Interviewing Skills You Can Use to Tell the Truth Intelligently
Among the most critical of interviewing skills is telling the truth intelligently. Cathy learned she needed to upgrade her interviewing skills when she blew the second interview for a job she really needed by telling the truth poorly. The interviewer frowned when she said her last boss was an abusive screamer. Telling the truth bluntly can be a disaster.
Jose started to work on his interviewing skills when he got caught telling a lie about the reason he left one of his previous jobs. He said he was laid off, but the truth was that he was fired. When the potential employer found out, Jose lost the job. Telling lies can also be disastrous. Lying may seem like a good solution, but it can change the nature of the conversation. The interviewer will almost certainly feel subtly different about you, and you'll be uncomfortable, fearing they'll find out.
Their work on interviewing skills paid off for both Jose and Cathy. They learned that job interviews are not therapy sessions for baring intimate secrets, nor a courtroom where you swear to tell the whole truth. They are opportunities to market themselves. As they worked on their interviewing skills, they learned to plan carefully what information they wanted to get across and what they wanted to withhold. After all, interviews last only a short time, and you want to be sure you leave the right impression and communicate the right message. They were prepared so they didn't leave their common sense outside the door of the interviewer's office.
Here are just a few of the pointers they learned in their interviewing skills training.
Interviewing Skills Pointer #1 Don't Criticize Or Blame
Cathy's boss might well be a contemptible miscreant, but she learned to never criticize him in an interview. Employers will think, "How long before she starts criticizing me?"
Interviewing Skills Pointer #2 Keep Sensitive Personal Details Private
Sometimes, sharing parts of your private life can be a liability. Jan is moving across the country to rekindle a romance with an old high school flame she saw at her reunion. She fears employers will think she's flighty. Our coaching to Jan was don't create problems where there are none. The employer doesn't have to know. She might simply say, "I used to live here, I like the city, and I decided to move back." It's all true. Employers will never guess the rest unless you tell. Don't.
Interviewing Skills Pointer #3 Put The Best Spin On The Facts
Ron quit his job and spent a relaxing summer at the beach, doing volunteer work, and planning his next move. He feared employers would think he wasn't a dedicated worker. We coached Ron to tell employers he had been working really hard, decided to take time off to plan his next career move, and had some great experiences with his volunteer work. Now, he's focused and ready for work. Again, no lies, and no need to mention the beach.
Interviewing Skills Pointer #4 Tell The Truth Powerfully
Sometimes, there's no good way out. You can't avoid the truth. Still, even the most negative blotch on your resume can be transformed into a "lesson you learned." There's always a spin consistent with the truth. Bob overcame a black mark worse than most of us will ever have on our records. He demonstrated that powerfully telling the truth can win employers over.
Among the most critical of interviewing skills is telling the truth intelligently. Cathy learned she needed to upgrade her interviewing skills when she blew the second interview for a job she really needed by telling the truth poorly. The interviewer frowned when she said her last boss was an abusive screamer. Telling the truth bluntly can be a disaster.
Jose started to work on his interviewing skills when he got caught telling a lie about the reason he left one of his previous jobs. He said he was laid off, but the truth was that he was fired. When the potential employer found out, Jose lost the job. Telling lies can also be disastrous. Lying may seem like a good solution, but it can change the nature of the conversation. The interviewer will almost certainly feel subtly different about you, and you'll be uncomfortable, fearing they'll find out.
Their work on interviewing skills paid off for both Jose and Cathy. They learned that job interviews are not therapy sessions for baring intimate secrets, nor a courtroom where you swear to tell the whole truth. They are opportunities to market themselves. As they worked on their interviewing skills, they learned to plan carefully what information they wanted to get across and what they wanted to withhold. After all, interviews last only a short time, and you want to be sure you leave the right impression and communicate the right message. They were prepared so they didn't leave their common sense outside the door of the interviewer's office.
Here are just a few of the pointers they learned in their interviewing skills training.
Interviewing Skills Pointer #1 Don't Criticize Or Blame
Cathy's boss might well be a contemptible miscreant, but she learned to never criticize him in an interview. Employers will think, "How long before she starts criticizing me?"
Interviewing Skills Pointer #2 Keep Sensitive Personal Details Private
Sometimes, sharing parts of your private life can be a liability. Jan is moving across the country to rekindle a romance with an old high school flame she saw at her reunion. She fears employers will think she's flighty. Our coaching to Jan was don't create problems where there are none. The employer doesn't have to know. She might simply say, "I used to live here, I like the city, and I decided to move back." It's all true. Employers will never guess the rest unless you tell. Don't.
Interviewing Skills Pointer #3 Put The Best Spin On The Facts
Ron quit his job and spent a relaxing summer at the beach, doing volunteer work, and planning his next move. He feared employers would think he wasn't a dedicated worker. We coached Ron to tell employers he had been working really hard, decided to take time off to plan his next career move, and had some great experiences with his volunteer work. Now, he's focused and ready for work. Again, no lies, and no need to mention the beach.
Interviewing Skills Pointer #4 Tell The Truth Powerfully
Sometimes, there's no good way out. You can't avoid the truth. Still, even the most negative blotch on your resume can be transformed into a "lesson you learned." There's always a spin consistent with the truth. Bob overcame a black mark worse than most of us will ever have on our records. He demonstrated that powerfully telling the truth can win employers over.
Bob couldn't hide his past--and couldn't even hope it wouldn't come up. We recommended beginning his interviews by telling the truth. "There's something I want to bring up. I was convicted of dealing drugs 5 years ago, and served 3 years in prison. During the entire ordeal, I worked to keep my family together, and succeeded. I used the sentence to study, pray, and focus myself on what's most important in life, and am clearer now about what really matters."
"I know the consequences of being out of integrity, and believe in being 100% honest in all transactions and communications. I have a question, Is there anything in this job that might demand an association with anything illegal? If so, we don't have a match. If not, you'll need to judge whether you're willing to hire me despite my past. I regret it, but can't change it."
Interviewing Skills Pointer #5 Rehearse, Rehearse, and Then Rehearse Some More
Many people spend untold hours drafting and redrafting their resumes to give just the right impression, but just wing it in job interviews. Don't make this mistake. Determine what you want employers to know about you and how you will present that information. Anticipate any sensitive issues you might have, and prepare exactly how you will respond. Be ready for salary discussions. There will be times that a question will catch you off guard in an interview. Just make sure you don't get burned by the same question twice.
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David Hults author of the book "From Cornered To Corner Office" Overcoming the most unexpected obstacles that stand between you and your career dreams http://www.fromcorneredtocorneroffice.com/
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