Interview Secrets to Success
You probably get dozens of job announcements in your email weekly, and mostly you just delete them. But then, one day your inbox contains a career opportunity that piques your interest. “I could be really good at this…maybe I should apply!” you think.
Before you begin to respond, take a moment to think about this position from the hiring organization’s point of view and ask yourself one question that will guide every move you make. What are three things I want the hiring organization to learn about me in this process?
To answer this question, study the job description, research the organization, read about the leadership to begin to get a picture of the position. Beyond that, talk to colleagues at the organization, and if there is a search consultant involved, ask them: “What does this organization want and need in this role that I wouldn’t see in the job description?
”List everything you come up with on the left side of a Google doc. On the right side, identify how you meet or exceed each bullet point. It can be helpful to ask someone who knows you well for help as others often see qualities in us that we don’t see in ourselves. From this list, identify three ways that your skills, education, and experience align with what the role requires.
For instance, you may determine that three ways you align with the organization’s needs for this position are:
Success closing six and seven-figure gifts for the visual arts
Experience helping lapsed donors return to an organization
Experience leading a hybrid remote/on-site team
You, of course, may match the job duties in more than three ways; however, you will have limited time to share your expertise, so focusing on the primary responsibilities will help the interview team to see that you meet the most vital aspects of the role.
Now that you have focused on the three primary points you want to convey, you can be intentional about crafting your candidate materials around these themes. Your goal is to create a clear narrative so that the interview team walks away understanding your unique skills and experiences.
Start with your cover letter and give context about yourself and introduce the reader to your three main points. Craft your resume with this narrative in mind, using the resume to highlight accomplishments that illustrate your main themes.
As you prepare for your interview, think of solid examples that support your narrative and illustrate the way you think and work through challenging situations. Compelling examples that support your main points will make you stand out.
Being guided by your three key points will not give you the answer to every potential question, but it will help you to organize your thoughts before and during the interview and provide cohesion between you and the role. After all, you are marketing yourself, and two keys to successful marketing are having a clear, easy-to-understand message and presenting consistent communication of that message to your target audience.
As you begin the application process and especially as you prepare for interviews, I invite you to listen to a deeper exploration of these themes in my 2021 appearance on the Development Debrief podcast.
