you want to find out in the interview?​

Example:

“I would like to thank you again for inviting me to the interview (always good to say "Thank you" :-)). The reason why I decided to study in the field of XYZ is (XYZ) and I got the impression that you also attach great importance to well-trained employees. So I’m looking forward to talking to you now about what getting started with you might look like and what added value I can offer you in return.”

Are you ready to build your first Elevator Pitch? Start with writing down everything you want to say. Then highlight the things you think are most important and then summarize the text. Practice is your key to success here so I recommend you practice this pitch and the often you practice the better you get :-)

Pro Tipp:

Record your pitch and send it to your friends. If the feedback is something like "This sounds very unnatural and akward" then practice more until it sounds natural :-)

2. STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to answer situational and competency-based questions

To present your skills confidently there is an easy structure you can follow to keep it short and insightful at the same time. For example, when asked to name your strengths, how you solved certain problems or dealt with certain situations you should always follow the same structure.

• S: You briefly describe the situation
• T: and your task in it to give the interviewers context.
• A: Then you explain your actions, why you choose to act that way and
• R: what were the results of your actions.

By doing so the interviewer gets a more detailed picture of your capabilities and can easily determine whether your attitude, skills, and behavior fit the position.

Here are two questions you can answer by using the STAR-Method:

1.  What do you do when a customer complains and becomes abusive?

The aim is to see how you react in certain situations and what competences can be derived from this.

2. How do you react when you disagree with your supervisor's decision?
There is no perfect answer - there is only your individual answer. Recruiters know immediately if you have learned something by heart. So, think about how you can personally answer these questions.

Level Up your Interview Game