From resumes to interviews of all stripes
This is the seventh in a series of eight posts, each linked to one of eight categories in the Career Resumes blog. These posts sum up the best pieces of advice, tips, direction, insights, and answers discovered and shared on the blog by Allen Voivod, Chief Blogger for Career-Resumes.com from October 2006 to September 2008.
In talking about interviews, I have to widen the net to include a couple of other topics. These days, the interview process often includes behavioral and skills testing, and people who talk about interviews often focus on the on-the-nose issue of the job interview, to the exclusion of the highly useful and related topic of the informational interview.
When I started this series of posts, though, I set myself a 3-5 item limit for each topic, so I’m going to challenge myself and cover all the bases within the original allotment.
1. If you’re thinking about changing industries or job functions, embrace the informational interview. Find three-five people who have the kind of job you’d like to have, and go for it. You can find tons of advice online about how to conduct informational interviews with a quick Google search. And if you doubt in the natural human capacity for helping polite and interested strangers, then have faith in the natural human need to feel important, to be seen as good at what they do, and want to be listened to.
2. Do your research. I’ve previously written about using Google and social networking sites to your competitive advantage. I’ve also talked about researching the target company, and coming prepared with a few strong questions to ask, to show your interest and demonstrate that you’ve done your homework. To that, I’d also like to add that the more you can find out about the company’s interview process, the better. Ask the person who sets up your interview. Find someone who knows someone who’s been through the process. Get every edge you can.
3. Role play. Yes, it can feel awkward and boring and seem impossible for your spouse to authentically embody the thoughts and actions of the person who will ultimately interview you. Allow me to get all “tough love” on you and say “Get over it.” Put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes, write down the questions you’d want answered if you were the hiring manager, then get used to answering then cleanly and confidently. I quoted movie director Garry Marshall in a previous post, who told a floundering male film student pitching a movie idea, “No one wants to give $100,000 to a nervous man.”
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