The First 5 Minutes. How To Kick-Off A Successful Job Interview

Keep eye contact. Have good posture.  Says you haven’t relaxed or become complacent. When in doubt, provide a shorter answer. This allows you to hit with your best points.  Allowing me a follow-on as necessary.  Meandering or long answers early in the interview says that you are winging it.  Or that you aren’t sure what I was asking.  So you provide the whole truth.  And then some.

Ask me to clarify a question. Ask me if an answer was satisfactory. It says, early on, that you care that I am getting the right information.  And it will guide you as well.

Include key “leave behind” points in your answers.  Start doing so in your response to an open ended question that gets to career summary (“Tell me about yourself”).  Guide me back to successes, traits or key accomplishments. These allow me to envision your repeating those someday on my team.

Be real.  Be honest. Give me the sense that you are the real person I am interviewing. Not someone who is trying desperately to fit a certain stereotype. If you get a question that forces you to admit a lack of perfect fit, admit it and move on.  Don’t create a new past for yourself.

Look for an opportunity to ask a follow-on question. Keeps interview conversational.  Like the beginning of a solid and trusting partnership.  Inquire about my challenges, team objectives and goals for the next few years. While I may not leave you an obvious hole in my questioning, look to ask one at the end of an answer to a prior question.  Understand my situation and you can better position yourself to be part of the solution.

Be interesting. Make key points by inflection and emphasis.  Displays focus, understanding and passion.  In short, give me solid indications that you are someone with whom I should spend the entire 45-60 minutes.  Make me want to get deep into your background. Tease me with an interesting story of how you creatively solved a big problem.  Paint me a bright picture and get me involved. Engaged in what happened and the role you played.

Establish yourself not just as a pursuer but also as the pursued. I expect to be interviewed as well. Early and throughout.  You are not taking over the interview, but rather looking for openings to gain the information you need to make a separate and independent decision about whether the company is right for you.

So . . .

Your first five minutes should read like the back cover of a good spy novel. Convince me there is a great story with you. That you are a great character.  Well developed, interesting and driven to have a big impact.  One that compels me to dig deep and read on.  But don’t wait too long to begin sharing some of those juicy details.  Show me your best traits early and keep the measurable examples coming.

I’ve got a business to run and grow.  And I need someone’s help to do it.  So for a successful job interview . . .

Quick Tip – Don’t meander in job interviews

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