#47: How to interview like a BOSS.
... with a Reservoir Dogs reference??
So, you’ve passed the first three tests in your job search. Your CV has cleared:
1 - The 6-second screen by the recruiter - you’re in Longlist 1
2 - The more detailed recruiter sift - you’re in Longlist 2!
3 - The recruiter and hiring manager longlist review - you’re in the SHORTLIST!
… And now you’ve been invited for an interview.
What follows are 3 key tips to help you navigate those early interviews and sail through to the later rounds - if there are any.
I’m Phil Sterne, and you’re reading A Sterne Talking To, my fortnightly blog.
Writing about the challenges of job hunting and things you can do to make it easier for yourself, and the mental health impacts of being in a job you hate or are bored of, I often wrap my articles with a tenuous connection to pop culture. There’s a bit of Reservoir Dogs today.
I hope you find it useful.
Let me know in the comments at the bottom.
This edition covers the “why have you applied for this job?” story.
The question crops up in many forms, including:
What brings you here? (“my car” or “the train” are not acceptable this early in the relationship)
Talk me through your background/CV, focusing on the most relevant points for the role
Tell me about yourself
1 - How not to do it.
What most people do at this point is say something like “where do you want me to start?” and then start reeling off each and every job move they’ve made with a little reason in between, going on far too much about long examples of things they did. And going back 30 years.
But you want to stand out, be the needle in the haystack, the wheat in the chaff.
So whatever you do, make it relevant to the role. If you are going to talk through your CV in that way, take a similar approach to the CV layout. And that’s much less information and explanation about the early stuff, and more about the most recent stuff.
2 - One way to do it.
Try adopting a storytelling approach.
Think Tim Roth’s character, Mr Orange, in Quentin Tarantino’s classic film, Reservoir Dogs. If you’re not familiar with either the film or Mr Orange, it’s essentially a heist movie where the gang has been infiltrated by an undercover cop, Freddy Newendyke.
Freddy is tutored on creating a totally believable backstory. Details of jobs he’s been on, shit that went down, how he got on to them, the gangs he’d worked with - and the film shows him he rehearsing and rehearsing and rehearsing each story so he could easily drop them into conversation and exude credibility.
I’m not saying you want to make up a backstory, but you need to tell a bit about your backstory.
I once worked with a client who worked in social housing. She was interviewing for another more senior role in another housing association, and I asked her why she did that job and why she thought she’d be a good fit for the new one.
She gave me lots of standard answers about wanting to help people, and looking out for those less fortunate, and working to create strong communities.
But why? I asked. We dug around in this for a little while and happened on the fact that when her grandfather passed away, and her mum was young, around 15-16, she became homeless.
And out came the story about the degree of help she received at the time, and how impacted her mum (and herself) later in life. It was a story of hardship. That was why she did her job. The outpouring of empathy was incredible.
We worked together to hone that story (and condense it) as a prefix to the reasons she’d given previously for doing the job she does and for the move. Suddenly it all made sense. I mean, who else was going to have that story? She would certainly stand out.
You have to be careful how you deploy this approach. For you it could be something else. Not many kids grow up saying they want to work in social housing, or become an accountant, or a sales director, or a machine operator, or a process engineer.
BUT there’ll be something there in your formative years, a skill you developed, an experience you had, a pivotal conversation - these are the stories that will turn your “tell me about yourself” into something memorable and interesting - and weave it into the reasoning for wanting the job move.
3 - Avoid the push factors.
The other trap people fall into when answering this question is responding with push factors instead of pull factors.
Push factors are the reason you’re being driven away from your current job. That could be the commute, the pay, your dick of a boss, uninspiring work, burnout, feeling undermined, feeling overworked, unfulfilled promises… etc.
These are no-go areas. I don’t want to sit and listen to you moan about your job as a reason for wanting the one I’m recruiting for.
I want to hear the pull factors. I want you to be enthusiastic.
Pull factors are the things the new job or employer will give you. What you’re excited about. It’s the moment to focus on what really interests you about the job and the company.
It could be something they stand for, the work they’re doing in a particular area, their growth and potential opportunities, people you know who have recommended it as a place to work, the type of projects, clients, or work that might be involved. Add on the end that the shorter commute or their flexible working policy is also really attractive, sure, but try to avoid making it your core reason for applying.
Unless… it really is, in which case there’s an argument for saying something like: “well my current commute has become totally unsustainable so I started looking for opportunities closer to home or with flexible working - and I stumbled on this role and thought “wow!” … and then go into all the reasons you find the that job and company interesting. Make that the balance of why you’re there.
Also you could take the push factors, if you have them, and flip them so they become pull factors.
“My boss is a dick” or “I’ve been passed over for promo
=>> I’m looking for an environment that values the contribution people make, and somewhere I can progress my career
“I’m bored shitless”
=>> I’m excited by the breadth of work your doing and really interested in getting stuck into something new, like x or y [just please find another way of saying “I’d like a new challenge, it’s boring to hear]
“I’m underpaid”
=>> I’ve been having a look in the market and realised there’s a world outside <x-company> that could offer me progression in all aspects of my career.
These are just ideas.
It could be you’re looking for a step up. Great, say it - perhaps it’s an opportunity to formalise your leadership skills.
Though think about this as a first date - yes they’re interested in you and what you say for yourself (they invited you, remember), but show interest in them too.
Just don’t tell the interviewer their dad must have been a thief as he stole the stars for their eyes. Or any other “first date” shenanigans.
I am a career and life transformation coach helping people work out and go for their biggest goals, through asking the questions no-one else will ask them. Not even themselves. I help you think differently and seismically shift perspectives.
I work with people in lots of different ways from short term job search support and interviewing skills coaching, though to longer term agreements to help them get out of their own way and achieve fulfilment in their lives.
Contact me by hitting Reply if you’d like an initial free consultation to see how I can help you.
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