The Biggest Mistake in the Job Interview – Guest Blogger: Bonnie Lowe
Today’s article is by Bonnie Lowe, creator of the Job Interview Success System. It’s a kissing cousin of last week’s “Ditching the Elevator Speech” article – but this time the focus is on the interview. Read on and, as always, let me know what you think by leaving a comment below!
I’ve often said that you have to sell yourself during a job interview. The hiring manager is the customer, and you are the “product.” That’s a fairly simple concept. But it’s incomplete.
Imagine that Joe is a salesperson at the local Toyota dealer. The Toyota Tundra has just been named Truck of the Year. The truck has been advertised constantly on TV and in the newspaper. It’s the dealership’s best-selling vehicle. There’s a special promotion going on that ends today, and if Joe sells one more vehicle before closing time, he’ll meet his sales goal and receive a nice bonus. But the dealership closes in 20 minutes, so he has little hope of doing that. Then Joe sees a guy drive in, park his 10-year-old pickup truck, get out and walk over to look at a new Tundra. “Looks like I’m going to get that bonus after all!” Joe thinks as he rushes over to greet him.
Joe: “Hi. Welcome to City Toyota. I’m Joe.”
Customer: “Hello.”
Joe: “That’s a beautiful truck, isn’t it?”
Customer: “Yep, sure is.”
Joe: “Did you know it was just named Truck of the Year?”
Customer: “Yep.”
Then Joe proceeds to tell the customer all about the Tundra’s outstanding qualities, it’s features and benefits, and it’s amazing value. He talks about it for several minutes, being sure to leave no detail out, and finally concludes with, “This is absolutely the best truck you can buy. Don’t you agree?”
Customer: “Yep. It’s the best truck I’ve ever seen.”
Joe: “Great!”
Joe notices the lights are being turned off and the manager is at the door ready to lock up, so he says, “It’s closing time, but I can ask the manager to stay so we can get you in that truck tonight. Shall we go write it up?”
To Joe’s dismay, the customer says “Nope,” turns away and starts walking back toward his truck.
Joe follows him and says, “Wait! There’s still time. You can drive a new Tundra home tonight!”
The customer keeps walking and gets in his truck.
Joe: “I’ll knock two thousand dollars off the price right now. No one else has gotten a deal like that on a new Tundra. What do you say?”
The customer starts the engine and just before driving away, says to Joe, “I came in to buy a Prius.”
Here’s the key that most job candidates miss: you need to know what the customer wants before you can sell it to him.
The problem is that job candidates THINK they know what the customer wants. After all, they’re responding to an advertisement (job announcement) that spells it all out, right?
Yes… and no.
Imagine a manager tells his HR department to hire him a new administrative assistant. Everyone-the HR person who creates the job announcement, the job applicants who respond, and even the manager himself as he conducts the interviews-thinks the manager wants someone who can screen his calls, prepare his correspondence, schedule his appointments, record minutes of his meetings, make his travel arrangements, file his paperwork, etc., all in a competent, friendly, and professional manner.
Each question during the job interview is designed to determine how closely the candidates match those qualifications and expectations. The candidates respond to those questions by talking about their skills and experience as they try to sell themselves.
The more prepared candidates talk in terms of “benefits” in addition to “features.” For example: “I have 10 years of experience recording meeting minutes.” (Feature) “I’m familiar with what’s required, won’t need to be trained, and can have accurate minutes posted within 30 minutes of the meeting’s end.” (Benefits). They’ll also talk about accomplishments, not just responsibilities. For example: “In my last job I was responsible for handling the administrative needs of six people.” (Responsibility) “I created a prioritization system to ensure all six individual’s needs were met in a timely manner, and I never missed a deadline.” (Accomplishments)
Only one candidate, Mary, does something different. She wraps up her answer to the interviewer’s opening question (“Tell me about yourself”) with a question of her own:
“How can I help you by solving your problems and making your job easier?”
This question takes the manager by surprise. He responds half-jokingly by replying, “Make our customers stop complaining, and give me three more hours in every day so I have time to do everything I need to get done!”
Mary then asks more questions, such as “What do most customers complain about?” and “What do you feel are your biggest time wasters?” She listens carefully to the answers, asks follow-up questions to draw out more details… and achieves two very important goals:
(1) She shows the hiring manager that she’s genuinely interested.
