How I learned not to fail a job interview

I made it to the second round of interviews. It was in person. I sat in the conference room. The hiring manager was there with two stakeholders. “We’re going to go down the job description, and ask questions for each item.”

I prepared for this interview, but I did not prepare for this.

I’m screwed. 

I skimmed the job description (yes, they handed out copies) and knew immediately that I didn’t have answers ready for some of the responsibilities. 

Big time screwed.

I had solid answers for most of the items. Not all. I stumbled. Danced around a few. I didn’t have the guts to say, “I’ve never done that one.” And I was not prepared to respond with one of my strengths to stay on my message.

I didn’t get the job. 

Ever since, I have always had responses ready for each item on a job description. No one ever conducted an interview like this with me again, but I was ready. 

Bill said, “Structured stories standout.”

2023 is a tough job market

In 2023, it is not enough to be ready. You have to stand out. Be different. Unique. We must demonstrate the value we can bring to an organization in a way that no one else can. 

Easier said than done. 

Here’s a unique idea about standing out in an interview.

On episode 59, I talked to a talent consultant and recruiter, Rohan Tailor about how to stand out in a rough, competitive job market like 2023. I learned something very important about how to be prepared for interviews.

The main lesson is not just to have answers prepared, but to have stories ready and have stories ready with a structure.  

Structure your interview stories

Preparing stories with a structure has numerous benefits: 

Easier to remember: When you have several different stories to remember, and you have a structure, when you get stuck, you can follow the structure. It’s easier to remember what to say next.

Easier to follow your story: The interviewer will start to notice your pattern and will know where your story is going. Even if they forget the details of your story, they will notice your structure. It’s more memorable.

Keeps you from rambling: When some people get nervous, or don’t have structure in a story, they ramble. You don’t want to ramble in an interview. A structure will keep you on track and not allow you to drone on and on and bore the interviewer.

Demonstrates organization: When you have structure to your stories, it shows you are organized. Smart. Competent. That you get to the point. That you have thought through your answer. For some hiring managers, this organization is more important than the details of the story.

What kind of structure are we talking about?

This was the big “aha” in my conversation with Rohan Tailor. He suggested using the same structure that companies use to write their customer stories / case studies. 

Smart.

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Structure your interview responses like case studies

Yes. Different companies use different structures for how they write customer case studies. Good ones have a simple structure: 

1. Challenge: What was the customer struggling with

2. Solution: How we (the company) helped them solve it

3. Outcome: What got better after the customer solved it

Simple. Easy to follow. 

Now, all you have to do is use this structure to prepare stories for your next interview. 

Try it. 

Go look up a job posting that you have applied for recently. Pick one of the responsibilities that is most perfect for you. Write out your response to it using the challenge, solution, outcome structure. 

Challenge, solution, outcome is just one structure. You can use others. In fact, as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t matter what structure you use, as long as you use a structure. 

Structured stories standout

For your next interview, when preparing your stories, use the structure of the customer case studies from the company you are interviewing with. Go to the company customer story page, scan each case study, and write down the outline for each. Use that structure to organize your stories. 

You might even say, “I found the structure of the customer case studies on your website useful, so I used it to prepare some of my stories.” 

Structured, stories, standout.