Interview Tips.
The 3 Components to Successful Interviewing
“Building Magic”
When we crunch down all the parts of the employment interview process, successful interviewing really breaks down into 3 basic components.
1) Communicating Value
2) Establishing a Good Fit
3) Promoting the Likeability Factor
The purpose of communicating value is to “build” a compelling case that the job candidate can produce significant bottom line / organizational results… In other words, do their jobs well – producing a measurable ROC - return on compensation. (People are hired NOT because they need a job… but because they will produce results worthy of their compensation).
The purpose of establishing a good fit is to “build” a case that the job candidate has the same values and cultural characteristics that the company adheres to.
The likeability factor “builds” a case that the job candidate has a personality and temperament that align with internal employees (management, peers, and subordinates) and external entities (vendors, clients, the community, etc.).
People hire (and refer ) people they like!
The Organizational Message Chart© (The OMC©)
The Organizational Message Chart© (OMC©) is the most effective tool and systematic approach to defining value. Value is most important because employers invest in, or pay, employees based on their value… their ability to produce results. The greater the results an employee produces, the more employers are willing to pay. This is called: RETURN ON COMPENSATION.
“There are about 6-to-8 messages that make 90% of the difference in getting a job offer. You just have to identify those 6-8 messages - and then invest 90% of your time mastering them.”
The good news is that you don’t need to remember and communicate a hundred things in an interview to have the best chance at securing good job offers. It only requires knowing about 6-8 key “value-messages.” And yes, depending on individual circumstances, it may not always be exactly 6-8. It may be three, five, or ten messages. But you get the point here…
A Hierarchy of Messages
Of the 6-8 messages, one is most important… and this is called the PRESIDENTIAL MESSAGE. This is the message that answers the question, WHY SHOULD WE HIRE YOU – WHAT DO WE GET IN RETURN FOR PAYING YOU?
Then there are the “means-to-an-end” messages presented in a hierarchy of importance that communicate core skills, abilities, qualifications, and traits that result in the Presidential Message. I call these “means-to-an-end messages,” VICE PRESIDENTIAL MESSAGES.
Finally, there are VALUE ADDED or DIFFERENTIAL MESSAGES. These are messages that communicate what added benefit/value a candidate brings to the job that is NOT expected or required.
The 3 Messages that Communicate Value
The Presidential Message
The Presidential Message is the single most important message you can convey in job interviews. It addresses the all-important questions: “Why should I hire you; what significant results can you produce that would get us excited enough to want to pay you to produce those results?” All other messages support, defend, and complement the Presidential Message.
Below are types of information employers are looking for:
Increase sales and market share – contribute to profitability
Collect outstanding money to improve cash flow and reduce accounts receivable
Improve efficiency and productivity
Integrated high technology to reduce costs, optimize production, and improve quality
Optimize customer relations and increase customer retention service levels
Purchase supplies at lower costs with improved payment terms & conditions
Complete construction projects on time and on budget, thus, avoiding cost overruns
Vice Presidential Messages
Vice Presidential Messages complement and support the Presidential Message; and are in most cases, a “means-to-an-end” (the end being the Presidential Message). They represent specific skills, qualification, and character traits (labor assets) that produce results worthy of being paid.
I noted earlier that there are about 6-8 messages that pretty much determine 90% of your value to employers. For instance, if I can increase sales (Presidential Message), there are only a few (6-8) skills, qualifications, and traits that I use to generate higher sales. These would constitute the Vice Presidential Messages. They might include presentation and closing skills, networking, relationship building, overcoming objections to sales, maintaining an active pipeline of prospects, and delivering unparalleled levels of customer service.
A SKILL is something you “can do” that produces a result
I can use my analytical abilities to solve problems
I can collect unpaid invoices
I can drive a forklift, a car, or a truck
I can train and supervise others
I can program computers
A QUALIFICATION is “wisdom” that you have acquired that produces a result
I have a bachelor’s degree
I have a real estate license
I have a certification in résumé writing
I have a high school diploma
I have 7 years’ experience
A TRAIT is something you ”are” (I am…) that helps produce a result
I am loyal and dependable
I am professional and accountable
I am highly motivated and driven to succeed
I am a valuable asset to your company
Value Added (or Differential) Messages
Value-added messages communicate added value that job candidates bring to the job; qualities that go beyond the call of duty. Here’s the thing you must remember… value-added messages are just that… talents that are valuable to an employer, BUT NOT PART OF THE JOB DESCRIPTION. When you bring a “value-added” dimension to prospective employers, they can more easily tip the hiring scale in your favor.
In other words, you communicate (and validate) that you bring MORE to the table than what is expected. Your skills, abilities, and qualifications go above and beyond what the job responsibilities call for, without coming across as over-qualified. As an example: A master electrician who adds value by helping build new sales by asking for customer referrals when they complete a job. This would not, in most cases, be expected of an electrician.
Important – not everyone has a Value-Added Message. If you don’t, this is no big deal. Just run strong with the Vice Presidential Messages.
