February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Notice, for example, how polished politicians will stay ‘on-message’ in a media interview irrespective of what kind of questions are thrown at them. Learn from this. The politician starts the interview already knowing what message he or she wants to convey. They stick to their ‘talking points’. In doing so, they can turn hostile questioning to their advantage. Adapt this technique to job interviews – know your message when you walk in and convey it strongly, clearly and repeatedly.
EXAMPLES OF YOUR SKILLS
Some employers are moving increasingly towards ‘behavioral’ questions in interviews. This means that instead of being asked about your qualifications, or about what generally makes you a suitable candidate, you may be asked to talk in-depth about specific challenges you have encountered in previous jobs. Don’t be flummoxed by this. In advance of the interview, think of instances where you have shown initiative, or dealt with a problem, or performed especially well as part of a team. The interviewer might also ask very exact questions – one common inquiry is ‘what were you thinking at that moment?’ If you go into an interview in the knowledge that you might be asked these types of questions you will be better placed to respond well.