Prospects often call me to work on interview practice sessions, where they want to sharpen their interview skills. This is a good step to take, especially if you have an important interview round set up at top companies like Google, Facebook, Uber, Airbnb, Amazon, Tesla, McKinsey, BCG, and others. If you want to position yourself correctly for the right joband, sometimes, a level above the posted positionit is not merely enough to ace the interview round; you must do that from the get-go. This positioning starts with how you respond to that job and how you package your rsum (and the cover letter). Proper positioning helps in getting the right audience for your interviews and gives you an edge in how you can finesse the interview rounds for the right job offer you want.
This blog is about some interview hacks that have proven to work for my clients. Some of the clients had a near perfect round of interview successes (recently one client got offers from Google, Uber, Tesla, and Airbnb after he decided to leave Facebook). Although all the credit for the success belongs to the clients, what I have learned from many debrief sessions Ive hadfrom both, their successes and their defeatsI have codified them in an Interview hack-pack.
A Near-perfect Hit rate: So, in this blog I am going to share some of the hacksnot allthat seem to have a near perfect hit rate. Of course I am going to present my learning from answering the non-technical questions in any field (Technical questions in any specific field may present as: How would you leverage collateral estoppel to prevent a legal action in another statelaw; or What do you know about stack overflow and how has that influenced programming fundamentals to deal with it?computer programming/coding; does a low noise figure at the front of a signal chain always mean a high signal to noise ratio? –communications). For responses to such technical questions and in their discussions you MUST know your stuff and you cannot bluff your way through them.
Yet, despite oft-perfect responses to such technical questions, which demand a certain command of your professional expertise, some clients often come back disappointed from the interview outcomes after they hear back from the recruiters. In my debrief with them, despite their bragging about how well they did in answering all the difficult technical questions, I reserve my assessment of their success until after I hear the outcome. Their disappointments have a pattern; the items in this blog address those patterns and how to develop countermeasures to deal with them.
Of course during the preparation phase of the interview you must do all the basic things right such as researching not just the company, but also the product and the department you would be working on. Interestingly, often, the up-to-date company website carries information that even the hiring managers and others in the interview circuit do not always know is publicly posted. So, make sure that you impress them with your diligent research and other media coverage from the companys public footprint.
So, heres a listing of these hacks with some explanations:
- Know yourself
Most interviews start with the simple icebreaker question: What can you tell me about yourself? This is the very point where most candidates go off the rails. Instead of a crisp, concise, and compelling response that lasts about 30-45 seconds, they regurgitate their entire historysometimes starting with their birth in their native countryand use valuable airtime. One VP-level executive in his first trial round with me spent 31 minutes in response to that question I asked in our prep session!
What you want to practice is an Im an xx statement about yourself that plugs right into their open position. No history or chronology; for that you must advert them to your rsum.
The best way to get ready for this near-universal opening interview question is to write it down in a few lines, and then practice it with a clock ticking. Max. delivery time 45 seconds! This can be a tailored version of your Elevator Speech.
- Shift your mindset
Dispel their doubt: Most people go into the interview in a subordinated mindset. What this means is that the interviewer is accorded the superior status and the person interviewing surrenders to that authority, either consciously or unconsciously. Learn how to take charge right from the get-go, without showing-off and coming across as if you are running the show. Let them run their show, but you must learn how to run yours on your terms by knowing how to stay in the drivers seat. One way you can do this is to go with confidence (slight swagger, but not cockiness) and not letting the interviewer doubt why you are there or their choice in you.
Get to calibration quickly: Interviewers spend (waste) valuable time calibrating a candidate. What this means is that they want to know if they can trust you. Asking questions on myriad topics may help them trap you, but that can take forever, and time is precious. So, volunteer very early with the most vulnerableand obviousfactor that is your Achilles heel. This is called acknowledging the elephant in the room.
Let me explain: Recently, I had a senior-level client coming out of a software project management role, mostly focused on embedded systems and in the networking space. There was a great job for him to pursue an executive role at an EDA (Electronic Design Automation) company, but the job description required deep, vertical EDA experience. My client had none, but was very strong in the area of expertise that is horizontal across many such technology verticals.
