• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

• You rise to the occasion when confronted with difficult situations.

• You can lead under pressure.

• You can execute a strategy.

• You’re a team player and a team captain (because you kept saying “we” not “I”).

You’re a . . . you’re a . . . It’ll be a long list of positive attributes leading them to conclude, “We’ve gotta have you on our team!” and that’s what you want.

The interviewer will infer all positives and will start to ask “how” questions:

• How do you manage?

• How did you keep them focused?

• How—how—how.

Guerrilla, they’re hooked. This is exactly how you want them to react. Now you get to lead them into a natural discussion on the similarities between what you’ve done and what they need. Make sure you prepare a few more anecdotes to reinforce your positive attributes.

Rehearsing Your Message

From your T-account, pick out instances where you used those skills successfully. Prepare 3 relevant stories for every interview. Use these to create analogies during the interview. Starting with your most relevant accomplishment, write a 2- or 3-paragraph story. Bulleting the sequence of events may make it easier to write the paragraphs. The act of writing forces you to organize your thinking and etch the details in your mind for easy retrieval. Now read the paragraphs out loud. Does your story sound like you’re talking or does it sound like you’re reciting something you’ve memorized? Your story must be delivered in a conversational tone.

Practice telling the story until your words and facial expressions appear natural. In an interview, your ability to retrieve information quickly is important. It’ll boost your confidence and surprise the interviewer who’ll expect the usual period of silence while inadequately prepared candidates contrive their answer.

Your ability to rapidly recall the details of a story affects whether you’ll get an offer and if you’ll be invited back. I recently watched a VP sales candidate crash and burn during an interview. While his answers were perfect and naturally delivered, he paused for 3 or 4 seconds before he answered each question. In an interview, that’s a long time. For every moment an employer watches you think, you lose credibility. You need to be prepared to speak within one short breath after they stop talking. The employer must see you as “all together.”

Interviews aren’t real life. Everyone knows that, but it won’t stop the interviewer from forming a real-life opinion on your candidacy. You can know your job better than anyone in the world, but if you freeze during the interview process, the interviewer isn’t likely to care. If you can’t just naturally “flick a switch” and perform like a Holly-wood actor, you’ll need to rehearse with the zeal of a drill sergeant. If you practice long enough, you, too, can deliver an Oscar-winning performance.

GUERRILLA INTELLIGENCE

Tales from the Trenches

Kevin Watson

Few hiring managers interview well. A manager may hire as many as 100 people in his lifetime or, put another way, spend a total of 400 hours of effort. Compare this with the 6,000 hours that he will spend at lunch, and it is obvious to see why so little emphasis is put on doing hiring correctly and why training is virtually nonexistent.

Recently, I had a headhunter phone to ask if I would be interested in looking at an opportunity. I received a link to their web site containing the job requirements and skill set required. It was a perfect fit!

So with all the appropriate preparation and an updated resume, I proceed to the interview. At the start of the interview, they asked if I had any questions. What questions could I have? The company is well known within the community, the balance sheet is fantastic, and I had a complete list of the skills and requirements for that position.

The interview proceeded as planned (both on their side and mine). I was to the point for every question asked. I gave specific examples to show I possessed all the skills they needed [based on the job