POWER interview in 7 Steps - Jim Coughlin

POWER interview in 7 Steps - Jim Coughlin, Staffing Leader to Fortune 1000 co's & their partners

The practices below have been proven by over 10,000 interviews conducted using these techniques.

1. Never be late – ever.

The number #1 reason candidates are rejected from consideration is that they were late for the dance. Even if an all-out thermo-nuclear war was launched that morning you should put on your radioactive resistant suit and show up for the interview 5-minutes early. Otherwise, don’t even bother showing up. No excuse will wash away the fact that you were late. You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

2. Know the difference between “chitchat” and “content-driven” conversations.

“Chitchat” is what happens with the interviewer greets you in the lobby. It’s things they say like “Did you find us ok? It’s sure hot out today isn’t it? How about them Giants?” Chitchat is superfluous and means nothing - but you still have to engage in it. So all you do with chitchat is smile and say “yes, how about that (...heat wave, Giants, etc.).” Do not engage in chitchat nor push it off. Chitchat is the hiring manager’s way of trying to get comfortable with the awkwardness of meeting someone new. Recognize quickly when “chitchat” ends and the “Content-driven” conversation begins. This usually starts with a statement or a question about YOU and your background. “So, I see you used to work for XYZ Company.” Or, “So you used to work in the ‘xyz” field I see.” Once the conversation changes from “chitchat” to “content-driven” is when you need to fully engage with your PowerPlay

3. Engage with a “Content-Driven” PowerPlay

The moment the interviewer consciously (or mostly unconsciously) switches from “chitchat” to a “content-driven” conversation is when you need to immediately make your PowerPlay. It sounds like this:

INTERVIEWER: “So I see you used to work for a competitor of ours a few years back and now you’re interviewing with us.”

YOU: “That’s correct and in preparation for this meeting I’ve printed and highlighted your job description and all the areas that match my background and I’ve done the same with my resume. And I thought a good place to start would be for you to tell me what’s not in the job description that should be (since I know these are sometimes written from a template) and perhaps you could share what it was that you saw in my resume that had you bring me in for this job. Was a primary reason because I do know the competition and if so how would you want to utilize my knowledge of the industry in this capacity?”

BOOM! PowerPlay! When you make the power play several things happen at once.

a) You sound prepared, intelligent, articulate and focused on the job to be done. (You don’t blurt out the “Ums” and “Ahs” uttered by most interviewees).

b) You help the interviewer focus on the JOB THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE and what SKILLS are required to do that job.

c) You have the interviewer tell you what the REAL job is – not the “watered-down-politically-correct-HR-job description version.

d) You have the interviewer tell you what they liked about your resume and why they brought you in so you know what to emphasize.

e) You immediately eliminated 99.999% of your competition - because no one else is making the PowerPlay at the end of the “chitchat”.

4. Just get on base

You don’t need to “sell yourself” to the interviewer. That’s a turn off. All you need to do is not STRIKE OUT. Just get on base. What I mean is simply this. You are not going to get hired in a first interview. You’ll need to come back to the next meeting. Therefore, the purpose of your first interview it is to get the NEXT INTERVIEW. That’s it! Just get on base. It’s a baseball analogy. Don’t try to hit the ball out of the park – you’ll end up striking out or flying out. Just get on base. You can get on base in baseball a number of ways. You can watch 4 pitches go by as balls. You can get a simple base hit. A wild pitch can hit you. Or, you can get on first base as a result of a fielding error. Believe it or not you can even STRIKE OUT in baseball and still get on base if that last strike pitch hit the dirt. Always run to first base! The same is true in interviewing. You can get the next interview because the interviewer is not the final hiring authority – or needs to talk to other stakeholders. You can get the next interview because the interviewer was late for the meeting (a fielding error on the other team!). Imagine you are waiting for your first interview, which is supposed to start at 10:00 a.m. The interviewer comes to meet you at 10:30. Chitchat ensues and you get to the interview location at 10:40 and the “content-driven” conversation begins. It goes like this:

INTERVIEWER: “So I see you used to work for a competitor of ours a few years back and now you’re interviewing with us.”

YOU: “That’s correct and in preparation for this meeting I’ve printed and highlighted your job description and all the areas that match my background and I’ve done the same with my resume. And I had thought that a good place to start would be for you to tell me what’s not in the job description that should be (since I know these are sometimes written from a template) and perhaps you could share what it was that you saw in my resume that had you bring me in for this job. Yet, since I had on my calendar that our meeting was to start at 10:00 and last for 30 minutes, I need to let you know that I have another interview booked within the industry that requires I leave here in 10 minutes. I understand how other people must have had an effect on your schedule so perhaps we can take a look at calendaring our next meeting now and then spend the remaining time fleshing out the job you need performed here for the next time we meet.”

Mutual Professional respect will get you on base.

5. It’s not personal – it’s business

Interviewers will say and do things in an attempt to get you to “talk about yourself.” – OR - you may be tempted to tell the interviewer how you’ve been dreaming of playing Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof since you were 12-years old. Don’t do it! Everything that comes out of your mouth should be about the JOB that needs to be done and how you have successfully done that type of work in the past. Otherwise you ask a QUESTION about the job that needs to be done. It’s a no-win situation if you start chatting about how you love watching the X-games on the weekends. Trust me on this. Stick to business. You can be 100% personable – but not PERSONAL.

6. Know and share your stats – that’s what sells and not much else.

Every Major Leaguer Baseball player knows his stats. Major Leaguers follow their Batting Avg., RBI’s, Runs, Slugging percentage, and On-base percentage in addition to about 15 other relevant stats that make up their overall worth as a player. This is what team owners will purchase- the scorecard. You need to know your stats - your measurable and documented accomplishments. You must share your stats often when relevant to the job that the hiring manager wants done. You must also substantiate those stats by volunteering references before they ask for them. This enhances your credibility quotient. Stats can be in any industry or function. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve been a sales person or an accountant – we’ve all been measured on performance.

7. The closing question that should get asked but never does

Most candidates ask terrible closing questions. They ask things like “How many other people are you interviewing? “ OR- “When will I hear back from you?” These questions communicate neediness and weakness. The most critical closing question you can ask at the end of the interview is this:

YOU: “Mr. Interviewer, I full understand the job you need done here (NOTE: repeat what he told you the real job is) and I’ve shared with you my accomplishments doing just that in the recent past (my stats). My final question is this: Assuming I accomplished what you needed done in this job in the next 6-9 months, what impact would that have on your team and the company as a whole?” Then be quiet and take notes.

It’s about him not about you! They are hiring because work is not getting done. If that work never gets done it will have a negative impact on him, the team and the company. The inverse is true as well. If the job DOES get done – on time, under budget – exceeding expectations – then it will have a POSITIVE impact on him, the team and the company. You want the interviewer to be thinking of the POSITIVE impact of hiring you.

Lastly – know that the above suggestions won’t come naturally. These interview techniques must be rehearsed and practiced for them to work. The more your practice, the better they’ll work. And they do totally work!

In Summary – Show up on time, listen for content, make the power play, get on base, stick to business, share stats and close about how it affects them. Do this and you’ll win every interview situation.

Jim Coughlin is Managing Director of VMS Accelerators (VMSA). VMSA produces killer executive workshops in the contingent labor industry (aka staffing industry).

Inspired and extracted from, https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140714163439-212078-power-interviewing-in-7-steps