How to Interview Better – The Stop Hating Mondays Podcast

People fear public speaking more than they fear almost anything else. So, it makes sense that many people also fear interviewing – the underlying social phobias are the same: feeling highly self-conscious, fear of being judged, fear of failing publicly, fear of losing control, etc.

The good news is that, while interviewing may never be your favorite activity, there are ways to make interviews less anxiety inducing. And that’s what this episode is all about: tips for overcoming some of the most common fears around interviewing so that you can interview better.

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TRANSCRIPT

(Transcripts are auto-generated and may contain minor errors)

Kent

So we all know that people fear public speaking.

The things that make people fear public speaking are the same reasons that people fear interviewing. So that's what we want to talk about today. We want to talk about why people fear interviewing and what they can do to feel better about interviewing.

Helping people get over: the lack of experience they feel when it comes to interviewing, being judged and evaluated, talking about things they don't often share, and talking to people they don't know – all of the same things that are present when you're doing any kind of public speaking.

So your listening to the Stop Hating Mondays podcast. I'm Kent, here with Canaan. And we're talking about Interviewing.

Caanan

Yeah, you're so right about people fearing interviewing in the same way that they fear public speaking.

They’re such similar things. And your point about the reasons people fear public speaking – and thus interviewing – is that there's just so much they can't control. So much is out of your hands.

So, what really helps is to give up control of the things you can't control – or the attempt to control things you can’t control – and instead focus on having a vision for the things you can control.

So, our first tip is simple. Have a vision.

Kent

Yeah. And it sounds simple as you said, but it's the truth. You just need to understand what you need to accomplish.

We hear from so many people the companies we work with, the people we work with, who talk about getting thrown the minute they get into the interview. Or, on the other side, the interview panel recognizing that somebody really seemed to get off their game and be distracted and ineffective. 

So as simple as it sounds, go in understanding what you need to accomplish. And, as an individual, your goal is likely to get the job in front of you. So, go in with that idea and don't be distracted by it.

Caanan

Yeah, you give up the idea that you should worry about things that are completely out of your control – how many people you're going to be interviewing with, if the interview happens on time – all those things can throw you off your game.

Instead, really focus on what is in your control. The things you want to share – your achievements, you're fit for the job. If you can hold on to those things and make sure you hit those things, you're going to feel good about the interview.

Caanan

So, our next tip follows on that perfectly. It's come prepared with a toolkit.

So many people fear the interview because they worry about not being able to answer the questions effectively… or the dreaded “I'm going to draw a blank.” “When I’m asked a question, I won't have an appropriate answer.”

That is something that is completely in your control. And, like I said at the beginning, it's about coming prepared with the toolkit.

Kent

Yeah, so you've got your vision… That you want to succeed in this interview. That you don't want to be thrown off because everybody is so friendly. Or you don’t want to be thrown off because there were five people, and I was expecting only one person. Or you don't be thrown off by “they made me wait for 20 minutes in the lobby.” 

You have your vision. You're set to go and – tip two – you're prepared with the toolkit. 

Well, what is a toolkit?

There is no guaranteed toolkit because you never know what you're going to get in an interview. But we know one thing for sure… That coming prepared with a behavioral interviewing approach will work in nearly every single situation for nearly every kind of question.

Behavioral interviewing – the idea that your past impact and experience is the best indicator of your future potential impact and experience.

We always recommend that people come prepared to use the STAR format: S.T.A.R. 

You come with a variety of achievements. Only about 5 to 7. You think of like 5 to 7 great achievements and their accompanying stories in order to approach talking about those achievements with the STAR forma. So, briefly – we talk about this elsewhere on the website, so I won't get into it too much here – but STAR…

S. You explain the situation it had.

T. You talk about the task at hand given the current situation.

A. Action. What action did you take?

And of course, R. The result.

Caanan

Yeah, and the result is the most important and the thing people most often forget. That's your impact.

Yeah, so there we are.

We're looking at having a good idea of what you want to accomplish. That's your vision. And then coming prepared with a toolkit of accomplishments that you can speak to in multiple ways so that you can achieve that vision.

Caanan

Moving on to Tip 3. Now this is really common sense, but this blows a lot of people's minds when we give them this recommendation.

That fear that you're not going to be able to answer a question appropriately, we've taken care of because you're coming with a clear vision and a set of accomplishments… Your toolkit that you can draw on.

But if you need to speak to your accomplishments in different ways, a lot of people are terrified that they won't be able to do that quickly. You know, right off the cuff.

So, here's a nice piece of advice that should come as a really welcome piece of advice.

Take your time.

Kent

Yeah, that's our tip 3. Take your time.

Another thing where having helped so many companies and people.

That dreaded question that completely throws you off or you feel that ruins the interview… Where they can really see you sweat. Don't let there be anything like that. If you're coming with: Tip number one vision, tip number two, your toolkit, and tip number three, don't hesitate to take some time.

We always tell organizations that a good interview process is a rigorous interview process. We say the same thing to individuals. You don't want it to be easy or, as a company, you don't know that you're getting the right person. For an individual, you don't want it to because you want to be sure that you want to work at this place – that this organization is taking you and your time and the job seriously. So you're bound to have some questions, or often – in the way companies handle interviews now, the way a question might be formatted to sort of throw you – where it's totally appropriate to take a few minutes to collect your thoughts.

Why is that OK?

It's OK because companies will appreciate that. “Here's somebody who clearly has a variety of things to talk about, and they're just taking a beat to collect their thoughts so they can provide us a response in a well thought out fashion.”

So even if you need to say “oh that's a great question. Let me think about the best answer.” Or “let me think about how to best address it.” That is not a negative thing. In fact, it can be viewed as a very positive thing because they'll see you doing that and, in the wrap up, they'll note “that person was really thoughtful in how they handled that question.” “I like that they – by how they have handled that question – demonstrated how they think. That they can take a step back, ponder, and then come to a solution.”

Caanan

Yeah, isn't it funny? We're so concerned with not being able to answer quickly that we forget that taking a beat and considering what's being asked of us – and coming up with a thoughtful response that makes sense – is a basic skill and something that people and companies value greatly.

So, demonstrate that skill! Let's get rid of this ridiculous notion that you need to be able to speak off the cuff with…. you know, come up with brilliant answers without even thinking and just, you know, do you. 

Take your time. Answer thoughtfully.

People will love it.

Kent

OK, so we want your next interview experience to be a good one, or at least a better one.

Number one, have a vision. What's that interview going to be like? What are you out to accomplish?

Number two, have a toolkit. Be prepared to behavioral interview using the STAR format.

And number three, don't hesitate to take your time. Be succinct, clear, to the point… but take your time.