How To "Ace" Any Interview: Relax! Think of It As An Adventure

How to "ace" any interview
Relax! Think of it as an adventure.
Try to enjoy yourself.

I'm reminded of a friend who was considering attending law school. Even
though he hadn't yet made up his mind, he took the LSAT entrance examination
and scored pretty badly. Undaunted, he immediately signed up to take the
exam again. But by the time the next test date rolled around, another career
option had his attention. Even so, he went ahead and took the LSAT againfor
the experience (and besides, he'd already paid the fee). This time he doubled
his score!
He wasn't any more prepared, but his attitude was different. Because he felt
very little pressure to ace the test, he relaxedand performed at his peak.
Keep smiling.
No matter what. Don't wear a fake grin that will wear down to a grimace. Just
maintain a pleasant, relaxed smile that is, hopefully, a by-product of your
involvement in an interesting conversation.
GRIN to GRIM
Be enthusiastic.
About the position, your accomplishments, and what you know about the company.
Be honest.
Don't gushif you're not genuinely enthusiastic, you'll come across as a

phony.
Make lots of eye contact. Have you ever known someone who wouldn't
look you in the eye? After a while, you probably started to wonder what that
person had to hide. You don't want your interviewer wondering anything of
the sort. So meet his or her eyes while you're shaking hands and then
frequently throughout the interview. Don't stare so that you appear glassyeyed.
Remain positive. In other words, steer away from negative words as much as possible. As
we'll see when we discuss questions about your previous jobs, you must learn to put a
positive spin on everything, especially loaded issues, such as
your reason for leaving a job, troubled relations with your superiors, and so
on. Here's a good exercise: Tape-record your answers to some of the
questions in this bookand then write them down. How many negatives do
you find "hidden" in your speech? Scratch them out and replace them with
positive words and phrases. Then memorize each new answer.
Don't let an unskilled interviewer trip you up. Make sure the
confidence and preparation you've worked so hard for come shining through
especially when a manager throws you a curve. If need be, your advance
preparation should give you the power to take control of the interview,
allowing you to emphasize the many ways in which you will benefit the
prospective employer.
Someone who asks a clarifying question, such as "What exactly do you want to know?" or "Which
particular areas would you like me to talk about?" As I said earlier, I find it hard to believe anyone
interviewing for anything has not anticipated that this question will be asked. What do you think the
interviewer wants to know? Your opinion about Michael Jordan's retirement? She wants to know
about your experience, skills, talents, and education, so answer the question, articulately and
succinctly, and get ready for what comes next.
Nervousness. Some people are naturally nervous in the artificial and intimidating atmosphere of an
interview
What makes you special?
What five adjectives describe you best?
Rate yourself on a scale of one to 10.
How would you describe your character?
Despite the nuances, you should merely edit your "set piece" to respond to each of the above
questions in essentially the same way. So although the first and fourth questions appear to be more
targeted, all four questions are really looking for the same information.
Why should I consider you a strong candidate for this position?
What's better about you than the other candidates I'm interviewing?
What can you do for us that someone else can't?
These are more aggressive questions, the tone of each a bit more forceful. An
interviewer using one of these variations is clearly attempting to make you
fully aware that you're on the
What are your strengths as an employee?

What do they want to hear?
To prepare for this question (as well as the variations just mentioned), pull out those Data Input
Sheets you labored over in Chapter 1 and write down the description of the position for which you're
interviewing. This will help you clarify each specific job requirement in your mind. Now, match your
strengths and accomplishments directly to the requirements of the job.
Say that you have a singular skill for meeting even the most unreasonable deadlines. You are
tenacious. Nothing can stop you. If "meeting deadlines" is a key job requirement, be sure to cite two
or three pertinent examples from your experience. The more outrageous the deadline and herculean
your efforts, the more important it is to bring to the interviewer's attentionat least twice.
Are there any gaps in your qualifications? Probably a fewespecially if you're
reaching for the challenge at the next level of your career. So now it's time to
dig in and deal with the hard questions that you know will follow right on the
tail of the ones above.
What do you want to be doing five years from now?
Are the company's goals and yours compatible? Are you looking for fast or
steady growth in a position the interviewer knows is a virtual dead end? Are
you requesting more money than he can ever pay? How have your goals and
motivations changed as you have matured and gained work experience? If
you've recently become a manager, how has that change affected your
future career outlook? If you've realized you need to acquire or hone a
particular skill, how and when are you planning to do so?
Naturally, you want a position of responsibility in your field. But you don't want to give the
impression that you're a piranha waiting to feed on the guppies in your new department. So, start
humbly:
"Well, ultimately that will depend on my performance on the job, and on the growth and
opportunities offered by my employer."
"I've already demonstrated leadership characteristics in all of the jobs I've held, so I'm
very confident that I will take on progressively greater management responsibilities in
the future. That suits me fine. I enjoy building a team, developing its goals, and then
working to accomplish them. It's very rewarding."
A general answer (as above) is okay, but don't be surprised when an

