Interview Strategies.
I am pretty sure you typed this word on google and that is how you landed here.
Or you got this link sent to you and that is why you decided to check on it.
After all – who doesn’t want to do exceptionally well in an interview – that too one which will guarantee you the job of your dreams, an attractive position, an incredible salary and a better rate per hour / per day rate where you can enjoy a better life?
However, here is a thought-provoking question for you to consider.
If you googled and managed to find this article and 100 other people who are competing with you are also having access to this article – who will finally get the job offer?
Would it be the most qualified candidate?
If this was the case – wouldn’t the one with the most experience always get the job?
However, you know it and I know – this is not how the world works.
So then, I suppose it is always the person who gives the illusion or rather gives the perception that he is the best candidate for the job? After all – isn’t that how the game is played – the one who can really talk-the-talk & charm his way, always scores the beanie points?
And that is where – when you really want to stand out – three factors come into play:
- The person who has a Mentor or Coach
- The person who has a smart strategy/game plan
- The person who really works his tail off to reach his goal
Get these factors in and no one will be able to touch you.
So without taking any more of your time, let’s move on to 100 Interview Strategies For 2018 You Wish Someone Had Told You
INTERVIEW STRATEGIES #1
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Before you go for the interview ensure you have a clearcut
– game-plan / strategy,
– a mastermind group,
– a mentor &
– a burning desire & focus to win.
So answer these questions
– What is your game-plan?
– Do you have a mastermind group?
– Do you have a career or brand based mentor?
– Do you have the obsession to win?
**********************************************
INTERVIEW STRATEGIES #2
THE SECRET INGREDIENTS
Dedicate the following factors every single day:
– time,
– effort,
– money &
– regular practice before the interview.
Interview practice normally lasts from 1 hour to 3 hours at a stretch.
Tell me specifically:
– How much time have you allocated per day for practice?
– What is the reason for you to give 100% effort in your quest?
– How much money have you allocated for your career growth?
(Oh and before you say $100, ask yourself is that the total amount you are looking to earn annually?)
– What is the practice format you have outlined for your interview sessions?
**********************************************
INTERVIEW STRATEGIES #3
TIME?
HOW MUCH TIME?
When you are talking about time, you should dedicate around 1 hour to 3 hours every single day at least 1 week to 10 days before the interview.
I have normally spent 1 week or 10 sessions lasting 1 to 2 hours each with my clients for their interview challenge. And only after that kind of effort – there has been a 50% to 80% chance of success.
What do you think are your chances if you just try to go for an interview without any dedicated time spent practicing your skills?
**********************************************
INTERVIEW STRATEGIES #4
EFFORT?
HOW MUCH EFFORT?
Where effort comes in, you should be absolutely and fanatically obsessed about giving you complete, utter and utmost effort. There should be no internet, chats, social media or friends around when you are practicing. You should be practicing loudly and with so much intensity and focus that nothing else should matter.
When students have their final exams, when a presenter has to speak in front of the media, when a speaker has to deliver in front of a large audience – these individuals practice as if their life depended on it.
Why?
Because they want to leave zero room for error.
Is this how you practice for your interview session?
**********************************************
INTERVIEW STRATEGIES #5
SPEND MONEY WHERE IT MATTERS
When it comes to money – if you are spending a lot of money on your suit, your tie, and your shoes – keep this much in mind. You will not be offered the job because of your tie, your shoes or your jacket. Rather what you say and how you say what you say. So spend money where it matters that is being trained to be the best.
Many times the person’s outfit is more attractive than the person’s ability to communicate.
Guess that is why they say ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’
**********************************************
INTERVIEW STRATEGIES #6
PRACTICE DOESN’T MAKE PERFECT
PERFECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Where you talk about practice, my clients respond: “Yes of course I practice.”
Then I remind them “Perfect practice practiced perfectly and consistently – makes perfect.
Consider Usain Bolt.
During every practice session, he ends up puking his guts out.
In fact, he is known to have admitted that the race day is the easiest day of his life.
It is the practice sessions he absolutely dreads and hates.
Why?
Because when he practices, he practices each and every session of his giving 100% all the time, every time.
And he does that every single day for 4 years.
Think about it
– 4 hours of practice
– 6 days a week
– 4 years
For a race that lasts 9 seconds.
So how do you practice?
**********************************************
INTERVIEW STRATEGIES #7
YOUR M&M’s
When you participate,
When you go in for an interview,
When you apply for a new job
What is the attitude that you carry with you?
Is it to just participate?
Is it to do your best?
Is it to win?
Is it that of a dangerous obsessed player that appears cool, calm and composed but is out for the kill?
When you go in for an interview – go there with the Mindset to win.
Make sure you are going there to win. Go with a win-at-all-costs mindset.
