What to Say in Every Job Interview: How to Understand What Managers are Really Asking and Give the Answers that Land the Job

What to Say in Every Job Interview: How to Understand What Managers are Really Asking and Give the Answers that Land the Job

"TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF . . ." Decode the hidden meaning behind interview questions and prepare the perfect answer to land the job During a job interview, there are no right or wrong answers, just better and worse answers. When you rethink the process in those terms, you'll gain a huge advantageover the competition. What to Say in Every Job Interview shows you how to focus on the factors of the job, rather than answering questions "correctly." As a professional interviewer, Carole Martin has spent years on the other side of thedesk. She knows exactly what she’s looking for in every job candidate and exactly how to find it. Now, she reveals all the secrets. Martin gives you a holistic plan for preparing yourself to best answer every interviewer's three primary concerns: Can you perform the job? - Are you a good fit with the company culture? - Can the company afford you? What to Say in Every Job Interview shows you where to find the critical factor interviewers seek with each question and how to present yourself in the best possible way on the spot and under pressure. CAROLE MARTIN is a professional interviewer, coach, author, and an expert on the subject of interviewing. She runs www.InterviewCoach.com. CAROLE MARTIN is a professional interviewer, coach, author, and an expert on the subject of interviewing. She runs www.InterviewCoach.com. WHAT TO SAY IN EVERY JOB INTERVIEW HOW TO UNDERSTAND WHAT MANAGERS ARE REALLY ASKING AND GIVE THE ANSWERS THAT LAND THE JOB By Carole Martin McGraw-Hill Education Copyright © 2014 Carole Martin All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-07-181800-1 Contents Introduction, xiii, Chapter 1: The Key Factors, 1, Chapter 2: Can This Candidate Do the Job?, 27, Chapter 3: Do We Like This Candidate? Will He or She Fit In?, 45, Chapter 4: Can We Afford This Candidate?, 61, Chapter 5: Tell Me About Yourself, 77, Chapter 6: Your Examples and Stories, 119, Chapter 7: Building Your Inventory: Preparing Your Stories, 157, Chapter 8: The Five Categories of Interview Questions, 175, Chapter 9: The Summary, 203, Appendix: Salary Information Resources, 233, Index, 239, CHAPTER 1 The Key Factors The Purpose of This Book The purpose of this book is to demonstrate a new technique: to think beyond the questions and answers as the only way to prepare for an interview. By learning to "read between the lines," this book will show you how to think like an interviewer. You can stop worrying about the question being asked, and start thinking about the concern behind the question. How Is This Book Different? The methodology used in this book is a way of preparing for the interview by focusing on the required factors of the job as the basis for preparation rather than focusing on the questions that may or may not be asked. I have been using this method of interview preparation for the past 15 years with thousands of clients who consistently send me feedback on the great interview results they've had. The method is simple enough: instead of focusing on the questions, we focus on the key factors needed to do the job, and why the interviewer is asking the question. In other words, what's behind the interviewer's question? This method of preparation takes more effort because you will approach each job as a new project that has its own specific factors. By identifying these key factors and revealing what is behind the interviewer's questions, you will have a better idea of what the interviewer is looking for in a candidate. The best way to leverage these identified factors is by brainstorming and writing stories to use in your interview based on them. Ultimately, you will be more prepared and confident in letting the interviewer know not only that you can do the job, but that you are the right person for the job. The best and only way to let the interviewer know you can do the job is to first have an understanding of the job and what the interviewer is looking for in the ideal candidate. The Three Main Concerns in Interviews In this book, we will look at the concerns from the interviewer's point of view as well as from your point of view . The three main concerns listed below will be covered in-depth in Chapters 2, 3, and 4 of this book. Concern 1: "Can he or she do the job?" Your job in an interview is to show the interviewer that you can "do the job." There are three categories of skills you need to do just that: knowledge-based skills, transferable skills , and personal traits . Combined, these skills and traits identify you as an individual and are a part of your personal brand. They make you stand out to an interviewer as a person who has what it takes to perform the job. Concern 2: "Do we like this candidate? Will he or she fit in?" Although this concern is somewhat out of your control, it is your job to believe in yourself as the best person for this job. There will be no place for false modesty here. If the interviewers do not get to know you, they