I recently had a family member call me and told me she had just gotten a “high-profile job with over a six-figure increase from her last position.” I responded “that is so wonderful! I am so happy and proud of you!” She then said, “you had a big part in it?” I responded, “how is that?” She said… “Well, I got the interview for this particular job and the last time, (going back five years or so) around you spent a whole Saturday with me preparing for that interview. It was short notice so rather than call you again, I purchased a copy of your book!” “I just logged onto Amazon and downloaded the kindle version and went right to work.” I responded with a chuckle “don’t tell people they can just buy my book! It will cost me all my customers!” She laughed said, “Your secret is safe with me!”
My point for writing this is not to “toot my own horn.” This person assessed their interview skills, knew what being prepared was, from her experience five years ago was operating on a very short turnaround time, and created a plan of action. She had the advantage of having interview coaching and having undergone extensive interview training in the past, which made updating her stories easier. The lesson for everyone is, PREPARE! PREPARE! PREPARE!!! Because if you land an interview, you can get that job! Trust me!
Here are some considerations from interview coaching experts for how much you should prepare for an interview:
How difficult was it for you to obtain the interview for this position?
If I put in 40 hours networking, dropping my resume, and calling people, to obtain the interview, maybe I want to spend a significant amount of time preparing for said interview.
Is the compensation for this job likely to be much higher than your alternative jobs?
The higher the pay the greater the ROI on interview preparation. Years of making $10,000 more per year might be worth spending some time working on your interview skills.
Last time you interviewed how many interviews did it take for you to obtain a job offer?
More than 10, 2-4, First try.
How long ago was the last time you interviewed?
More than 7 years, 4-6 years, just last year3 Years, or just last year? Was I prepared then? Be honest with yourself!
Major advancements at your current position are occurring ahead of schedule or I am behind my peers?
If you get behind generally leaving your current firm is the best way to make up for missing a promotion.
How nervous are you when interviewing?
We all get nervous, but most of the nervousness comes from a lack of experience and preparation. If in the back of your mind you know you are not prepared, then when you confirm this reality, your nervousness will only be heightened.
At your best guess, how competitive is the environment in which you are currently interviewing?
The average is 6 people. This can be a hard thing to gauge but if you are interviewing out of a college placement office this number is likely well over ten. To separate in these kinds of environments you must be prepared to interview, or you simply won’t be remembered.
I always tell people, apart from getting an interview coaching which I feel is an investment, spending time upgrading your interview skills is likely the most important thing you do for your career. In the case of my family member, she was able to outperform other candidates with superior resumes because of superior preparation. She prepared… they all figured they would just be themselves. She got the job.
