Your interviewer brusquely invites you into his office and asks you to sit. The chair is uncomfortable, but doesn’t hold a candle to the hiring manager, whose look is equal parts disapproving, annoyed, and smirky.
He asks you for a copy of your resume. You realize you forgot it and you come up with a lame excuse. He sighs heavily, then finds the copy that was forwarded from HR. He takes an eternity to read through it between furrowed brows. He suppresses a smile and chuckle at a spot on your resume that you are sure contains no humor.
The interviewer levels his gaze – “So, why do you want the job?”
Beads of sweat gather like thunderclouds in your armpits.
Your mind goes completely blank and you have absolutely no idea why you want the job.
The thunderclouds in your armpits cut loose and rivers of sweat pour down your sides. You squeeze your arms tightly to hide telltale signs, but your armpits radio for reinforcements and a platoon of sweat beads pop up on your forehead. You glance down at a bead of sweat gathered at the end of your nose and you realize you’re naked…
A nightmare, right? Perhaps… but other than the omitted wardrobe, do any parts of this story sound painfully familiar?
I’ve been there. I was terrified of interviews and frankly sucked at them. A few decades ago I came up with what I call my ‘Sure Fired Get Hired’ interview prep strategy. Preparing the right way was key, and I transformed from a shaking, quaking, unconfident mess into having a Sean Connery-like confidence that got me jobs I had no business getting (which became the ‘Sure Hired, Get Fired Strategy’).
Would you like to learn the right way to prepare? Some topics we’ll cover in the session:
• The ‘Magic Three’ questions you must be prepared to answer – and by the way knowing these cold will help you ace at least 80% of the interview.
• The best structure for answering a question – also – how to avoid the lengthy ramble that is death to an interview.
• How to modify your approach per the interviewer’s personality type.
• How to use Drew’s “Sure fire get hired” worksheet (that you will receive) to ensure you ace your next interview.
$5-$10 sliding scale donation at the door for Non WORK Members– help us keep the lights on and keep great programs coming your way! WORK Members FREE including Friends of WORK!
12-1 PM in the WORK Library. Feel free to bring a bag lunch.
Bio : During his career Drew has interviewed many hundreds of job candidates. He has also interviewed for many dozens of jobs and in the process landed positions at companies you’ve heard of like Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Netscape as well as companies you’ve never heard of and will never hear of. Ever. Drew has participated in some of the best and worst job interviews in this post industrial revolution era.
drew@sweetermedia.com
www.sweetermedia.com