Because given two people to choose from – the one who would want it more and would do more for the job would always be the guy selected for the job.
So what is your M&M’s?
Your Mentality & Your Mindset.
**********************************************
INTERVIEW STRATEGIES #8
ANOTHER M?
Once you come to know what it is you are being called for,
memorize the resume,
memorize the job requirements
memorize everything you need to remember & repeat about you to be selected for the job
And how do you know if you have memorized your Resume?
You should be able to tell me what comes before a particular paragraph, after a particular sentence, repeat effortlessly why, what, when, where and how of anything and everything of your Resume. If you can do this – then you have memorized your Resume perfectly!
**********************************************
INTERVIEW STRATEGIES #9
YOUR 3-C’s
Research the 3-C’s of the company –
– Company
– Competitors
– Contributions (products & services)
And when you go to meet the interviewer – blow him out of the water by sharing with him what all you discovered!
**********************************************
INTERVIEW STRATEGIES #10
RESEARCH – THE COMPANY:
Where researching the company is concerned, focus on the culture, its people, the working environment and the internal aspects of the company which are not visible to the outside world. That is what can either make you or break you. And the best way to go about this is to either have someone inside the company who can provide you with this information or by earning the trust of the secretary, the receptionist or even the security guard to speak to you.
It is not for you to go and impress the interviewer with what you know.
Rather it is for you to be completely and mentally prepared for you to know what is it you are getting yourself into.
The majority of times – rather almost all the times we tend to focus on the salary and the package.
However, what we fail to understand is more than the salary and the perks – it is the culture & the environment that will decide if we stay, thrive and survive in any place of work.
**********************************************
INTERVIEW STRATEGIES #11
RESEARCH THE COMPETITORS:
Ever heard of the statement ‘Bird of the same feather, flock together’?
Although we like to believe each and every company is totally unique and different – the top or the competitors who are in the same industry tend to be more or less the same. They thrive under the same conditions, they have the same competitors and they have the same challenges. So that is why when you research the company’s competitors – it would give you an idea of what the company you are applying for is like.
Now, even though this assumption may not be 100% accurate – there is an element of truth to it. And yeah – you may never know, by researching your competitors, you may actually end up either applying to the competitor or some competitor may end up offering you the job
**********************************************
INTERVIEW STRATEGIES #12
RESEARCH THE CONTRIBUTIONS:
Ever heard of the saying “small things speak volumes”?
When you study the products and services of the company in the marketplace, you come to know a lot more about the company that most probably is kept behind closed doors. It is the ugly, the bad or the concealed bits that speak volumes to the person.
If you spend time researching and understanding the products & services of the company you are about to apply in for a position – you will be more prepared, more confident and more informed than the other candidates. And most probably have the edge over other competitors and that in turn may actually land the job.
**********************************************
INTERVIEW STRATEGIES #13
WHY ME?
Keep in mind – before you, there was a candidate.
After you, there will be another candidate.
And most likely, among the many who have applied, there will be at least 1 person who is
– better than you,
– smarter than you,
– more qualified than you and
– more experienced than you.
On top of all this – you will also have candidates who are equal to you but who are prepared to work longer hours than you, work for lesser pay and expect a lot less than you.
So what sets you apart from them?
That is where you have to focus on Differentiation & Uniqueness.
I always inform my clients – prepare in such a way that every answer or statement that you give makes you stand out from the rest of the 100 competitors.
**********************************************
INTERVIEW STRATEGIES #14
IT IS A MARRIAGE
Finding the right job with
The right company, receiving
The right package and agreeing on
The right terms & conditions
Is your goal.
While finding
The Best candidate for the job that asks for
The Best monthly package and that is willing to give
The Best of everything
Is what the company wants.
Getting a balance between both is when there is an agreement, And that is where an employer and employee contract is made and signed.
That is why….
MATCH your profile to the job requirements,
MATCH your communication to what the employer wants and
MATCH your uniqueness to the company’s long-term vision
And then you will finally be declared….
Man & Wife.
**********************************************
INTERVIEW STRATEGIES #15
DOING IT WORD-FOR-WORD
What are some of the most common questions which are asked during interviews?
Jot all of them down.
Once you have done it, write down the answer for each and every question in and around 300 words.
Ensure the answer is in bullet points.
After you have written the answer – look at it and edit it to make it better.
Keep editing the answer until you reach a level of perfection.
Once that is done and you can no longer make it better – then this is your perfect answer you should memorize word-for-word.
And that is the answer you must deliver at the interview.
**********************************************
INTERVIEW STRATEGIES #16
MAKE A POINT, TELL A STORY
Talking about hard-work, dedication, team-work, being result oriented & dynamic is so easy.
Everyone does it.
Anyone can do it.
And that is why no one remembers it.
Words like these have lost their freshness.
