How to ensure you are the ultimate survivor

Written by Paul Slezak, Area Manager, Aquent

How often have you been told “It's not what you know. It's who you know”?

This is a phrase familiar to many of us—and one that we can certainly relate to in both our professional and personal lives. Getting our hands on otherwise impossible-to-get sporting event or concert tickets, or receiving a last minute invitation to an already sold out exclusive networking function is, more often than not, only made possible because you know someone—or at least you know someone who knows someone. You get my drift.

However when it comes to making a career change, whilst knowing someone may have helped you get an initial foot in the door to your ideal organisation, “who you know” will not necessarily get you through the interview process and ultimately land you your dream job.

Because today, more than ever before, when it comes to the job interview process, it’s no longer about what you know. It’s about what you did. Regardless of where you went to school or university, no matter how much experience you have gained in the workforce, and notwithstanding who you know, if you aren’t able to interview successfully by answering questions based on your past work performance, then you won’t get the job.

So when you are next invited in for an interview and your moment of truth has arrived, whether your interview is with a recruiter or with an employer directly, it is crucial that you are well prepared and equipped with your ultimate interview survival guide.

From the outset, don't be daunted by the plethora of terms used to describe the interviewing process most favoured in today's employment market. Competency-based techniques, behavioural-based strategies, predictability type indicators and targeted selection questionnaires are just some of the many ways Industrial Psychologists, Human Resources professionals and perhaps more recently even recruitment Consultants refer to the basic theory that past performance is a strong predictor of a candidate's future performance in the workplace. And given that every hiring decision is critical, performance-based interviewing (just another way to describe the process) has been proven to eliminate hypothetical or theoretical questions and therefore minimise any personal impressions that could affect the hiring decision.

In essence, as a candidate, if you are asked performance-based type questions, you are no longer being asked questions that are hypothetical, but you are being asked questions that must be answered based upon fact. Quite often candidates still expect to be asked questions such as “what aspect of the job would interest you most?”, “what do you consider your special skills and abilities to be?” or “how do you feel about working as part of a team?”. Not surprisingly, they are then somewhat thrown when the interviewer doesn't want to know what a candidate thinks they could do, or why they think they would fit in, but instead wants to solely focus on what they have done before.

While as a candidate you may feel intimidated by revealing how you handled certain situations in the past, a performance-based interview gives you the perfect opportunity to demonstrate to a potential employer (or to a recruiter) exactly why you are well suited to a particular job.

Consider the original meaning of the word inter-view: to look within. When preparing for an interview you need to think about what competencies the employer will be screening for. You then need to think back through your past experiences to situations where you may have had to display such traits. It really becomes a process of self-assessment. Some of these competencies may have been included in the original job advertisement, others in the position description, both of which you would have read in detail as part of your thorough interview preparation. Obviously you should know as much as you can about the job you are applying for and where the job fits in to the organisation as a whole.

You then need to think about how you utilised your skills, knowledge, ability and even your personality to work through various situations in previous jobs. By reflecting on real life scenarios, you will then be able to come up with examples of how you handled certain situations and how you may have demonstrated the relevant competencies in the past.

If you are well prepared, during the interview you will be able to successfully respond to any questions relating to the competencies required for the job at hand, and by doing so ensure that you leave a lasting impression in the mind of the interviewer. In any performance-based interview, you can expect questions like “Tell me about a time when …” or “Give me an example of a situation in which …”, or “Talk me through a specific scenario where you …”. And as long as you clearly state the situation, demonstrate the steps you took to resolve it, and discuss the end results, it doesn’t matter what experiences you draw upon.

These types of questions are all probing for results so you need to know your stories. Be as specific as you can. Talk about exactly what was involved but also discuss the outcomes. And remember to think not only about situations with positive outcomes, but those with negative outcomes as well. After all, nobody’s perfect.

You also need to realise that you can’t simply cram the night before and “blitz” your interview. You need to take the time to prepare yourself for a successful interview because the interviewer will be asking you to provide specific details, and will not allow you to simply theorise or generalise about events.

So what are some of the more frequently sought after competencies your potential employer may include as part of their performance profile? A few of the most commonly assessed competencies in interview rooms today are:

• assertiveness;
• enthusiasm;
• flexibility;
• leadership;
• organisational ability; and
• team contribution.

However do not limit yourself by preparing only for these, as there are certainly many other competencies included on HR performance profiles for all levels of roles within both major corporates as well as SMEs in today’s market.

The job interview is obviously the most important part of getting a job. However it can also be a very daunting and nerve-racking experience even for the most highly skilled and qualified candidates—especially if you are not feeling very confident. Performance based interviews are often perceived to be the candidate’s toughest obstacle, and therefore the best way to survive the experience is obviously to be highly organised and well prepared.

At some stage you would have been told to consider every job interview as a learning experience and an opportunity for you to better prepare for next time. But you don’t really want there to be too many “next times” do you?

In any interview situation all eyes are on you, the candidate. So make it work in your favour.

Remember that you are not alone. Everyone who is now successfully employed has, at one time or another, been through some form of rigorous interview process. You are a strong and highly marketable candidate. You know it. Your Mother knows it. But it will only be through successfully convincing the interviewer of your experience, your talent, skills, attitude and your own levels of self-motivation through examples of your past work performance, that you will come through the interview as the ultimate survivor, successfully being offered that perfect job.

Paul Slezak is the Sydney Area Manager for Aquent (www.aquent.com/mcs), a global firm that delivers total staffing, consulting and outsourcing solutions for Marketing, Communications and Creative. Through a network of nearly seventy offices in fifteen countries, Aquent services in the areas of print and Web design and production; advertising and media, marketing, public relations and marcomm office support. Paul also speaks and trains on career and recruitment issues and can be contacted on (02) 9264 1888 or e-mailed via pslezak@aquent.com.