Well, this blog is about Tips for the Everyday, so let’s look at what it takes to interview. Colleges should definitely make this a required course prior to graduating, as well as companies for their own employee development. I am realizing that I have lot of work to do in this area, so I am learning to –
Be SPY
- Be Specific
- Be Prepared
- Be Yourself
S
Be Specific – keep track of all your work and what your impact was. Take the time to document and write them down – whether it’s for your annual review or for an interview, this will serve you well. We all get busy, and move on quickly to the next project, but it’s good to take those few minutes and do a post-launch capture. Your interviewer or sometimes even your manager won’t know what you’ve accomplished and where you made an impact, so it’s up to you to let them know. They unfortunately won’t/can’t buy what you don’t sell. Feeling impostor syndrome? Think of it as sharing information versus marketing or sales. Keeping your work fresh in your mind should help address majority of the questions that will inevitably come your way.
Template suggestion:
- Project Name:
- Description:
- Role:
- Technical Skills applied:
- Soft Skills applied:
- Difficulties & Solutions:
- Learnings:
- Impact to Organization: man hours saved, $ saved/brought in, what did it enable, what risks did it lower, downtime averted, etc.
P
Be Prepared – That elevator pitch of who you are and why they need you specifically. Add three more Ps for Practice Practice Practice. Introverted like me? 300 Ps!!! This is not the time to downplay your work. Remember, your accomplishments only appear easy to yourself, and that’s because you’ve had years of experience and learning behind it. Something that takes you 10 minutes, will take someone else days if at all.
From this youtube video, tips on what should be in your elevator pitch – don’t forget to think about it from the interviewer’s perspective as well –
- Who you are
- Why you’re qualified
- Why you’re here
Y
Be Yourself – You want to make sure that you are bringing your authentic self. You too are looking to find a match from an organization who will value you as you are as well as provide development. So no matter how well your skills fit the role, if your personal being doesn’t mesh with the company and its people, the situation most likely won’t last very long, and discord will ensue.
Not looking for a job or a change, be prepared anyway! Use this for your performance reviews and be proud of sharing your accomplishments. Now that I’ve written this all down, time to take my own advice and work on myself.
