Tongue-Tied at an Interview? Part 1

Did you know that talking about yourself in a boasting way is completely foreign to most of us.  Therefore, it presents a completely new level of nerves we don’t normally experience.  Anyone who has interviewed more than one person knows each applicant will be nervous to some degree.  Nerves can make you tongue tied and restrict the cognitive flow of your thoughts.  When you get asked “tell me when you last contributed to efficiencies in the workplace” your mind goes through dozens of scenarios, but a specific one doesn’t come to mind and therefore you have a “mental blank”.

Without a doubt, preparation is the key to making a difference to your confidence level. People make the mistake of thinking, “well this interview is all about me, so I should know what I need to say”.  They feel preparation isn’t all that necessary.  You’ve already done some great work in getting your application right, that has won you the interview, so don’t blow that good work by lack of interview preparation. 

If you haven’t been to an interview lately, you will quickly see the benefit of preparation.  If you have had a job interview recently, you will know the value of good preparation.

1. Stay Focused

Regardless of the reason, treat this process of winning a new job as your number one project. Don’t let other distractions keep you from preparing properly.

2. Know Your Product.  Know about them, know about You and What You Have To Offer

To know about them - do your research on the organisation, the industry, and related positions. Subject Matter knowledge is what will settle your nerves.  Get this knowledge about them through research on their website, ASX, Google, Linked-In, Facebook, etc.  

To know about you - Google job interview questions and physically write answers to a range of them.  Just because reading a question and thinking, yes I’m sure I have an answer for that question, won’t help you recall that example when you are in a nervous state at a job interview.  And the more you want this job, the more nervous you will be.  When you physically write an answer, you have to firstly fully understand the question, find an example in your experiences, workout a logical way to express that, write it down and then see it written.  This touches more of your senses.  All these things help to recall the answer when you need it most.

Prepare answers for those open-ended questions, like: “Tell me about yourself.” This type of question requires considerable focus on your part to keep what you say relevant to the job. Prepare for open-ended questions by making a list of your skills and experiences that match the employer’s requirements. The closer your skills and experiences match their requirements, the better chance you have of landing the job. When you leave the interviewer – he or she should have a clear picture of the commercial value you represent to that organisation.

3. Be Prepared To Promote Yourself

Interviewing is about promoting. Take the word “brag” out of your head – you are informing the interviewer – not bragging.  Tell the interviewer what you can do for them – emphasise what you can bring to the organisation and position.  Give them reasons to buy – hire you.  Convince them that your product (you) is better than the competition.  I understand that this is a foreign way of thinking for most of you, but if you want to start on the big buck, learn how to promote yourself.

In Part 2, we look at body language, remaining succinct, the art of listening, referees and how to stay positive.

For assistance in preparing for success, call us on 1300 366 104, or Contact Us.