Yikes -I have an interview

Yikes –I have an interview! 

Now what...

The last few months have been filled with activities to get that first interview. I have put myself out there to network, defined my “brand” and come up with versions of my “elevator pitch”, updated my Linkedin profile and much more.  My networking and resume have attracted attention; I have struck gold so to speak and now I have an interview. Yikes, I better get ready.

What do I do first? For me it was easiest to research the company and the people who would interview me.  As we have said in other posts, technology helps.  Google searches on the company, similar jobs, the people I will meet was informative reading material.  Conversations with folks in my network helped me form a picture of what it would be like in this role at this company.  I learned what I could about the culture, the marketplace, the salaries, what others thought of or said about the company and so much more. Now it was time to blend my skills and experience with the needs of the new position.

I spent time thinking about the job description and what I had to offer the role.  I created a bulleted list of talking points. This work wasn't done in one sitting rather over a few days, each time I looked at the list with new perspective and tweaked the words. Now, I had to face what I feared - practice answering questions that might be asked of me. How do I do that so the interviewer (s) will think I was the right person for the role. For me that was the easy part, I had made a friend at a back-to-work workshop, I trusted her to give me honest and respectful feedback in a thoughtful way. I told her about my interview and she offered to practice. Bingo! I was on my way.

We met at a cafe and sat as one would in an interview.  The mock interview started, she asked a question in a way I hadn't thought about it being asked, I laughed, started to talk, she said "start again." We talked about what the question could highlight in my resume and how to shape the answer, how to pause and be thoughtful about my responses, and of course we laughed.  Another question was posed, by the third, fourth and fifth time it was getting easier.  The words started to sound like my own sound bites and not bullet points on a page. 

Laughter and a willingness to let others see myself not at my best has helped me along the way. Little did I know, practicing the interview was also helping me be an open and interested candidate to interview.