The tagline I use for my business – Deliver the Moment - could not be more relevant than for job interviews.
If ever there was a moment in our lives that we need to communicate with confidence, impact and clarity, interviews are it. You get one chance to make a positive impression, on so many levels, that you really don’t want to mess it up.
One of my all-time favourite quotations is “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity”. There can be no doubt that preparation for an interview will be time well invested. But although people often pre-empt the questions they might get asked and pre-prepare what they will say, it’s not often people consider how they will answer.
So here are my top three tips for interview success:
When asked a question, pause before answering. After all, you want it to be your best answer. So give your brain a few seconds to think. It’s far better to pause and say something worth listening to, than to blurt out something you later regret.
Keep your answers short. No-one wants a lecture. Forty seconds is probably ideal. I firmly believe that if you’re still answering a question after one minute, the person that asked it is starting to wish they hadn’t! Remember, less is more. If you don’t say enough, they’ll ask for more. And don’t underestimate how much you can say in one minute.
Answer the question. In other words, after pausing, come straight out with your answer. Sounds obvious right? But so many people meander their way to their answer - verbalising their thought-process - rather than pausing, then giving a concise answer, with a brief justification or explanation.
When coaching my clients on these topics, we use video extensively. It’s not always easy to see yourself on video but unless you do so, it’s almost impossible to judge how well you’re adhering to the above principles.
So, if you defining moment is your next big job interview, give me a call. One coaching session is all it will take to fine-tune your performance.
“A Word to the Wise - Communication Tips from Lionheart Consulting”