Three tips to nail that job interview
Now is the time to know how to make an impact on a potential boss or business. The Coaching Institute's head trainer shares his top strategies to set you up for success.
So, your CV and phone skills were good enough to land you a face-to-face meeting with a business you'd love to work for—now here's three tips to nail that job interview.
Right now, a job is a precious commodity, and one which gives you a great team and culture is even rarer.
It's crucial to make sure you know how to handle what can be a nervous hour or so, and just thinking about that took me back to my job interview eight years ago with The Coaching Institute.
I was super nervous being interviewed by TCI founder Sharon Pearson and about six of the team. It was intense, and I learned one thing you need in that situation is to be able to think on your feet. Sharon asked, 'What are your values?' and I thought, 'I don't know.'
Silence. Then I said, "Love, connection, discipline, focus", and hoped she didn't ask me to say them again! It might not have been the most original answer but it was an answer, and it didn't feel fake.
Your attitude is your most important attribute. So when you rock up to the interview, come in with a positive attitude and be grateful just to be getting to interview stage.
Right now, when a lot of people are needing new jobs or having to change the way they work, it says a lot about you (I'll be talking more about this at TCI's virtual Life Coaching Summit 'How To Coach Yourself and Others Through Changing Times' on August 8 and 9.)
That gratitude, even if it's low-key, will be apparent and it's really attractive to other people.
Which makes it my first tip. Let's start there.
Find three or four things in your life that you're actually grateful for. Start small—choose things like being alive, being in a safe environment, having your health, being educated. That's always my one go-to: I'm grateful for how easy it is to learn cool shit.
The second thing in my three tips to nail that job interview is to create a story in your mind of the best possible outcome.
Run through it in your head like it's an actual movie. See yourself driving to the place, finding the right park, thing are going well. You're greeted by someone who seems happy to see you, you shake their hand and feel confident about how the first minutes have gone, you're introduced to the person interviewing you and you feel an instant easy connection.
Doing this is the opposite of worrying about something.
Most people fall down that rabbit hole without consciously thinking about it—they create stories of how it's going to go wrong, not right.
A friend has a variation on the same strategy and visualises how great she'll feel when something challenging is actually done. Presenting in a meeting and having everyone support her idea. Seeing her kid in the recovery suite after a successful surgery. Being cheered over the line by family in the City 2 Sea fun run.
The last of my three tips to nail that job interview? Be like the person who's interviewing you.
Take your cues from them. If they're upbeat, be upbeat. If they sit a certain way, sit like that too (unless they're slouching with their foot on their leg.) Anticipate from the type of job you're going for what the interviewer might wear, and follow their lead—and if you're not sure, err on the side of smart rather than casual.
And don't try not to be nervous. Nerves are something you're going to feel, so just embrace them and tell yourself nerves are just another word for excitement. If they're dancing in your stomach, think, 'Wow, I'm so excited, I can feel it.'
Of course, the best way to combat nervousness is to prepare yourself. Google generic interview questions on line and make sure you have solid answers. Role play with someone and never wing it.
Remember that job interviews are a numbers game. If you have a positive attitude and educate yourself—read a self development book so you have an emotional intelligence as well as whatever else you have going for you—you can get a job.
You got this. And remember, if you want to hear more about TCI's epic Life Coaching Summit on August 8 and 9, click the link here. I'd love to see you there.
Matt Lavars is one of Australia's leading coaches, trainers and speakers, and head facilitator at The Coaching Institute. In between mentoring thousands of coaches and leaders all around Australasia and helping others build incredible culture, Matt is passionate about fitness and music. His healthy office lunches whipped up in five minutes are the stuff of legend.