(2) She gets the manager to reveal the real “product” he needs and wants, and is thus able to position herself as that perfect product.
The manager didn’t want an “administrative assistant.” He wanted a problem-solver who could make his life easier. Knowing this, Mary answered every question during the interview in a way that showed she understood, would be able to solve his problems, and could make his life easier. In other words, she was exactly what this customer wanted to “buy.”
Remember Joe? If his first question when greeting the customer had been, “How can I help you today?” he would’ve earned that bonus. His mistake was focusing on what HE wanted instead of what the customer wanted.
That’s the biggest and most common mistake job candidates make.
By being genuinely interested in solving the hiring manager’s problems, you will more effectively sell yourself as the product he really wants-and get the job!
For more information on Bonnie Lowe and her winning interview strategies, check out her Job Interview Success System.
The Career Attraction Weekly Wrap-up – Friday, July 9, 2010
The end of yet another week is upon us. For you soccer (or, ahem, football) fans out there, the World Cup final is on Sunday – Spain and the Netherlands. I know one person who will be clad in orange pulling for Holland…our friend Ilona Vanderwoude!
Whether your plans include watching the match or something else all together, I hope you have a great weekend.
Now, here’s what happened this week at Career Attraction:
My “Stand Out” Job Search Training starts on Monday. If you haven’t seen what it’s all about, watch this short video (about 10 minutes). I built it around exactly what you told me you wanted. I’ll be walking you through how to build stronger networks that drive opportunities to you, more efficient social media systems that work for you and, of course, how to Stand Out from the crowd easily, naturally and authentically. Watch the short video here…
Stand Out by Ditching the Elevator Speech – As you know, I am not a fan of the “elevator speech.” I agree with the concept of getting your message across quickly, succinctly and powerfully. Where this concept loses me (as well as most people receiving it) is that it isn’t value packed for the listener. This is particularly important in your job search, since there are a lot of “speeches” being pitched to hiring managers and you must stand out here. In my opinion, taking a more solution based approach will do just that. Read more here…
Q&A: How do I grow and cultivate a real network? – Kevin, in one of your webinars, you mentioned two types of networks: real and “acquaintance” (or something like that). I would like to know how to cultivate a real network. I don’t really think that I am relationship challenged. It is just the nature of my personality to be calm, cool and collected, and in the background. People don’t really gravitate to me. So anyway, I have 53 LinkedIn connections that span most of my life. But they are mostly acquaintances and they aren’t really people that engage in an equal give and take with me. This isn’t a personal question. I’m more interested in the professional side. How to I create those professional relationships that can stand the test of time? Read my response here…
INTERVIEW: Networking from Scratch – I’ve been sharing this interview a lot lately with my coaching clients. It’s a conversation I had with a senior professional who found himself in a new city, with no network and unemployed. Michael had to build a trusted network from scratch – and quickly. In this interview, he explains exactly how he developed a strong network in short order that landed him an outstanding job…all without ever asking for a job! His advice – priceless. Get the interview here…
Next week in Career Attraction University:
- “Stand Out” Job Search Training start Monday
- Monthly Q&A Webinar – Thursday, July 15 at 12:00pmEST (Invitations will be emailed on Monday for Career Attraction University members). Remember to send your questions in by noon on Wednesday, July 14 to university@careerattraction.com)
- New “how to” Social Media Videos will be posted next week too!
Not a member of Career Attraction University? For less than one dollar a day you can access all this information and more. Sign-up here and get started today!
2008 – 2010 – Career Attraction – All Rights Reserved
Stand Out by Ditching the Elevator Speech
As you know, I am not a fan of the “elevator speech.” I agree with the concept of getting your message across quickly, succinctly and powerfully. Where this concept loses me (as well as most people receiving it) is that it isn’t value packed for the listener. This is particularly important in your job search, since there are a lot of “speeches” being pitched to hiring managers and you must stand out here. In my opinion, taking a more solution based approach will do just that.
In past articles, I have talked about the importance of developing Your Solution. This is what you do best – maybe even better than anyone else. If you think about that skill set like a product, there are things it (you) does and doesn’t do. It only makes sense then to target hiring managers who are experiencing the pain and problems that Your Solution addresses.
