CAREER SEARCH TOOLS: Winning the Game of Interviewing for a job - Russ Mountain, CPC

It's often NOT the most qualified candidate that gets the job. It's the one that plays the game the best in the interview process. If you don't believe that, look at the last two U.S. Presidential elections. Neither Clinton nor Bush was the most qualified candidate for the job. Their opponents were actually much more qualified from a resume and relative experience perspective for the job. Yet they each won the most important job in the world by outplaying their competition in the interview process, ultimately winning over the entire voting population of the country.

Like any other game, there are rules, as well as effective strategies and techniques that can be applied.

Rule # 1. 90% of the hiring decision is based on your performance in the actual interview. This is how games are always played. Most analysts could easily tell you who has the better team and who should win the game. Yet it's the team with the most points on the board that day that wins it, and it's not always the better team. It's the team who played the best that day. The team who executed well, made fewer mistakes, had the better plan, and was more prepared.

Rule # 2. 70% of how well you do in the interview is based on how well you prepare for it. Preparing for an interview takes time. You have to research the company and know the products and services they sell and into what markets. Specifically, you need a comprehensive understanding of the job for which you are interviewing. Your recruiter should be able to help you here, or try to find someone that is working for the company now that you can speak with. You can also speak with one of their customers to get his or her perspective.

In addition to learning as much as you can about the company and the job, the other things you should do to prepare are more general to interviewing as a whole. Is your game day uniform ready to wear? It amazes me that some professionals still fall short in the interview processes because they minimize the importance of details in this area. A conservative, well fitting, dark suit with a WHITE pressed shirt, power tie, shined or new shoes, and a leather portfolio or day timer with a dress pen.

How long has it been since you have interviewed for job? No time to practice. This is the playoffs and its single elimination. There is no tomorrow to make up for blown interviews. There are many interview books on the market that help people understand how to play the game. Knock’em Dead by Martin Yate has been very effective for our candidates over the years. He comes out with an updated version every year.

Understand these two rules, and then have a clear game plan to make sure you leave the interview knowing exactly what they want. Also make sure that you have clearly communicated everything you have to meet their needs and have uncovered and addressed any of their concerns. Most importantly, have a firm commitment from the interviewer to being a part of the next step or job offer. Do this and you'll win the game.