Employ Me Today

You've probably read numerous job interview tips which list the ways to respond to the difficult interview questions: Tell me about Yourself; What are your work-related weaknesses?; Why are you leaving your current employer? These are the usual dreaded questions that we all expect to hear from interviewers. Typically interviewees are advised to create well-prepared and rehearsed scripts to respond to these dreaded questions. And so, during the course of the interview, interviewees sit on the edge of their seats waiting to respond, trying to remember the correct answers. And consequently, the interview becomes a race, a highly tense setting designed to stay one step ahead of the other with scripted conversation and pre-planned positioning and second-guessing. The possibility of authentically assessing the merits of the position and being able to evaluate how you might fit within the company's culture and mission is minimized in this scenario.

Optimally, the interviewer and the interviewee should operate within the same mental space. To effectively hire someone who fits within the organizational game plan, as well as the specific position, the interviewer needs to ensure that the questions will provide opportunities for detailed, authentic discourse. At a minimum, the interviewer is looking for information regarding situations/projects/tasks/assignments in which you've handled, the specific steps undertaken to achieve results, and the direct results accomplished.

As an interviewee, you have to be able to deliver this information....no matter the question. Additionally, as an interviewee, the only way you'll be able to respond with full confidence (without referring to a script) is by ensuring that you've done your homework. To confidently manage the interview, it's important to know where you're heading - - to know your vision. Everything else should flow directly from your career or personal vision. Every tactic you undertake to find the new job, the new career opportunity, or the promotion should emanate from your established vision. In this manner, you will be able to hit the answers to those dreaded questions without feeling nervous because the interview is not the most important tactic - - it's one step within a strategy. It's your well-crafted vision that's essential, not a well-prepared and rehearsed script based on someone else's words. Authentic interviews happen when you're able to effectively convey your vision, your passion, your success stories.