So, instead of firing off a generic pitch with what you do, take a more pinpoint approach. Begin by asking 2-3 questions that identify if that hiring manager is experiencing problems that you can fix. The answers will either allow you to highlight your accomplishments and what you can do for their company or help you determine that it isn’t the right job for you. The former is just as important as the latter.
This also does something else very important. It gets the potential employer talking about themselves. With this, you can more naturally make Your Solution all about them (which, incidentally, leads to uncovering “hidden” job opportunities). As well, it positions you to be able to share relatable stories with quantifiable results that show what is in it for them when they hire you.
Your Solution + Their Pain = Smart Hire
Taking this approach will narrow down your job search so you are focusing on real, qualified opportunities versus just trying to get any job. It allows you to start hunting with a rifle, not a shotgun. Ultimately, it will help pair you with a job that is not only a good fit, but where you can experience your greatest success.
Want more tips on how to stand out in the job market and attract more opportunities? Watch this video I made with Donna Reed (plus, there are a ton of free resources you can put to work today in your job search!)
2010 © Career Attraction – All Rights Reserved
Question of the Week: How do I grow and cultivate a real network?
Kevin,
In one of your webinars, you mentioned two types of networks: real and “acquaintance” (or something like that). I would like to know how to cultivate a real network. I don’t really think that I am relationship challenged. It is just the nature of my personality to be calm, cool and collected, and in the background. People don’t really gravitate to me. So anyway, I have 53 LinkedIn connections that span most of my life. But they are mostly acquaintances and they aren’t really people that engage in an equal give and take with me.
This isn’t a personal question. I’m more interested in the professional side. How to I create those professional relationships that can stand the test of time?
Karel
Karel,
You are spot on in your approach. Like I talk about in the Bootcamp, you want to grow your loose (btw- I like “acquaintance”) network so that you can have the best choices for your real network.
Be you – Calm, cool and collected is a great way to be. More importantly, that is you. Remember, the goal here is to find your true audience and for them to “know-like-trust” you. Do this by being yourself . The easiest, and more productive, way to stand out is by being you. Not to mention, you will find it infinitely easier than trying to constantly morph to what you think someone else wants you to be. Which, if hired for, is going to turn out to be a huge disappointment for you both.
OpenNetworker – This is absolutely the easiest way to rapidly grow your loose network with likeminded people who understand “give to get.” I’ve talked about getting quality out of quantity in the past, but it’s worth repeating. You can never assume who may be able to help you or be connected to someone who can help – or even hire – you. So, by broadening your first level connections, you simply give yourself more options to find the people who are your true audience. Focus on pushing your message out and having as many resources as possible to help spread your message…not restricting the flow.
Be a Hub – This is the best way to stand out in the job search. Good economy or bad economy, people need great information. When you provide this – as a hub – you put yourself in the spotlight with your audience (peers and potential hiring managers). The broader your network (hence, OpenNetworker) the greater the likelihood that your audience will get access to your information. Plus, cultivation completely takes care of itself. When you provide great information to your audience, it’s like a self-tending garden. Very little maintenance is required. Plus, by being yourself, they get to self-select when your message resonates with them…letting you know they want to be part of your real network.
By putting this system to work, you will start to see networking as a by-product of you simply being you…versus some shoomzy, alter-ego you feel you have to assume to play the game. You get to be yourself and attract the right opportunities. Sounds like a much simpler way to find a job, right?
Got a job search or career advice question you want answered? Email it with “Weekly Q&A Blog” in the Subject Line to info@careerattraction.com I can’t promise it will be picked, but you won’t know until you send it in!
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INTERVIEW: Networking from Scratch
I’ve been sharing this interview a lot lately with my coaching clients. It’s a conversation I had with a senior professional who found himself in a new city, with no network and unemployed. Michael had to build a trusted network from scratch – and quickly. In this interview, he explains exactly how he developed a strong network in short order that landed him an outstanding job…all without ever asking for a job! His advice – priceless.
Enter your information below and I’ll email you the interview – it’s yours to keep!
Listen to the interview and please share your thoughts and networking advice for others below. I’d love to hear what you think!
2008 – 2010 (c) Career Attraction – All Rights Reserved