Its like listening to the same answer again and again and again and again.
And again.
But if you manage to give a story about
– How you single-handedly managed to achieve 100% of your sales target since the past 3 years or
– How you managed to expand your company’s market share by 5% or
– The cost reduction that resulted in $130,000 monthly savings
– The free publicity you manage to help the company get by suggesting one simple idea
These stories carry far more weight than using an adjective you use to describe yourself
What are the points you can express by telling a great story?
What are the stories you have that you can share?
**********************************************
INTERVIEW STRATEGIES #17
PRACTICE ‘HOW’ you say ‘WHAT’ you are about to say
Whenever I have asked any potential client or student,
“so are you prepared for the interview?”,
without even a moments hesitation,
they respond “of course”.
I love the confidence, cockiness & candid response they give me.
And then I give them a test.
And those that appear for this test –
100 out of 100 times I can assure you – they fail.
Not only fail – but fail miserably.
Why is this so?
Imagination is easy.
You can IMAGINE all kinds of answers,
you can IMAGINE a flawless performance and
you can IMAGINE perfect images of yourself achieving wonders.
But then ask yourself – if you are so great, almighty and perfect –
why aren’t companies knocking on your door,
begging you to join them
and offering you over-the-top packages to join them?
The answer is:
“You do not know the sound of your own voice”
Keep this much in mind –
Saying that you will lose 10 kgs and actually lose 10 kgs body weight,
Saying you will stick to your new year’s resolution and being able to stick to it and
Saying that you will achieve your dreams and actually do it are two entirely different things.
In the same way – hearing the voice in your head and delivering a flawless presentation are two entirely different things.
**********************************************
INTERVIEW STRATEGIES #18
THE VIDEO NEVER LIES
I want you to do this right now.
Take a video camera.
Put it on a stand.
And then deliver a 30-minute talk about yourself.
OR answer all the interview questions you think you would be asked.
However, there is a condition.
Ensure that the conversation is not casual but professional.
Make sure every word counts.
Make sure your presentation is flawless.
Make sure you speak to impress!
Once you have done it, invite all the family and friends over and then take a bucket of popcorn and watch your flawless presentation.
I can tell you even without knowing you unless you are a seasoned speaker or presenter,
you will hate the way you sound,
you will hate the way you look and
you will hate the way you answered the questions.
Why is this so?
How we assume we sound and how we actually sound are two entirely different things.
The first time I heard myself speak over the phone, I wasn’t just shocked, I was horrified.
The experience was more like having nails screech on the surface of a blackboard.
I not only hated it, I literally got a phobia of speaking to people as I seriously couldn’t believe I sounded so bad!
But the reality was – I was bad and I did suck.
On top of all those problems – Unfortunately for me, I didn’t have any speech coach or mentor those days.
And that is why it took me nearly 15 years to master the art of communication.
So try doing this – record yourself speak.
However, don’t make a ‘casual conversation’ but a purposeful one.
Ensure every paragraph, every sentence and every word is perfectly delivered.
And then watch it.
I can guarantee you this much – you will be horrified.
**********************************************
INTERVIEW STRATEGIES #19
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED.
Consider these 3 examples.
EXAMPLE #1
My friend enters the interview.
The position is for a communications director.
And the board member states his first words
“I don’t like how ugly your face looks”.
How do you think you would respond?
EXAMPLE #2
My client goes into an interview
The position is for “Senior Project Manager”
The interview goes seemingly well, when suddenly the interviewer blurts out
“I have realized you are unfit for this job. I think you should leave.”
What do you think you would say?
EXAMPLE #3
When I was young, I was asked
“Sell me this pen and you will get the job”
I can tell you without a doubt – I was totally tongue-tied.
In each of these examples, the candidates appearing for the interview never expected these questions or this kind of treatment. But it was their response to these questions and how they handled the situation & themselves that determined what happened next.
When you go in for an interview, always keep in mind – anything can happen.
You may never know but you may be entering a Stress-Interview session and before you know it, you will not only be taken out of your comfort-zone, you will be made to go through an experience you will never forget.
I have literally seen candidates break down and cry during my practice sessions. Only to come back badder, better and bolder than before.
Trust me when I say this –
Expect the Best but Prepare for the worst.
****************************************
TO CONTACT
+66-92-541-4884 | loy@loymachedo.com
IF YOU WANT TO JOIN MY WHATSAPP GROUPS
Send me a Whatsapp message to +66-92-541-4784
FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
www.ThinkPersonalBranding.Com
DONATIONS
If you wish to support my channel and wish to contribute:
Please go to PayPal & make the payment to loy@loymachedo.com
Loy Machedo
www.LoyMachedo.Com
www.WhoIsLoyMachedo.Com
www.ThinkPersonalBranding.Com
****************************************
