Interview with Purpose

When you have an interview on your calendar, what is your approach? Do you develop talking points that you must share? Do you rehearse answers to expected questions? Perhaps you like to be spontaneous and answer questions on the fly. After all, it is your history. Who knows it better than you? I am a firm believer in acting with purpose, especially when you are faced with a job interview. If it is a job you truly want, then show you deserve it by interviewing with purpose.

Acting with purpose is to make informed choices and move toward a specific goal methodically. Make and execute your plan. It also means studying your outcome and adjusting your plan for future goals. In this blog, let's hit the highlights of how you can interview with purpose.

Employer Research:

Don't get caught flat footed. Learn about the company, the job, key players at the company relevant to your job, the industry, and the market. This may seem obvious to you. Unfortunately many candidates, including senior candidates, skip this step because they assume they know more than they really do.

Logistics:

Your first interview may be via Skype or it may involve travel to an unfamiliar location. Lock down your logistics. Don't let technical, parking, or other challenges knock you off kilter.

Talking Points:

Regardless of the questions you are asked, plan your talking points. Think of examples so you can weave these brief stories into the interview conversion. You are listening for chances to share your message. Commit to sharing your top selling points before you leave the interview.

Anticipate & Rehearse:

As a candidate competing for a position, you must prepare. The candidate that is fully prepared has the advantage. For almost every job type and industry, you can find banks of interview questions. Beyond that, study the job posting and be ready to speak to each item. Practice with a friend. Better to practice in advance than have regrets after the interview.

Follow-up:

Take notes during the interview so later you can recall the hiring manager's top issues. Maybe there is an upcoming change or a new product on the horizon. This helps you to write a strong follow-up message recapping how you can help the company achieve their goals.

If you would like more tips and practice interview questions, read my guide, Interview with Purpose. You'll find more about preparation to improve your interview performance. It might help you to reduce the time to reach your goal.