interviewer asks the obvious follow-up questions (using the answer to the
above question as a guide): "Tell me about the last team you led"; "Tell me
about the last project your team undertook"; ''What was the most satisfying
position you've held, and why?"; "If I told you our growth was phenomenal
and you could go as far as your abilities would take you, where would that
be, and how quickly?"
"How soon after you're hired do you think you can contribute to our
success?" Even someone with a tremendous amount of pertinent experience
knows full well that each company has its own particular ways of doing things
and that the learning curve may be days, weeks, or months, depending on
circumstances. So any candidatebut especially an overly ambitious young
personwho blithely assures an interviewer they'll be productive from day
one is cause for concern. The interviewer is really trying to assess, in the
case of an inexperienced person, how "trainable" you are, and you've just
told him you think you already know it all! Not a good start.
For some reason, some applicants fail to remember that this is an interview,
not a conversation in a bar or with friends. As a result, they rattle off some
remarkable responses that can only be deemed "fantasies"to be retired,
own their own business, etc.though why they would think this is an answer
pertinent to their job search is beyond me. I would seriously discourage ever
answering this question in such a manner.
Q: What does "success" mean to you?
You should offer a balanced answer to this question, citing personal as well as professional examples.
If your successes are exclusively job-related, an interviewer may wonder if you actually have a life.
However, if you blather on about your personal goals and accomplishments, you may seem
uncommitted to striving for success on the job.
Green light
Strike a balance and talk about success in terms such as these:
"I have always enjoyed supervising a design team. In fact, I've discovered that I'm better at working with other
designers than designing everything myself. Unlike a lot of the people in my field, I'm also able to relate to the
requirements of the manufacturing department.
"So, I guess I'd say success means working with others to come up with efficient designs that can be up on the
assembly line quickly. Of course, the financial rewards of managing a department give me the means to travel
during my vacations. That's the thing I love most in my personal life."
Red light
If the interviewer identifies any of the following problems from your answer, you're already on thin
ice and better get back to shore:
Incompatibility of his/her goals and yours.
Lack of focus in your answer.
Too general an answer, with no examples of what success has already been achieved.
Too many personal examples.
Too many job-oriented examples.
Q: What does "failure" mean to you?

A specific example to demonstrate what you mean by "failure," not a lengthy philosophical
discussion more suited to a Bergman film than an interview. This question offers an experienced
interviewer the opportunity to delve into mistakes and
bad decisions, not a happy topic as far as you're concerned. He is looking for honesty, a clear analysis
of what went wrong, a willingness to admit responsibility (with a small plus if it's obvious you're
taking responsibility for some aspects that weren't your fault), and the determination to change what
caused it (or examples to show how it's already been transformed).
Green light
"Failure is not getting the job done when I have the means to do so. For example, once I was faced
with a huge project. I should have realized at the outset that I didn't have the time. I must have been
thinking there were 48 hours in a day! I also didn't have the knowledge I needed to do it correctly.
Instead of asking some of the other people in my department for help, I blundered through. That
won't ever happen to me again if I can help it!"
Red light
A wishy-washy, nonspecific answer that forces the interviewer to ask more and more follow-up
questions to get some sort of handle on what makes you tick.
Always remember why the interviewer is asking you such open-ended questions: to get you talking,
hopefully so you reveal more than you would have if he or she had asked a more pointed question.
So answer such questionsclearly, succinctly, and specificallybut avoid any temptation to
"confess" your many sins.
Tips for convincing the interviewer you're a good catch
Do your homework. Find out as much as you can about the company and how the position for
which you're interviewing contributes to its goals.
Demonstrate experienceand exude confidence. Give the interviewer strong answers using
concrete examples that are relevant to the position you are after.
Be humble. Convey the impression that you have the ability to succeed, should opportunities
present themselves. But avoid giving the impression that you're a fire-breathing workaholic ready
to succeed no matter what (or whom) the cost.
Appear firm, but not dictatorial. When you talk about your management philosophy, let the
interviewer know that you are able to delegate and still keep track of each person's progress.
Talk about growth. Tell the interviewer how you've grown in each of the jobs you've held and how
your career goals have changed as a result.
Admit to your failures. Concentrate on what you learned from past failures, using examples that
show how you've changed as a result of them.
Showcase your successes. Make sure to position yourself as a
professional with a satisfying personal life.

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How to "ace" any interview

Relax! Think of it as an adventure.

Try to enjoy yourself.

Don't gushif you're not genuinely enthusiastic, you'll come across as a

What are your strengths as an employee?

A general answer (as above) is okay, but don't be surprised when an

Q: What does "failure" mean to you?

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