3 Things You Must Do Prior To The Job Interview

What 3 Things You Must Do Prior To The Job Interview

As an Online Interview Coach, I’m always surprised by the lack of job interview preparation that most interviewees undertake.

If you only prepare for a job interview for 45 minutes or under then this is the reason why you fail a job interview. Successful interviewees, from my research, on average spend around 4-5 hours on interview preparation.

But even the interviewees who spend a longer duration on job interview preparation often prepare badly. This article will give you a few tips to advance your job interview techniques.

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Pre-Job Interview Preparation 1

Clarify your selling points.

The job interview is a 45-minute sales pitch. As with all sales techniques, the key strategy to sell anything is to give a solution to a problem. What does the employer require from you? What is the essential criteria for this position? What unique value can you add to the team?

The first preparation task you should always undertake prior to the job interview is clarifying what your sales point is? This sales point has to be something the employer requires, needs or can’t do without.

In addition to having sales points, you need to create real examples of how you have used this skill, quality or experience.

Pre-Job Interview Preparation 2

Anticipate the Interviewers concerns.

Even if you had a list of key selling points, you will only be employed if the employer 100% feels that you will fit in with the team and if they believe you will make a real impact within the organisation.

If the employer has any doubts, you are likely to miss out on the exciting opportunity. Think about your application; your work history, qualifications and skills. Also, review your prepared job interview answers. On reflection put yourself in the shoes of the interviewer – what concerns would they have about hiring you?

Maybe you have a gap in your CV, maybe you lack essential qualifications or experiences. You need to prepare answers to any potential question or doubt the employer may have. In the 73 rules for influencing the interview, we use techniques such as re-framing the interviewer’s negative opinion.

It doesn’t matter how you change the interviewer’s mind as long as you leave the interview with the interviewer being full of desire instead of doubt.

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Pre-Job Interview Preparation 3

Create a powerful induction.

When you met anyone the human mind will within milliseconds create an impression about the stranger in front of them. In a job interview, this impression can be the reason for the successful or unsuccessful interview outcome.

You need to prepare for this first encounter. Prepare your body language, posture, clothes, stance, smile, your opening induction including the words, tone and volume of your key communication.

Even go one step further, plan your small talk and prepare everything to help increase likability.

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July 2, 2015November 30, 2020

Sell Me This Pencil Job Interview Question

As a young job hunter, I had been invited to an interview for a sales job; I was relatively disinterested in the role but desperate for a job.

I was mortified to be asked within the first five minutes to have to Sell a pencil to the interview panel.

My opening was terrible;

“Erm… do you want to buy this pencil?….It’s really good…erm…you can write things down and then erase them if you don’t like what you wrote…. it only costs about..5p”

At the time I was probably impressed with my performance, it could have been a lot worse, being quite shy and hating being put on the spot I wasn’t what you might deem a natural salesman.

To hear “Is that it?” was a real slap in the face, my prospective employer proceeded to take the pencil from me to take the opportunity to show me how it should be done.

“You there!” he boomed with confidence, pointing a finger directly at me.

“Do you know how many uses this pencil has?”

“No” Came the shaky reply, unsure if this was still a job interview.

“If you owned this amazing Z10 pencil, name three things you would use it for?”

“Erm…writing shopping lists, homework and..I suppose drawing”

“So you want a Z10 pencil that can be used to build lists, create technical drawings and a pencil that will help answer tricky exam questions?”

“Yes..I think-”

“Given a choice would you want to buy a pencil that can create sketches, write lists and can be used to complete all of your homework with ease OR would you buy a pencil that can do all these tasks plus more?..” I was sold.

“…A pencil that can write under water and in outer space, a pencil that can erase mistakes with a flick of the hand using the Z10 Eraser designed by NASA scientists – NOW which would you choose?”

“The last one, sir” – the dynamic had switched to teacher- pupil by this point as he dominated the conversation.

“Now, how much would you pay for this pencil?”

“Erm..well..around…”

“How much is it worth, a pencil that can write in outer space, designed by NASA scientists?” he pressured.

