Blog Post: Find out what THEY want and give them what THEY want

Before you go for the interview,

• Do your research. Be creative in seeking sources. Research them, their market conditions, advertising and public image. Know about their competitors. If you were buying the company or its stock, what would you want to know? It’s past, present and, most importantly, future.
• Reverse your mindset. Look at the job opportunity from THEIR perspective, THEIR needs and goals. Who are they? What would you accomplish in their first week? Month? Year? The more you find out about a job, its people and a company, the more facile you become in putting yourself in their shoes. So, really think about it. Visualize it.
• Act “as if” you own the challenges of the job. What will add to their bottom line profitability? Consider floating an idea by them as if you were already part of their team. You looked at the competition and you wondered based on the growing market for…. Have they considered….? Maybe they have; maybe they haven’t; but you are thinking as if you already worked there! I always notice when someone says “we” referring to a prior or current employer. The interviewer wants that buy-in and loyalty too.

During the interview maintain flexibility. Stay in the moment. No matter how much you may want to show off your research and ideas or tell them about yourself. Job descriptions change and unless you asked for the most recent one (always a good idea -ask HR), they still may be going in a different direction. So LISTEN to them, what they say and what they don’t say. Maybe what you thought they need is not what they think they need.

Remember, they are doing the hiring; follow their agenda, not your own. Confirm and explore what they need and want. If you know yourself and your strengths well enough, you can customize your story to clearly demonstrate that you meet their needs.

To learn more tips and techniques for better job search, interviewing, networking and overall communication skills results, contact  Peggy Wallace, Making Conversation LLC. (www.makingconversation.com).

Present your best self by being authentic and enthusiastically showing your own unique personality; open doors by winning with words. 

Contact Peggy for private sessions at (760) 803-2641 or peggy@makingconversation.com