| You have presented your resume, manicured it to | | | | primary reason you are trying to fill this position now?" |
| match the job you seek, had your initial contact by | | | | Or, "What issues are you trying to solve by filling this |
| phone or mail, and now you are preparing yourself for | | | | position?" Or, "What primary skills are you seeking for |
| your job interview. A job interview may take from | | | | the person you will hire into this position, and why those |
| thirty minutes to an hour or more, each hiring decision | | | | skills?" Each of those questions leads your interviewer |
| maker handles it to match their own needs. But since | | | | into an open ended discussion of what solutions they |
| the interview may affect your career for years to | | | | are seeking, by explaining the issues they face. Once |
| come, you will want to do your best to sell yourself | | | | you know that, you present your experiences in a |
| during the time you have with the decision maker. You | | | | way that solves those issues and highlights the skills |
| will want to take the time prior to your interview to | | | | you possess and they seek. |
| prepare, in order to do your best. Knowing in advance | | | | You likely will not know in advance how the |
| how you will handle key questions will raise your | | | | interviewer will answer your discovery questions, so |
| confidence level in the interview itself. You will sound | | | | you may think there is no way to prepare in advance |
| confident because your answers will be delivered in a | | | | to answer them accurately. That is inaccurate. The |
| confident and knowledgeable manner. Your goal - | | | | best way to prepare for your interview is by writing |
| impress the decision maker that you are the best | | | | out a list of the primary areas of skills and responsibility |
| candidate for the job. | | | | that reflect your experience. Use your resume and |
| In order to do that, you will have to present your | | | | common sense for those key areas. After writing that |
| experience and qualifications in a manner that make | | | | list, write out a simple one sentence statement that |
| sense to everyone concerned, and in a way that | | | | reflects your strategy for managing each area. Then |
| solves their problems. To do it in the same way a | | | | write out one or two real-life examples of how you |
| trained salesperson uses sales techniques to close the | | | | applied that strategy to each area of endeavor. |
| sale, you will want to present your credentials in a | | | | Where possible, quantify, apply numbers to your |
| solutions oriented manner. Don't be concerned if you | | | | examples. Don't be too elaborate. By writing out your |
| don't feel you have a sales personality. Sales aren't | | | | answers your brain will hold on to them so you can |
| always a process of personality. More often than not | | | | parrot back those answers and examples as required |
| sales are a matter of need and solution to that need. In | | | | in an interview situation |
| this case, you will present your credentials in a way | | | | Follow this advice and you will find out how much |
| that will solve the problem the hiring agent is seeking to | | | | more confidence you feel while in a job interview |
| resolve by filling the job. So your job is to prepare for | | | | situation. Don't hope you do well in an interview, control |
| the interview so you can present your credentials to | | | | the results by preparing yourself to do your best. |
| match their need, and to learn how to do "discovery", | | | | Present your credentials and experiences as a solution |
| to expose the issues the interviewer is seeking to | | | | to the job interviewer's immediate employment issues. |
| solve. | | | | Do that, and you will increase your odds of finding a |
| DISCOVERY | | | | career position instead of just another job. |
| Discovery is just another way of saying: "What's the | | | | |