“A pound?” I shouted.

His raised eyebrows signaled that I had given the wrong answer.

“No I mean two pounds.”

“So, you want to pay 2 pounds for this pencil, don’t you?” It was agreed.

“Well, as I like you and you have shown yourself to be an affable type of chap, you can buy one Z10 pencil for £2 or 2 for £2.50, what will it be?” he asked while reaching over to take a second similar pencil from his desk tidy.

I left that interview with two pencils, no job offer and the foundations of understanding the importance of sales techniques in job interviews.

2 Steps To Selling Yourself in the Job Interview

Step 1 – Understand the Benefits of the Product

Why do people buy certain goods over other products? What influences a persons’ unconscious mind, when all they originally wanted was a bottle of milk and 30 minutes later they walk out of the supermarket with a bottle of milk nestled amongst a trolley full of impulse purchases that they didn’t initially go in for?

“I don’t want to have to sell myself; I want to be natural, if they don’t like me it’s there loss” DIRECT QUOTE from Thousands of Unemployed people.

To influence the interview you need to first have an end game, what are the 3 key points you want the employer to remember about you?

What 3 pieces of information will secure you a guaranteed job offer? What do you have (skills, qualities, experiences, qualifications, etc) that the other job hunters don’t possess? What are your key selling points? What value will you add to their organisation?

These could include your experience, your attributes, qualities or anything you think the employer would be extremely impressed with.

Every sale person knows the benefits of their product and in the job interview YOU are the product.

Step 2 – Match The Benefits to the Customers Desires

To make a sale you have to match the benefits of the product to your customer’s desires.

If a customer wants a pasta dish and all you sell is burgers and chips you won’t make the sale.

Read the job specification, research the company and ask the interview what type of person they are looking to recruit.

Throughout the interview you need to answer each interview question, referring to at least one of your unique selling points, showing the employer how you can add value to their organisation, forming the employers overall impression of you.

By referring to your unique selling point in a variety of ways, you will be secretly selling your skills to the employer without them realising what you are doing. In marketing the rule of 7 states “a customer needs to see or hear about a product 7 times before they purchase it”

June 15, 2015November 30, 2020

3 Steps to Successfully Sell You in the Job Interview

There is a simple process in any sales technique that increases the amount you sell to customers and this same technique can be used in the job interview.

First you need to know your customer – in our case the interviewer. Then you have to uncover their needs/wants and finally explain how the product (in the job interview you are the product) will match their needs

Rapport – Needs – Match

Step 1 Build Rapport and Get to know the Interviewer

The more you understand the interviewers personality trait, their values, work ethic, what motivates and stresses them, the way they approach task, if they are goal ordinated or problem solvers, their management style and the traits they deem important in an employee the better you can sell to them.

Check the employers linked in profile
Ask questions at the interview start to undercover their values
Listen to the language they use as this uncovers their personality and motivational traits

People like people who are like themselves. If you show that you have a similar work ethic, approach to task and motivational traits you will build instant rapport.

To build on this rapport, mirror the interviewers body language, gestures and speech as research has shown has this increases likeness.

Step 2 Uncovering the Employers Needs

Uncovering the employers needs is the key to interview success. Once you know what they require you can offer it up to them on a silver platter.

The technique to uncover their needs is simple – ask them!

At the interview start when the employer is asking opening questions to put you at ease, explaining the company vision to inspire you and as the interviewer walks you to the interview meeting room, find a suitable opportunity and ask the interviewer “what type of person they are looking to recruit”

Interviewers will happily release this information as they want to find the best match. Once know all you have to do is explain how you have these traits and skills

Step 3 A Full Platter

Your competition will sell themselves throughout the job interview.

To sell effectively you have to frame your answers by discussing the perspective the buyer (interviewer) is interested in.

Using the rule of 7, mention how you can deliver and meet their needs throughout all your interview answers, discussing your unique selling point at least 7 times during the interview.

Familiarity sells – by discussing the same successful point in a variety of ways throughout the interview the interviewer will associate this key selling point (how you meet their needs) with your interview.