4 Steps to Successful Interviewing

Congratulations! You've finally moved beyond the pre-screening phase and have landed the job interview! Your resume set the stage to get you in the door, and now here's your chance to ice the cake. The interview, as you are well aware, is what will either move you towards completion of your goal - - or it will be the last step in a lengthy series of steps you've already undertaken. Question: how can you succeed within the interview?

Assuming that you've appropriately prepared yourself for the interview (personal assessment, company research, mock interview prep - - check out Career Advice page at www.beaconcareermgmt.com for more info), then the interview should be easy. However, despite all of the preparation, even the best falter when sitting down face to face with a hiring manager or human resources staff. It's one thing to outline who you are on a piece of paper (the resume), it's something else to actually explain who you are in person and face-to-face with another person. The one question most of us dread having to answer is "Tell me about yourself." Do they want to know where you previously worked.....or where you were born? I mean, there's just so many ways to go with that unbelievably dreaded question. Here's a quick tip: the "tell me about yourself question" is simply asking you to "tell me why you're sitting here, today, interviewing for this specific job." That's it, nothing more.

So, what are the 4 steps to succeed within a job interview? The best career advice, as it relates to job interviews, career development, etc., is one that encourages the candidate to creatively customize the steps. So the following steps below apply regardless if you're seeking a position as an educator or a computer programmer, a manager or a salesclerk. The most important thing to remember is that every interviewer has a particular goal in mind. If you use these 4 steps, then you're likely to cover all the bases.

The four steps specifically deal with how you manage your response to the interviewer's questions. Did you catch the word "manage" as it was used in the previous sentence? Yes, I'm talking about how you manage the process - - take control of the interview - - successfully ride the wave (so to speak). Let's face it, you're not facing the Grand Inquisitor - - it's an interview, for goodness sake. It's an interview regarding a very important person - - you! So, when the interviewer asks you a question (i.e.,