Today’s show is all about Preparation! Preparation is the first step in conducting an effective Interview. Both interviewer and interviewee parties need to be prepared. Just showing up without an idea of where you are going is the quickest way to lose an opportunity. An Interview without Preparation is really just PreparationH! In this episode we stressed the importance of preparation and how it needs to happen.
Show Guest:
Mark James is the Founder and President of Hire Consulting Services and the author of his new book, “Keys to the C Suite”. (Amazon.com) Mark is a Certified Personnel Consultant and has been providing executive career transition coaching and executive search consulting services for over 20 years. He is also a Certified Partner with the Predictive Index suite of behavior assessments. Mark coaches executives in career transition on a daily basis which makes him an expert in today's topic.
Episode highlights:
Interviewee/candidate preparation
Hiring manager preparation
Provide a process for how each party needs to prepare
 Why is it important to prepare for an interview?
Preparation puts you in the right MINDSET … sets the tone, eliminates surprises
Set proper objective - get the offer/make the hire
Being prepared = being impressive- demonstrates success
 Interviewee:
Research the company to determine something that the company may not know themselves
Not prepared to tell their story
Ask for the interview schedule & format
 Hiring Manager (company):
Research the person
Knowing what needs to be accomplished
Prepare your interview team
 The dangers of not preparing for the interview:
Wasted time, frustration
Inaccurate picture of who you really are
Lose the person
Increase the likelihood of making a bad decision
 How to best prepare to get hired:
Self-assessment, presenting yourself, researching the company
Research company
Ask targeted questions
Know how to showcase your accomplishments to make them relevant to the company mission
Proactive
 Best preparation practices to attract the right talent:
Schedule time to prepare - assuming all else has been covered
Review assessment notes, LinkedIn profile, social channels, resume- look for commonalities, interests &  data points to cover
Prepare interview team- provide targeted behavioral questions
Look for cultural fit, evidence of success & transferable skills:
Performance Metrics- what needs to be accomplished
Have a plan: Connect the dots- competitive advantage
Give & receive feedback -in real time