Who Are You When You Intervew?

In honor of Halloween, I thought I'd write a post about being something you're not during interviews. Many job seekers think they will interview well if they can respond to interview questions with what they think the interviewer wants to hear. They prep with interview books and practice the "right" answers until they feel they are convincing and believable.

But good recruiters and hiring managers peel back the layers of your answers to determine your true skill level and credibility. They don't want to hear the answer to their question recited verbatim from page 62 of the latest interview book. Instead they want to know about your individual successes, contributions, thought leadership initiatives, and consensus building activities...they want to know what makes you unique and memorable.

So rather than trying to memorize answers to an endless array of interview questions, spend your interview prep time practicing discussing your success stories to showcase how you've helped solve problems and achieved measureable results for employers.

Be whoever you want to be on October 31. But on the other 364 days of the year and on all the job interviews you have for the rest of your life, be the real you.