Nail the Interview - Part 1

You've all been there before. Butterflies in your stomach, walking into a meeting or interview, hoping you ace it. You want the job. You want to sell yourself. You want that promotion. You want to shake hands and walk away with confidence. Whatever it is, you want that simple one word answer. The word is one of the most common we speak today:

Yes.

It’s the one word that can change everything.

What I am about to share can apply to any situation in which you’re meeting with someone who you want to get a “YES” from. That yes could be for a multitude of things: being hired for the job of your dreams, getting a promotion, green-lighting a project, making a sale, or closing a big deal...

As an Executive Headhunter and a (daily) interviewer, I have spent the last 7 years of my life interviewing thousands of professionals from diverse backgrounds, cultures, professions, and industries. I've interviewed entry-level MBA grads looking for their first big job to CEO's of multibillion dollar companies and all types of people in between. I've consulted with some of the best interviewers in the business and have condensed my experience into a few ideas that will help you nail that interview and get that job.

So what's the secret to getting that "Yes"?

There are numerous strategies out there to help you, but I've come up with four simple guidelines/themes that I feel are the most important. In Part I, I'll communicate the first two that I recommend, in hopes of you walking away from that interview smiling. If you cannot do anything else, doing these will separate you from competition and give you that much needed advantage over other candidates.

Rule One - Understand who you're up against

The first and potentially most important thing to demonstrate to an interviewer is that you understand their business. This is critical. You must understand the company, the industry, and the role that you’re interviewing for. Sounds obvious, right?

However, I can't stress this enough. It's necessary to research the company before walking into that meeting room. The major focus of that research: mission and vision, core values, products/services, and any recent developments or media attention. By doing this you’ll be able to show that you’re in alignment with their goals and beliefs. This will allow you to be able to identify how you can bring value to the company and where you can fit in.

It's actually almost comical when someone shows up unprepared for an interview that could potentially change the rest of their life. I cannot believe how often it happens and how few people are truly prepared. This instantly gives extra points with any interviewer when you can talk fluently about a company, their competitors, how they're doing in the market, what products are upcoming, etc...

Now this goes for the interviewer as well: If you know who will be interviewing you, look them up. Find their LinkedIn profile. Don’t be creepy about it, but it's a good chance to see how they've progressed in their career and what commonalities you may have. How long have they been there? Are they new themselves to the role? What is their background? Do you share any similar interests?

This can go a long way and will certainly separate you from competitors and the interviewer(s) will see you as someone who’s serious about this particular role and company. Creating banter and establishing a human connection with someone will leave a very strong impression and will separate you from the back and forth "question-answer" type interviews.

Rule Two - How bad do you want it?

This brings us to point number two: You want this job? Show them.

In an interview, you need to show you’re excited to be there. You don't just want a job, you want this job. You must be specific, precise, and deliberate in your approach.

In rule number one, we examined that you must understand the company. Now, the second rule revolves around you. Specifically, what does working for that company mean to you? Again, this comes down to utilizing the research you've done and aligning yourself with their core values.

Example: "The reason I'm here today is because I’m passionate about [insert industry here] and you guys are the best company within it.” What the interviewer hears is “I want to be the best, and I want to be working for the best company.” Desire is extremely important, so don't be afraid to demonstrate it. If it's between you and one other, the more passionate person will normally win. If you show that you're willing to learn and have enthusiasm, you will come out on top almost every single time.

Those are the first two rules to help you nail that interview. Follow these and you'll be that much closer to getting the "Yes" that you want. In the next part of the series, I'll talk about two more (lesser known) important things in getting that job and winning the interview. Until then...