You arrive for the interview. Greet the receptionist. Sit down in the lobby and wait for your name to be called. You showed up early, of course, so you have a few minutes to catch your breath and look around the room. Most of the other chairs are occupied. The people all have nervous expressions and
newly pressed suits. Job hunters just like you.
Based on the size of the crowd, you’re up against a dozen candidates. Maybe more. For all you know, interviews could be scheduled all day long. How can you stand out from the rest?
In any job interview, there are many factors that determine who makes the best impression. The company culture. The boss’s personality. The actual job description and how closely it matches your qualifications. Your communication skills. Your ability to make a personal connection with the hiring manager.
Yes, connection is important. If you do it right, you can build rapport with the hiring manager within minutes of entering the office. This is where personal stories come in. You stand a better chance of impressing hiring managers and outshining the competition if you capture the employer’s attention with real-life details from your past.
Don’t get me wrong. When I suggest that you discuss ‘personal stories’ during meetings, I’m not telling you to bring up your children, religion or old college shenanigans. These topics are generally inappropriate for job interviews. Rather, I am urging you to transform the cold, detached dialog into a friendly yet professional conversation with the hiring manager.
Any question — no matter how mundane — can be answered with a personal story that gives insight into your personality and experience. Here’s an example. The interviewer asks how long you have been using Microsoft PowerPoint. Of course, you can answer plainly with a truthful response, 10 years, and then sit back and wait for the next question to roll by.
Or you can use this routine question as a jumping-off point for a more lively discussion, like this: “About 10 years ago, I was trying to win a new client who didn’t fully understand the benefits of our products. So I read the user manual and developed a PowerPoint presentation for our next meeting. It turned into a very profitable account.”
Notice that this brief explanation about your PowerPoint experience also highlighted your initiative, technical aptitude and sales skills. Plus, the details added spice to the story, which may inspire the interviewer to lean forward and listen more attentively, instead of looking down and checking a box that says, “10 years.”
Here’s another example. The interviewer asks about your college major. In place of a one-word response, try something like this: “I excelled in high school math and it would have been an obvious choice to follow that pathway into college. But I didn’t want to graduate with a head filled with math formulas and a big gap in my communication skills. So, I decided to major in English.”
In your next interview, listen carefully for “throw away” questions. Don’t let them pass you by! A quick story can make a strong, memorable impression and demonstrate that you are a top-notch candidate for the job.
Contact Eve at Eve.GetaJob@gmail.com.
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