“I am a successful executive. I am well educated. I am smart. I am better than average at making presentations. I have plenty of industry experience.” These are common reasons people choose to go it alone with their job search.
In the world of employment, after submitting your resume and not getting callbacks for jobs for which you are qualified, the chances are you have a resume issue, assuming there are no performance or background problems. If you are getting interviews but are not advancing or closing the deal, then you definitely have a problem with interviewing.
The job interview is one of the most unique and challenging arenas in which to communicate. People who excel in public presentations frequently do much worse in interviews. They are simply not the same thing. The specific skills are typically not transferable.
Think of a job interview as an extemporaneous speaking contest with 75 questions. It is not a venue in which most executives have much experience. You have two challenges. First, you must answer questions regarding your experience and successes. Secondly, you must deliver the relevant information in a way that will be memorable and meaningful to the interviewer. In other words, you must be a storyteller.
I have seen more capable executives fail to land a job for which they were otherwise ideally suited because they flubbed one or more of the interviews in the screening process. Sometimes they were probably the best qualified candidate.
I have seen more capable executives fail to land a job for which they were otherwise ideally suited because they flubbed one or more of the interviews in the screening process. Sometimes they were probably the best qualified candidate.
Improving one’s interviewing skills can be self-taught but my experience reveals this is, at best, a trial-by-error method. My colleague Dan Nielsen recently suggested that executives video themselves answering typical CORE interview questions. “Review your recordings, take notes on what you did well and where you could use improvement, and then do it again every day until you are pleased with the outcome.” This is an excellent way to improve. There is just one problem: most executives will not take the time on their own. The “I’ve got this” mentality has done more to hamper careers than just about any other career management phenomenon. They will think nothing of hiring a consultant to help them solve an operational or financial problem but they will not invest in improving their ability to compete more effectively for the top jobs. This is why we conduct multiple MOCK interviews with our clients and provide extensive feedback.
If you are tired of losing out to less qualified applicants, people who you know are not as successful as you, then it is time to stop, take stock, and ask yourself why is this happening to you.
The “I’ve got this” mentality has done more to hamper careers than just about any other career management phenomenon.
A skilled interview coach can help you achieve greater success.
Join Chrishonda Smith, CCDP, SHRM of OhioHealth and John G Self, an author, blogger and executive career transition coach, for a dynamic MASTER COURSE on interviewing skills at the American College Healthcare Congress in Chicago, March 23- 26. This is one of the more popular and highly rated sessions of the Congress The session is at 2:15 PM on Wednesday, March 25.