Over or Under - How prepared are you for your next interview?

I had a recent client that was concerned that he was not sure if he was over or under prepared for an upcoming interview which led to added anxiety. Overcoming interview fears is a vital step in your job hunting process. I tell everyone I work with that the value of preparing your answers ahead of time can make a profound difference. However some people are worried about over-preparing. They’re concerned that if they practice too much, their answers will sound rigid and contrived as if they are reading from a script. This is a valid concern because it can happen for people who rely on rote memorization.

I would like for you to practice a different form of memorization to help you deliver your responses more naturally that will appeal to your interviewer and make you appear more authentic and less robotic.

It is all about communicating the ideas, globally, inclusively and smoothly rather than using precise words in an inflexible order. When you focus on the real meaning of the ideas behind your answers, instead of trying to get all of the words right, you will leave a more honest impression. This is all a part of branding yourself as someone who exhibits honesty, authenticity, integrity and love for everything that you do. You will come across and stand out as more confident and trustworthy, especially when countless other potential candidates deliver rigid scripted responses or just try to wing it.

At a recent professional meeting, I posed this theory to a variety of job seekers, hiring managers, HR personnel and hiring team recruiters to see just how potential candidates are perceived and I was not surprised to hear these 3 comments which resonated with the group:

1. "Memorizing a script is sometimes obvious and the more you delve into the question the more flustered they become."

2. "Reiterating what's on your resume is a waste of time...tell me something new and exciting that will grab my attention without being too personal."

3. "People being interviewed tend to say what they think the interviewer wants to hear, which has some truth to it, but I wasn't a more authentic version of your answers which really tells me more about someone I will offer a job to."

Write down your potential responses and remember key points, not word for word rhetoric. Figure out how each response you construct will lead into a potential conversation and think about those responses. If you want to walk into that room feeling confident, it’s really important to get the right kind of practice in beforehand.

The key is finding a way to simulate some of the time-pressure you’ll likely feel during an interview – especially when you’re answering big questions.

Here is a good way to do that:

Find a friend or family member to play the role of the interviewer, and have them ask you these questions – especially the ones that you dread. Be sure to tell them not to take it easy on you.

The only potential issue with this method is that friends and family aren’t always the best at giving you enough pressure, or offering objective feedback, because they know you too well. They may be tempted to tell you that your answer was stellar when, in fact, it needed a bit of fine-tuning.

a better way is to have an interview coaching session with me where we can craft a response every possible question and figure out how to brand you as the most authentic version of yourself.