Extraordinary job interviews
As Labour Day beckons, we wonder how the post-pandemic economy will look like. Nobody knows exactly, but expect a disruption that goes beyond politics. McKinsey’s 2021 report looked at eight countries and found that 1 in 16 workers will need to find a different occupation by 2030. We will see more remote work, automation and competition.
Landing a job depends on numerous factors, many of which are out of your hands. An extraordinary interview may, however, increase your chances.
Halo and horns
“Why do you want to work for us?” is a typical way to break the ice. Hiring managers rarely hide the motive behind this question, which is to gauge an applicant’s motivation. The assumption is that if you cannot demonstrate excitement, you might not become an engaged member of the team. Hesitation or replies that ring hollow can leave a bad first impression.
Turning the horn into a halo effect is the first hurdle to jump. These two cognitive biases refer to situations when we form a picture of a person based on one observation only. If a negative trait overshadows the rest, we speak of the horn effect. The good news is that you can take mental shortcuts. If you manage to get off on the right foot, you can gain advantage by leveraging the halo effect.
Faking enthusiasm is a risky option. Hiring managers look for people with integrity and a study by the well-renowned Robert Cialdini proves them right unveiling why liars perform worse. Candidates should start by looking for their key driver, which are motives that get them up in the morning. Industry Week described six big ones in a 2019 blog post, which go beyond money. Employees also desire to learn, find balance, gain responsibility or help others.
As soon as you have identified your core driver, skim the job ad again. You can even grab a marker to highlight the words in the description or tasks that attract you the most before you write down your motivation in a few sentences. Look at the text right before the interview to summon a smile on your face, gain confidence and show that you are eager to join.
Explanations and examples
It takes 1-2 years on average until a new employee is fully up to speed. That means that those who can do the tasks properly without much supervision hold a distinctive advantage. How can you demonstrate that you belong to this group?
The typical job ad lists requirements but also responsibilities. Human resources usually prepares bullet points with managers so that they have a clear profile in mind when they go through the deluge of applications. The published ad also gives candidates an idea of what the role entails and sometimes prioritise them with the help of percentages. Even if this is not the case, you can skim the text to check whether you can do the job.
If you are confident, the next step is to identify the 3-5 most important tasks. You will have only around 400 words to present your skills in a concise cover letter and one hour in an interview, which means you have to prioritise. However, just saying “I can do A, B and C.” is not enough. You have to provide some proof by including examples from your previous jobs or studies. A long list can be hard to remember or cause you to rush. Find two compelling situations for each task which you can explain in detail when asked.
A word of warning: the internet is full of websites offering “excellent” ways to nail your cover letter and interview. They can serve as a source of inspiration but remember that you are not the only one reading them. Human resources hate empty phrases. Including examples from your professional experience is a first technique helping you to stand out.
Job description for a Communications Senior Associate position at the European Climate Foundation
Weaknesses and values
An often researched query is “How should I answer when asked about my weaknesses?” The dreaded question puts candidates in a tricky position because when you are in a situation where you want to demonstrate your credentials, putting forward flaws can lower your chances. Remember that hiring managers ask the question because they want to filter out arrogant, unreflective applicants. Even if a candidate lacks a skill, their company might be able to bring them up to speed with a quick training, but only if the person is open to work on their weak spots. Your answer should, hence, not be too extreme but honest. This can also help you further sharpen your profile.
In order to truly distinguish yourself, you need to find your unique value proposition. INSEAD professors W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne illustrate this with a metaphor in their 2004 marketing book, “The Blue Ocean Strategy”. They argue that a red ocean ensues from companies providing similar value and launching a bloody price war with few winners. Businesses who struggle to survive should make their offering more unique ending up in a blue ocean. If you worry that many candidates have your set of skills, do not try to ask for a lower salary but explain what makes you special.
Finding information on your competition is not a mission impossible. LinkedIn has a free trial and paid feature where you can compare yourself to other applicants on the platform. If that is not an option, you can also guess and visualise it with a value curve. Write three dots on the y-axis (i.e. high, medium and low). Then add the tasks and skills to the x-axis, starting with the most important ones for the role. Grab a coloured marker and rate yourself by adding a dot to the grid (e.g. Monitor and analyse legislation - High); then repeat the same with your competitors but use another colour. In the end, connect the dots. The more the curves overlap, the more you are in a red ocean. Look for ways to be equally good on the highly relevant skills and try to be better on some of the medium ones. Then emphasise in the interview what you can bring to the table.
Exercise
Angela Merkel’s “reign” will come to an end this year. Armin Laschet and Markus Söder have thrown their hats in the ring to succeed the chancellor and the German conservative party confirmed Laschet (for now). Imagine you had to prepare them for a job interview. Identify their key driver, find examples showing that they are competent enough to do the job and stress what distinguishes them from their competitor.
Three tips to increase the impact of Earth Day
Link your key driver in life to the desired role.
Explain how you can solve three key tasks with six examples from the past.
Stand out by sharing an actual weakness and a unique strength.
- written by Benjamin Wilhelm, benjamin[at]thedandeliongroup.eu
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