A recent post on recruiter Stephanie A. Lloyd’s blog, Radiant Verocity, lists 75 reasons why a job seeker may not get the job. The point? The interview process can be extremely subjective. You can’t make people like you or force them to think you are the best fit for the job. Some aspects of interviewing and landing a job just aren’t in your control. Stephanie recommends “rather than second guessing yourself or feeling defeated” examine your interview strategy and make note of what could be improved in the future.
While you can’t control every aspect of the interview, you certainly can control the way you prepare for an interview. And by being prepared and ready to showcase strong stories of success and a compelling value proposition, there is a greater likelihood that you will be seen as a strong fit and someone who could quickly contribute to the organization.
One of the best ways to prepare for an interview is to write down all your stories of success in your current and past jobs. Next look for the common themes within these stories of success and identify stories that demonstrate your impact on the business…particularly how you have helped the companies you have supported make money, save money, save time, grow the business, keep the business, or create new product. Next match these stories to potential interview questions and make decisions on which stories you could showcase to prove you have the particular competency the hiring authority is asking about in the interview question.
Remember, when you walk into an interview, you are often an unknown. The hiring manager needs to feel confident that there is little risk in hiring you and that you will be able to get up to speed and perform the job successfully quickly. Strong stories of success help mitigate the risk and make hiring managers feel confident in you and your abilities. Strong stories of success also help strengthen rapport with the hiring manager and increase your “likeablility.”
Take charge of the parts of the hiring process you can control and don’t sweat the things you can’t. There will be times when the job is filled internally or the chemistry between you and the hiring manager just isn’t there. It happens to everyone. Accept it and move on. Invest your energy in honing your interview skills, creating and maintaining an impeccable online identity campaign, and targeting companies with cultures that are in synch with what is important to you. This combination of research and preparation may help increase the chances of being seen as the perfect fit during your next interview.