With the right rsum and cover letter, despite his shortfalls in key areas, he was lined up to interview with VP/SVP-level executives with a Fellow and an Architect also thrown in the mix. So, despite all nine rounds of grueling interviews my client aced the rounds and ended up beating out many competing candidates coming from strong EDA backgrounds, some from their own company. The winning statement with which my client opened each interview: As you can see from my rsum I do not have any EDA experience, but if you want someone to develop and implement a complex but ironclad software release process Im the person you should be talking to. With that opening not one person from the nine very senior technologists he encountered, one at a time, asked him any questions about EDA, and he got the offer on his terms.
Become interviewers friend: Research each interviewer and learn something about them that is common with you and bring it up during the discussion. This is called Ethos (Im just like you!). Learn how to get to Ethos quickly by leveraging your Emotional Intelligence (EQ), coupled with some research on the interviewer.
Change your Pronoun Usage: Throughout the discussion (not an interrogation!) use the right pronouns. So, instead of saying General Adtools (you are interviewing there) can benefit from the new software that helps rapid conversion from prospects to customers etc., etc., Say, Why just target a 10% better conversion rate; I can help your team identify the right software that will increase your conversion rate by 50%, instead. I just did that at our company and it took us only two months. (Carefully observe the use of your, I, and our.)
Ask some great questions: Right after the response to Tell me about yourself, you must start asking good, nay, great questions to engage in a conversation instead of letting yourself be interrogated and answering all their questions. Remember, the person asking the question is in charge of the interview and the person doing the talking is doing the selling. Let THEM sell YOU!
Pretend you have the job: As you get deeper into the interview discussions use we as a preferred pronoun instead of you. So, say, once I get the handle of why so many customers are unhappy about the last release WE can figure out the best approach to what will make them come back to us and then execute that immediately. Use these pronouns at the right time of relationship maturity in the interview process: wait until you have been calibrated and you are engaged in a conversation (after getting out some great questions) about working together.
Be humble: One of the biggest turn-offs in an interview is to come across as a know-it-all. Even if you know it all fumble now and then and go Oops! Do it just once or twice, but naturally, to show your vulnerability. Also, admitting to your mistakes and failures openly helps show your humility. Being humble and showing swagger may seem contradictory, but this is what requires practice.
Relax/Smile: The most common reason candidates blow their interviews is that they get tense and anxious. In that state their brain is not functioning and is swimming in adrenaline. This chemical is designed to reflexively save us and shuts down our cognitive brain, where it can only decide to fight or flight. If you relax, however, your full faculties are at your disposal and your sharped focus can now plug into the universal consciousness to tap into the magical answers you need that flow from your preparation. Be poised and be confident throughout the interview. Smiling throughout the session helps you relax and shows confidence. Also, there are many exercises that you can do before entering the interview room to get you in a relaxed state (Google and find out). Also, learn how to manage your physical vocabulary (Google body language.)
Rise to the occasion: In most interviews there is at least one question or episode that occurs that stands out as the defining moment in that interview (the tipping point). If you are relaxed and are plugged in, with the process mentioned above youll have access to information and wisdom you did not know that you had. This is what I mean by plugging into the Universal Consciousness. When such an event confronts you, jump in and start responding. Youll amaze yourself!
Style AND Substance: In a good interview both style and substance matter. So, having the right answer can be multiplied by its impact if you know how to manage the style part. Style has to do with the pauses, timing, tone, emphasis, and other such matters, including your body language. So, merely having the content is generally not enough, delivery and impact matter more than most realize. This is a practiced skill.
Dress to impress: This is a part of the style element discussed above. Get dressed to impress others. So, doff your everyday jeans and wear something that others will notice. When you enter the lobby the person on the desk duty must recognize you as someone important that they must respect. Dress comfortably, but sharply. Do not wear the new dress/suit for the first time for any interview (who can forget in a Seinfeld episode with George Costanzas noisy suit that cost him his interview?)
- Miscellany
Other tips: Take notes on a paper note pad not on an iPad or a laptop. These devices create a barrier between you and the interviewer because the interviewer cannot see what you are tapping on your screen or keypad. An open paper pad laying flat on the desk across from the interviewer shows openness and dispels any concerns about what you may be jotting down. Also, the laptops open cover gets in the way between you and other person. It is also polite to ask if note taking is OK.
