How To Solve the Biggest Problems With Interviews

How To Solve the Biggest Problems With Interviews If its been a while since youve interviewed for a new job, now is a good time to remind you of the biggest problems with interviews. Youve been waiting for your chance to interview and it finally arrives! The date and time are set and you know you are going to ace the interview. Except its been a while since you last interviewed so you begin to second-guess yourself. Youre not alone- few people interview often enough to feel confident. Feeling confident is one of the biggest problems with interviews you will need to overcome. But there are more. Heres Why Interviewing Sucks First of all: The hiring manager, who has a thousand other things to do, is unenthusiastic about interviewing another candidate. Second: You put a lot of pressure on yourself. You are probably thinking one or all of the following: How will I sell this person on my qualifications? Will I be able to answer all their questions? I really want this job. Third: the interview process takes a long time. Longer than you expect. Companies will call you back 3, 4, 5 times and this draws out the process. Instead of a win-win scenario, interviews create stress and discomfort for both parties involved. But it doesnt have to be that way. You can change your thinking and thoroughly prepare for interviews if you know what to do. Change Your Thinking Instead of feeling like you are on the receiving end of an interrogation, consider the interview a two-way conversation. Allow the interview to ask a question and then you supply an answer and follow-up  with your own related question. Thats all  an interview isa conversation between two people trying to learn about each other. Get Answers To How AND Why The questions you ask should help you understand what youll be doing, but more importantly, why you will be doing it. Questions like: How will you know you hired the right person for the job? What do you expect the new employees outcomes to be in a month, six months, and a year? And my all-time favorite, why is this position available? Imagine you are a consultant trying to uncover what the hiring manager really needs. Get more questions you can ask right here. Research Armed with a list of solid questions you want to be answered isnt enough. Youll need to do thorough research on the company, the people you will be interviewing with and the competition. Self Assessment Review the job posting in detail. What requirements do you meet or exceed? Do you have proof? And where do you fall short? What skills do you lack? You better believe the interviewer has noted your shortcomings too and will be assessing you in those areas. Be ready with proactive solutions for how you will overcome the missing skills. What Next? If you are feeling overwhelmed, good. This means you realize it isnt enough to just show up at an interview and wing it. If it has been a while since you last interviewed, you owe it to yourself to polish your interviewing skills and knowledge. Or, if youve had dozens of interviews, but no offers, diagnose and fix what youre doing wrong!