3 Practical Steps to Ace Your Interview

Photo by Klim Musalimov on Unsplash

Are you currently struggling in your job search journey, unable to clear your interviews? 

Navigating interviews to secure a coveted job offer can often seem like an exhausting process. Here is an easy guide that breaks down the seemingly daunting process of interviewing into three easily manageable steps that drive success. 

I recently attended a session on Interviewing skills by Garleff Coaching and Consulting Group’s CEO, Anna Garleff, as part of their collaboration with Immigrant Networks. Anna is an organizational psychologist and executive coach, and offers sessions such as this to help equip job seekers with the tools and tactics to succeed in their job search. 

Of course a big part of that is acing the interview! 

The three steps can be divided into areas of focus: preparation, rehearsal and delivery.

The first step is PREPARATION. 

• Prepare your Unique Value Proposition (UVP)

• Discover the Circle Of Awareness

• Get your Five STAR Stories ready

If you have an interview coming up, it means that the selection committee already considers you to be a great candidate. You already have your foot in the door! This means you can stop worrying about your skills and experience – they like what they see. 

In the interview, you now only have one job, and that is to convince the selection committee and your prospective colleagues that you are going to be able to solve problems efficiently and that you are an adept communicator.  

Your unique value proposition (UVP) is what you need to showcase now. This forms the focal point of what you represent in your interview. What makes you unique and the best person for the job? What is it about the special combination of your skills, experience and communication competencies that will help them see you succeeding in this role?  

Next, think about the Circle Of Awareness. You and your UVP are at the centre, but there is another ring after that which requires you to think carefully about the problem that needs to be solved for your prospective employer. You will have to do your research and find out what their challenges and issues are – and how you can address them in this role. Everyone is hired to solve a problem – can you clearly articulate what that is and what your approach would be?

Then come your Five STARS Stories. These are similar to anecdotes which showcase earlier employment experiences – how did you solve challenges and rise to the occasion in those contexts? STARS stands for SITUATION, TASK, ACTION, RESULT and SO WHAT! 

What was the SITUATION when you were hired? (Set the stage for your story). What was the TASK you were given? In other words, what were you hired for? So then, what did you do to solve that challenge? What were the decisions you made and the ACTIONS you took? Most importantly, what were the RESULTS? Increased clients? Great fiscal savings? Improved technologies? More efficacious communication? What difference did you actually make? These will be quantifiable results. (This is where you showcase yourself as being the hero of your own story). 

Anna emphasizes the SO WHAT? part of the interview. This is where you bring the story back home. You showcase the relevance of the story you’re telling to the job description for THIS role. Spell it out. 

These are your personal career stories, of your journey, and of your career trajectory. Make sure these are in line with your strengths and consistent with the expectations of the prospective employer. Include numbers in your stories and highlight success through metrics relevant to the job that you have applied for.

Remember that interviews are not one-sided. Along with displaying subject matter expertise, demonstrate an understanding of topics that matter to your interviewer. Their annual reports, online C-suite interviews, and pressing problems highlighted in the company news articles, are invaluable sources of information. 

In this way, you can tailor your stories to highlight the aspects which are of most relevance to them. You tweak your stories in order to address your employer’s specific problems – where you can. You won’t be able to address everything 100%. After all, this is a new job with new learnings. 

Never fake your experience!   

The second step is REHEARSAL.

• Rehearse until you are pitch-perfect

• Try different ways (like recording yourself) to be mindful of tone and modulation

• Practice with a partner

It is all about fine-tuning now. Learn to enunciate your responses clearly, and work on talking WITH your panel instead of talking TO them. This builds rapport with your interviewer through clear, concise dialogue. Use your body language during rehearsals. Lean forward at times to display assertiveness or curiosity. Don’t underestimate the importance of pausing, and of deep breaths in between.

Anna pointed out that many people, when excited or nervous, will be unaware that their voices become high-pitched and squeaky – and that they talk way too fast. This is where thorough rehearsal by recording and by practicing with a partner can be invaluable. 

She also pointed out that it is often not until the actual interview that people realize that their stories aren’t as well-rehearsed as they should be. Practice in the car, on the bus, while cooking, until you don’t have to think about your answers and you are thus better able to focus on THEM.

The final step is DELIVERY.

• Harness the biofeedback mechanism 

• Control your narrative

• Ask well-researched questions 

This is the big day. The moment is here. You’re nervous and your heart is racing. This is where harnessing the biofeedback mechanism comes in. The mind will believe what the body tells it. The mind perceives danger if you are sweating, shaking, or breathing shallow. So by putting on a smile - even if it is a fake one at the start – can calm your autonomic nervous system. 

There’s a difference between stress (bad) and eustress (good). The term eustress means "beneficial stress"—either psychological, physical (e.g., exercise), or biochemical/radiological (hormesis). Anna points out that no Olympic athlete ever won gold without eustress. Be aware of it and greet it as a superpower.

Focus on your UVP and then continuously look for opportunities in the conversation to ensure that all your stories get told with the appropriate context. Remember to be cool enough that you can jot down points during your interview. It demonstrates confidence, shows that you have clarity and are well-prepared. 

It’s also okay to say ‘I don’t know’ if you are unsure – but always back that up with your willingness to either learn or elaborate on how you are already on a learning journey.

Up until I attended Anna’s session and worked on this blog article, I realized I was only doing the bare minimum for and during my interviews. I knew what my UVP was, and I had my STARS stories ready, but writing this article resulted in a type of ‘playbook’. It has helped me to approach interviews differently. 

Firstly, I now prepare better. In addition to refining my UVP, I follow company news and display comprehensive company knowledge while drafting my interview responses. I address specific problems with examples in my STARS stories.

Secondly, rehearsing well has become my mantra. I have started recording myself and practicing with my peers, preparing solid answers to some most-probable interview questions.

Up until now, I have had countless interviews without success. But with this new, revamped interviewing strategy, I look at my future interviews as opportunities to tell my stories better and to truly connect with the team interviewing me. I am sure that success will soon follow, and that interviews will line up for me to display my skills effectively, while I also communicate with clarity. 

Thanks again to Anna and the team at Immigrant Networks, for changing the way I think about my career journey.

About the Author

Jyotsna Bhargav is a B2B marketer with global multi-industry experience. An MBA graduate, she is an engineer turned marketer harnessing both her analytical and creative skills to drive marketing success in sectors like B2B SaaS and automobile. Content, Campaigns and Events are her areas of specialty.