In my younger days, I had trouble talking about myself. They even called me “Low Key Lee” because I kept to myself. So you might not be surprised to hear I did not interview well.
But as I became an expert and became more confident, I became better at job interviews.
Looking back on my career, I realize there are three things to help you create magic in a job interview;
- Talk about what you are passionate about. There needs to be something you are so good at and so passionate about you can talk about it all day long. For example, I am passionate about Time Management. In a job interview, I would work it in as much as possible.
- Know the company before the interview. Study all aspects of the company before you sit across from the hiring manager.
- Talk about the human side of business. When you discuss the importance of a strong culture and the value of proper training it will show what you value most, which is the people in the organization.
Here is a bonus tip…you get the job before you have the interview.
At Disney, we often knew who we were going to promote when the job came open. Reputation and results are what gets you from one job to the next.
Build connections and a strong body of work long before you go for the next big job.
I can relate well to your statement about reputation and results getting you from one job to the next. The last 5 organizations I worked for, including the one I am currently with, hired me without seeing my resume or really even asking hard questions during the interview. They knew I had a reputation for getting the job done, and they hired me for that reason alone. I really enjoy all of your teachings. Keep up the great work.