Above all, Be Yourself: Despite all the tips above learn to be yourself and always be yourself. All the above behaviors are practiced habits that take some time to internalize. Meanwhile, try internalizing as many of these tips as you are able, before you face your next interview.
After the interview is done ask what the next steps are and the timeline they are working to fill the position. Thank them with a firm, dry handshake and smile as you leave.
Do not forget to send a dynamite Thank-you email or note within 24 hours!
As dreaded as interviews are, if you break down the process in manageable chunks you can own that entire process to win the job offer you are after!
Good luck!
| About Author | |
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Dilip has distinguished himself as LinkedIn’s #1 career coach from among a global pool of over 1,000 peers ever since LinkedIn started ranking them professionally (LinkedIn selected 23 categories of professionals for this ranking and published this ranking from 2006 until 2012). Having worked with over 6,000 clients from all walks of professions and having worked with nearly the entire spectrum of age groups—from high-school graduates about to enter college to those in their 70s, not knowing what to do with their retirement—Dilip has developed a unique approach to bringing meaning to their professional and personal lives. Dilip’s professional success lies in his ability to codify what he has learned in his own varied life (he has changed careers four times and is currently in his fifth) and from those of his clients, and to apply the essence of that learning to each coaching situation. After getting his B.Tech. (Honors) from IIT-Bombay and Master’s in electrical engineering(MSEE) from Stanford University, Dilip worked at various organizations, starting as an individual contributor and then progressing to head an engineering organization of a division of a high-tech company, with $2B in sales, in California’s Silicon Valley. His current interest in coaching resulted from his career experiences spanning nearly four decades, at four very diverse organizations–and industries, including a major conglomerate in India, and from what it takes to re-invent oneself time and again, especially after a lay-off and with constraints that are beyond your control. During the 45-plus years since his graduation, Dilip has reinvented himself time and again to explore new career horizons. When he left the corporate world, as head of engineering of a technology company, he started his own technology consulting business, helping high-tech and biotech companies streamline their product development processes. Dilip’s third career was working as a marketing consultant helping Fortune-500 companies dramatically improve their sales, based on a novel concept. It is during this work that Dilip realized that the greatest challenge most corporations face is available leadership resources and effectiveness; too many followers looking up to rudderless leadership. Dilip then decided to work with corporations helping them understand the leadership process and how to increase leadership effectiveness at every level. Soon afterwards, when the job-market tanked in Silicon Valley in 2001, Dilip changed his career track yet again and decided to work initially with many high-tech refugees, who wanted expert guidance in their reinvention and reemployment. Quickly, Dilip expanded his practice to help professionals from all walks of life. Now in his fifth career, Dilip works with professionals in the Silicon Valley and around the world helping with reinvention to get their dream jobs or vocations. As a career counselor and life coach, Dilip’s focus has been career transitions for professionals at all levels and engaging them in a purposeful pursuit. Working with them, he has developed many groundbreaking approaches to career transition that are now published in five books, his weekly blogs, and hundreds of articles. He has worked with those looking for a change in their careers–re-invention–and jobs at levels ranging from CEOs to hospital orderlies. He has developed numerous seminars and workshops to complement his individual coaching for helping others with making career and life transitions. Dilip’s central theme in his practice is to help clients discover their latent genius and then build a value proposition around it to articulate a strong verbal brand. Throughout this journey, Dilip has come up with many groundbreaking practices such as an Inductive Résumé and the Genius Extraction Tool. Dilip owns two patents, has two publications in the Harvard Business Review and has led a CEO roundtable for Chief Executive on Customer Loyalty. Both Amazon and B&N list numerous reviews on his five books. Dilip is also listed in Who’s Who, has appeared several times on CNN Headline News/Comcast Local Edition, as well as in the San Francisco Chronicle in its career columns. Dilip is a contributing writer to several publications. Dilip is a sought-after speaker at public and private forums on jobs, careers, leadership challenges, and how to be an effective leader. |
Website: https://dilipsaraf.com/170610-2/
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