If You Were a Tree

– by Edward Bergstrom

Looking for work sucks!

There, I said it.

Looking for work sucks!

Is there is ever a good time to look for work? It is the hardest thing ever on a person’s self-esteem. And as someone that has a long experience as a Hiring Manager, it is hard to say,

“No, thank you”.

Some candidates are great while some are just better.

There’s nothing worse than not putting your best foot forward during an interview. Have you ever heard this conversation before?

Friend: “Hi. How did your interview go at XYZ Company?”

Candidate: “I thought I did OK but they just didn’t ask me the right questions.”

Friend: “Right questions?”

Candidate: “I never got a chance to tell them any of good about me.”

Friend: “So, what did you talk about?”

Candidate: “Trees and stuff.”

Sad, but we all know that conversation. But let’s back up a second. Who is ultimately responsible for selling you during an interview? An improperly trained interviewer can kill all your hard work.

So, how can a Candidate prepare for the millions of dumb-ass questions out there? Especially, my all-time favorites:

• If you were a tree tell me what kind of tree you would be?
• Describe for me your ideal job.
• Walk me through your resume.

Preparing for an interview is tough enough but it never fails how many times I hear those dumb-ass questions. Or worse, if I read another Blog that tells me the 101 best questions or the 25 most asked interview questions – I’m going to puke!

Who the heck has that many stories about themselves? Which reminds me of my friend Michael. One time when we were talking.  He was doing all the talking as usual. He looked at me and said, “Enough about me already. Let’s talk about you.” After a short pause he said, “Tell me what you like about me.”

Now Michael has the answers to all 20,000 interview questions ever asked.  But I don’t. Do you? And not everyone wants to bring Michael to their next interview. So, what are the rest of us supposed to do?

The NEW U Interview to WIN course teaches you how to make a POINT with only 5 answers. What’s a POINT? Great question. It is a concise answer containing the Problem, Opportunity, what “I” specifically did, what were the Net results, and how you know that you were successful by identifying the person that specifically Tagged you with your triumph.

But how can you take 5 answers and make them apply to ANY of the millions of dumb interviewing questions asked? By using transition adjectives. That’s the secret to Interviewing. Don’t waste your time practicing and rehearsing 20,000 answers but rather memorize 5 selling POINTS about yourself and then practice your transitions.

And the next time someone asks you what kind of tree you would be, you’ll be prepared. Maybe you’ll use a transition like this. “If I were a tree, I would be one that is sturdy that can stand up to the winds of change, like the time I worked at ABC Company……..leading right into one of your 5 POINTS.

Make a game about it. Many of my students and mentees have practiced this technique so well, that can transition any question into one of their POINTs. Isn’t that what you want? To make your POINTs?

Isn’t it? Don’t you want to have choices? Choices on where you work and not be stuck with the first and only job that comes along?

Then learn your POINTS and practice your transitions.

And have fun!

Thanks for coming.

Reference:

The NEW U – OUTSIDE; INTERVIEWING TO WIN; section 5 – More Prep