Value-Added / Differential Message Examples:
1) A candidate seeking a job as a retail manager might bring added value by being fluent in English, Spanish, and French. Being trilingual IS NOT a job requirement but may be valuable working with customers who speak those languages.
2) A candidate seeking a job as an elementary school teacher might bring added value by being an expert in computers and computer programming. These skills ARE NOT part of the job description, but they can be valuable not only in a teaching position but also as a support person to train other teachers.
3) A candidate seeking a job as a sales associate might bring added value by having an existing book of business in the form of clients from a former job-ready to use to ignite sales in her new job. Having this “list” IS NOT part of the job expectations, but is extremely valuable to a prospective employer seeking to grow and expand quickly.
4) A candidate seeking a job as a career coach for a college career resource center might bring added value by having key contacts with local staffing agencies and recruiters to further assist graduating students land jobs. Having these contacts IS NOT part of the job expectations, but is extremely valuable to the college and to seniors preparing for the workplace.
Once you identify these few messages (Presidential, Vice-Presidential, and Value-Added/Differential), and are comfortable and confident in them, you will want to begin working on pinpointing specific situations in the past where you produced excellent results using the skills and abilities. Otherwise known as Performance Storytelling.
Typical Interviewing Questions
Behavioral (Scenario-Based) Questions
The idea behind behavioral questioning is that the most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance conducted in comparable situations.
Behavioral questions focus on the past, so employers can attempt to predict future behavior and performance. (Situational questions, on the other hand, tend to focus on the present and the future). As opposed to the term “behavioral questions,” a more accurate term that you may better understand would be past performance interview questions.
Traditional interviewing questions ask you to state your beliefs and opinions. "Tell me about yourself." "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" “Why do you want to work for this company?" “Where do you see yourself in three years; five years?” By contrast, behavioral interviewing questions ask you to recollect and convey stories about how you handled challenges or addressed goal-driven initiatives related to the skill sets and the company’s job requirements.
For example, if a job requires strong communication and team-leadership skills, an interviewer might ask you to recount past experiences (share stories) where you explained new strategies and concepts that inspired a team to come together and achieve significant results. Behavioral interview questions often start with phrases like, "Tell me about a time when ..." or "Describe a situation in which ...” or "Give me an example of ..."
Describe a time when you didn’t get along with a colleague; how did you navigate this?
Tell me about your biggest professional challenge. How did you overcome it?
Can you explain a time when you faced failure but used it to achieve success?
How have you, in the past, handled issues with a boss who was not open to your suggestions?
Below are two examples – the first question is a behavioral question – the second is a direct question.
Behavioral question: “Tell me a time when you improved organizational efficiency. How did you do it and what specifically, were the results of your efforts?”
Direct question: “What are your greatest strengths and your areas of weakness?”
Can you begin to see that direct questions lead to short, rather terse responses, and behavioral questions to more in depth responses?
A behavioral question might be, “In your four years of experience as an accounts receivable professional, what was the greatest challenge you had collecting money from a past due account, while not offending or losing that account moving forward?”
A direct question might be, “How many years of experience do you have in accounts receivable?”
Situational Questions
Often confused with behavioral questions, situational questions focus on future performance rather than past performance. Interviewers, in this instance, will give you hypothetical problems and situations, and ask how you would address and deal with them.
These are ideal types of questions asked to college graduates (or those who have limited past experiences), but have the education, skills, and aptitude to do the job. Situational questions are like “test simulators” where future performance is based on current skills and knowledge – not past performance.
Example:
“Your boss is on a whirlwind business trip. He assigned you a report to write for a client while he is gone, and he expects the first draft in two days. You thought everything was clear, but when you look back through your meeting notes and emails, there are outstanding questions that will make it difficult to complete the report. What do you do?”
Performance Storytelling (STAR)
Chances are, you've heard that an important skill that normally results in a strong interview is the art of storytelling.
It’s hard to argue that, whether it's sharing a mission, selling shoes, or promoting oneself to potential employers in an interview setting, a commitment to “performance storytelling” is a powerful strategy that can mean the difference between a job offer or being runner-up.
Hiring decision-makers understand the power of performance storytelling. They know that successful communications, in the employment interview setting, is predicated, in part, on how well you are able to provide EVIDENCE that your skills and qualifications are indeed, valuable, and worthy of a steady paycheck.
And being able to communicate past and future performance in a well-presented manner (an interesting story), is an art that can be easily learned. And it all can begin with the Organizational Message Chart™ we covered previously.
When you have a clear and precise understanding of your skills and abilities deemed valuable to potential employers, you must provide stories (EVIDENCE) to support the premise that these skills and abilities are indeed valuable enough to pay for.
Stories are made up of achievements, awards, recognitions, and contributions made in past jobs. In the absence of formal work experience, stories can center on accomplishments made in community activities, volunteer work, internships, sports, and other similar activities.
Stories build messages that resonate with interviewers. Stories help people bond to messages. When you engage interviewers with stories that are relevant, powerful, entertaining, and informative, you give yourself an advantage that might very well be priceless.
No doubt, you’re familiar with an easy and effective way to tell stories – using the STAR method. This is a methodology you can utilize to share 1) A situation that needed to be addressed, 2) Specific tasks required to effectively address the situation, 3) Key actions that were taken, and most importantly… 4) the results that were achieved.
