Imagine...
Imagine walking away from your dream interview; you feel energized, there’s a pep in your step, and you are confident in a positive response. “I aced it!” you think to yourself. Your sense of achievement is contagious, and you cannot wait to share it with the world.
Now imagine walking away from your dream interview, but this time, your thought is, “I should have prepared better.” The reality of the situation may be connected to not a lack of preparation but rather a misguided use of your time. You might have spent hours collecting yourself and getting ready for this defining conversation, but you simply had difficulties predicting the content of the interview. You didn’t know the key things to prepare or watch out for.
To ensure that you are energized after every interview, the team at Reimaginez has put together the following article. By outlining seven key tips you can keep in mind for your next interview, we aim to fuel your journey toward brilliance and guide you with the tools you may need as you align with your purpose and achieve excellence.
1. Standing Out – The Importance of Understanding Your Dream Company
Before you walk into any interview, it is essential that you know and understand the purpose, mission, and values of the company. What does success look like for you? And how does that meaning align with the company’s? How do you Achieve Greatness? And how can you contribute to the company’s impact?
Asking yourself these questions can help you shine during the interview process. By understanding the vision, values, and purpose of the company, you can showcase the way you align with it all and share examples of how you do so. Additionally, this will demonstrate a high level of preparation, which is always to your advantage as it shows your values and interest in learning and growing with the company. Having a clear idea of their work is also helpful for explaining how you can use your strengths to contribute to the company’s vision, culture, and goals while exceeding any expectations they may have for the conversation.
2. Let Your Excellence Shine Through Preparation
Interviews can be overwhelming; they may leave you feeling nervous and restless until they’re over. To help you feel more comfortable and change your mindset, we’ve gathered the following key tips.
First, have important documents, like your resume, in front of you to make this exercise easier. After understanding the requirements, think about the most important experiences to highlight while keeping them concise yet impactful. Share your key achievements in a way that is effective for the interviewer to understand and relate to the role you’ll be playing. As we know, most of the time, the interviewer (and the CEO) are thinking about how the pieces of the puzzle fit together — if you would like to know more, read this article: Into the Mind of a CEO — The Interview Process Reimagined.
For example, if you are good at writing and editing, and they need someone to help with social media posts, articles, or even their website content, you can share how this ability will help them fulfill their need. Make sure to highlight how good you are with words, expressing the right idea, being creative, and your ability to look at things from different perspectives. This will make you a good team member for the company.
Also, you can prepare different questions that will help you understand the company’s culture. For example, “What defines a good leader?” and “What does excellence look and feel like?” It is also useful to find and use words that showcase your brilliance and uniqueness and those that make you feel energized.
3. Showcase Your Achievements and Share How They Will Make a Difference For the Company
Now that you have connected your abilities to the desired abilities in the posting, take a moment to reflect on how your previous experiences can benefit the company you are applying to. Consider how your achievements have prepared you for this moment and the stories behind each success. Acknowledge your growth and the lessons learned from your happiest and most challenging moments, as they define your uniqueness. Draw inspiration from your journey, appreciating the magic of change and continuous learning. Your openness and willingness to grow pave the way for achievement, can greatly benefit your dream company and open up unexpected opportunities.
Owning these stories, recognizing your achievements, and identifying your growth are important to stand out during the interview process.
For some opportunities, you will be asked to do a 30-60-90 plan or even a strategic plan for the company. This is your opportunity to showcase your achievements in action and how they translate to the company. Be creative and visionary, and tap into your passion.
4. Standing Out by the Unexpected Impact of Show vs. Tell
After identifying your strengths, talents, and relevant experiences, it is highly valuable that you not only talk about them but showcase your skills and abilities. The interviewer will appreciate practicality and effectiveness as they often have a lot on their mind. So, describing your skills can be helpful, but showing them will leave a long-lasting impression. They will be able to connect with you from a different perspective and to submerge into your brilliance.
We can go back to the previous example. If you are great at writing and editing, why not share a piece of your work, like an article or story you’ve written? Even taking the initiative to write a sample post that captures the essence of the company to showcase your skills in the context of the opportunity can be an excellent way to stand out. This will allow them to see your potential, creativity, and unique perspective.
Sharing your perspective provides insight into how effectively you communicate and your attention to detail. It’s a way to demonstrate your abilities rather than just talking about them. By sharing your work, you invite others to experience your world and understand the value you bring to the company through your creations.
Another example here is don’t say that you are creative – show it. Show off your creativity by sending a handwritten note about the interview and using specific words the company is using. You can also ask the interviewer questions about what would make the greatest difference for him/her to see how you can help. Later, you can follow up with your ideas by sharing articles, podcasts, and any insightful tool relating to topics you talked about. This highlights your creativity and desire to contribute to the individual and company.
5. Showcase What Makes You Unique
Your uniqueness can be expressed in numerous ways, including your choice of words, the concepts you introduce, and even your demeanor. Embrace your individuality and tap into it. By staying authentic, you not only stand out but also leave a lasting impression. Revealing your true self allows them to perceive the real you, which can significantly impact their assessment of you as a candidate.
For example, through storytelling, your uniqueness will be shown by sharing personal anecdotes or experiences and highlighting your perspective, ideas, and skills. By sharing your interests, you give them a different point of view to understand your character, values, and unique abilities. By using words that reflect your individuality, work style, and values, they can have an easier time understanding how aligned you are with the culture and opportunity.
Allowing others to see your brilliance can provide insight into how your uniqueness adds value to the company. For instance, if you have a background in leadership, empowering others, and helping people achieve greatness, you can explain how these skills align with the company’s culture. Your ability to empathize and understand team members’ challenges makes you well-suited for collaborative projects. This skill enables you to lead effectively by anticipating needs and offering support where necessary.
6. Demonstrate How You Keep Learning and Investing in Yourself
Demonstrating your desire to learn and invest in yourself adds great value to the interview process. Express your desire to grow, learn, and contribute. Which skills do you thrive in? Where you are looking to excel to be able to create more value?
It would also be insightful to share your daily learning habits. For example, you can share the documentaries, books, and news outlets you prefer. This will highlight your commitment to lifelong learning, curiosity, and interest in growth.
7. The Reality Check – Do You Feel Energized or Drained?
By the end of the interview, you’ll likely experience that unique feeling that indicates whether the opportunity is a great fit for you. An important question to ask yourself is, “Do I feel energized or drained?” The first one of being energized is that you’ll be able to recognize by the lightness of your feet as you walk, the smile that draws on your face from how happy and proud you are as a result of how the process played out. You will also find yourself highlighting different moments and repeating them in your mind. The feeling of being drained can show up in different ways, including heaviness, sadness, anxiety, or worry. Obviously, we want to make sure we feel and are energized after an interview (and in all interactions in life).
By asking yourself this question, you will start identifying the magical moments you experienced while leaving a space for growth and reflection. You will also start wondering about the growth and all of the new experiences that are waiting for you. At Reimaginez, we have produced this piece in order for you to find your dream job and leave with nothing less than a lightness in heart, a desire to achieve greatness, and amplify your impact.
In Your Pursuit of Landing Your Dream Position
Set yourself up for success, make sure you feel confident and prepare for any interview process. The uniqueness, brilliance, and excellence are within you. Make sure to share your uniqueness, show your abilities, and have that desire to find that dream position that will make you feel like you are living in line with your purpose, as well as aligning it with theirs.
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