Tips for a Very Effective Interview

You have read lots of articles about interview preparation - what to wear, when to arrive, how to shake someone's hand, deferring the salary issue, answering the questions you wish they'd never ask, what you should ask the interviewer and so on. It's all necessary and useful information. So what else can you do that will make a difference in their assessment of you and, ultimately, the final, positive outcome?

It has to do with, what I call, the "3 Vs" - Verbal, Vocal and Visual. What you say, how you say it and how you present yourself can put you higher on the list of potential candidates or even swing the votes in your favor. Here's an brief outline:

Verbal:

• Select interview questions ranging from easy to tough.
• Draft your answers then refine them.
• Create different version of your answers to be used depending on context of questions.

Vocal:

• Say your answers out loud, as if in the interview.
• Now tape your answers. Evaluate as if you were the employer.
• Rehearse in the mirror until you look natural saying your answers
• Practice. (yeah, like piano when you were a kid)
• Practice with friends or family. Ask for honest feedback.
• Practice with a "stranger." They'll give you honest feedback.

Visual:

• The interview starts when you arrive on the property. Those buildings have windows.
• When to "mirror the interviewer" and when not to.
• The "eyes" have it - how your interviewer takes in your information.
• The interview ends when you leave the property - until they can't see you from the window.

If you'd like to know more about the "3Vs" (and there is a lot more to know!) please contact me at: coach@viewpointcareercoaching.com

Shifting Perspective

Dan Brown, author of “The DaVinci Code,” “Angels & Demons” and his latest novel, “The Lost Symbol” uses gravity boots when his creativity flow is stuck. Says Brown, "Hanging upside down seems to help me solve plot challenges by shifting my entire perspective."

“…shifting my entire perspective.” Ah, if we could all just hang upside down whenever we’re stuck. Well, most of us don’t have access to gravity boots but we do actually employ various methods of shifting perspective. When playing with a small child, we turn around so our faces are opposite or bend over to look at them through our legs.

How about looking at art? Paintings, graphics and photographs can make us tilt our heads one way or the other or adjust our distance to see the image in a different way. Even just looking in the mirror to get ready for the day, we turn our faces and our bodies at numerous angles to see how our hair looks, or makeup, or whether those jeans make your hips look big!

Once we look at something from a shifted perspective we can then make an informed choice. If we scared the child with our face upside down, then we don’t do it again. If the artwork looks good at every angle, we might buy it. If those jeans actually make you look slimmer, you definitely buy them!

It’s the same with searching for work. Doing some assessments to find out what innately interests you, researching an industry or company, getting informational interviews with people in the business you’re investigating, networking with people who already do the work you want to pursue – all present different and valuable perspectives. Perspective is a key element to any kind of creative process, including the journey to a satisfying career.

“Viewpoints influence decisions. Choose, modify or create viewpoints that support your dream.”