An in-depth, more comprehensive STAR:
Seeking Warehouse Manager Position
Describe a project where you helped facilitate greater efficiency.
SITUATION: Last year I took the initiative to apply for business grants to fund a comprehensive training program for all warehouse personnel. The objective was to work collaboratively to improve 1) efficiency, 2) accuracy of order fulfillment, and 3) overall customer service standards. It's very difficult to get business grants for this kind of training.
TASK: I researched grant options and found a few viable options. Each opportunity presented different challenges including deadlines for application and community benefits. And because the grants were business foundational grants, we would have to show another benefit – 10% increase in hiring to help reduce unemployment in our community.
ACTION: The varying timelines required me to develop a team of 4 people who, in a systematic manner, were responsible for completing one grant application utilizing shared information and data. Furthermore, we each connected with at least one foundation contact to help guide us through the process – building rapport as well as a case for being awarded a grant.
I created a database, which I organized by grant deadlines, purposes, and the windows of time they could be used; including names of our contacts and all communications we had with them.
RESULT: We were awarded two separate grants that fully paid for a week-long advanced warehouse efficiency optimization program ($125,000). Six months following the completion of the training, efficiency soared from 67% to 92%, order fulfillment accuracy reached a company high 98.2%, and customer satisfaction reached 96% - the highest in the company’s history. And the $125,000 investment in the training was recouped in less than three months’ time.
Principles of Performance Storytelling:
Stories must advance a concept or idea that demonstrates value – the ability to produce future results.
Stories must be actionable – meaning they must be engaging and highly significant to the process of getting a job offer.
Stories must be supported by data, statistics, or quantifiable results.
Stories must be communicated with confidence and ease.
Stories, and the information provided within the story, should attempt to offer a new insight or perspective… with the goal of tipping the hiring scale in your favor.
Answering Common Job Interview Questions
This section is the most challenging because there are so many variables that come into play. More times than not, you can prepare on how best to respond to the 50 most popular interview questions… where the questions asked in the interview had nothing to do with the 50 questions. And then, there are those troublesome questions that all job candidates must be prepared for, such as:
Can you tell me about yourself?
What are your greatest weaknesses?
Why do you want to work here?
Every job seeker will have some level of discomfort with any number of interview questions.
TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF
Interview Question: “Can you tell me about yourself?”
Job Candidate Response: “Yes, thank you for asking. I was born and raised in New England, went to college in New Hampshire, and have worked in a number of jobs and industries until 10 years ago – when I entered real estate. And for the past 10 years I have worked hard to be the best I can be. A million-dollar producer in just my second year. And I’m always seeking to improve – every day trying to be better.
WHAT ARE YOUR WEAKNESSES
Interview Question: “What do you perceive as your main weaknesses?”
Job Candidate Response: “I believe we all have areas that we can improve upon. That said, I am a two-fingered typist… never learned how to type. I could probably free up a few hours a week if I were more proficient at keyboarding, without looking at the keyboard. So, I am taking an online course to improve this. Two hours a week could lead to 100 hours a year.
Is this the type of example you were looking for?”
It is important, in my estimation, that the word WEAKNESS be avoided (if possible), and the term “AREAS TO IMPROVE UPON” be substituted instead. If the interviewer persists and counters with…
Interview Question: “I specifically asked you for areas of weakness; not areas that you can improve upon. So again, what do you perceive as your main weakness?”
Job Candidate Response: “Well, in terms of being able to do the job and producing excellent results, I have to be honest and say that I have no weaknesses that would impair my ability to exceed performance expectations. That said, as far as defining an actual weakness… to answer your question, I’d have to say changing flat tires.”
This answer may not be appropriate for every situation, and perhaps few people can deliver it well. But if used, it does induce a degree of “professional humor” into the answer. But again, I always advise my clients to avoid admitting to a professional weakness if possible – or at least one that will, in no way, impede performance. And okay… if the interviewer is not amused by the flat tire response, or you aren’t comfortable delivering a lighthearted response, I agree it’s best to prepare a couple of “legitimate” weaknesses that are NOT weaknesses that would jeopardize a job offer.
Don’t Provide a Weakness Without a Plan to Correct It!
Select a weakness that is acceptable for the job at hand. Receptionist: “I get a little nervous speaking in front of large groups. So, I am working on this by joining Toastmasters, where I now have to speak in front of many people.”
Select a weakness that is relatively minor and “correctable. Salesman: “I am proficient in PowerPoint but need to learn how to incorporate links for audio, and visuals into the presentations to be more powerful. So, I recently signed up for an online course to address this.”
Select a weakness that is benign but that can authentically and believably be presented. Manager: “Working here in California, it would help if I spoke Spanish, so I could reach more customers. So, I recently began taking a course in Spanish conversation to become conversant in the future.”
Questions that pose a REAL challenge addressing such issues as multiple terminations, job-hopping, and even “unexpected questions” like, “How would your last boss describe your work ethic?” must be anticipated, addressed, and rehearsed.