Interviewing is not all about you

It is surprising that many people still rely on their resume to tell their story for them and spend little time preparing for an interview. The old-school thinking that “the resume will get me in the door and, once there, I’ll wing it” is no longer effective.

Preparing your answers for the most frequently asked interview questions is a good start, but if you don’t know the context of the role you are vying for, or are unaware of the real needs of the employer, you still won’t make it to the final rounds. Context of a role can cover reporting structure, specific deliverables and how this role contributes to the organization’s mission. It also includes team dynamics, functionality and communication styles; potential partnering teams or collaborative relationships; and anticipated work hours/schedules. Overall, you are looking for what you need to produce, how it impacts the success of the organization, and whom you will be working with and how.

Applying for posted positions without knowing the context can put you at a disadvantage during an interview and, more importantly, when you actually accept the offer and begin the position. Job postings can be limited and sometimes completely inaccurate. It’s not uncommon for HR and/or recruiters to “borrow” descriptions of other “similar” positions they are attempting to fill in their haste to get them posted. Conversations with the hiring managers to learn more about their real or actual needs may not have taken place before the post goes live. For everyone involved, it’s critical to know what the REAL expectations are for the role and why the requested skills and experience are important (and sometimes they aren’t). The candidate will stand a greater chance of being selected (and being happy) if they completely understand the actual functions of the role, which may be beyond/different than the posted required qualifications.

Many times a candidate passes an initial screening because they have added the right key words to their resume and they sounded good on the phone. The screener may be unaware of the actual context of the role or how critical skills may be necessary to get the job done. All too often candidates say that they can “learn” key functions without recognizing how much time it could take to train them or how the training would be accomplished. Now, I don’t mean that you should not reach for something when you aren’t a 100% match, but I do recommend that, if you fall short in any way, you need to completely understand the functions of the role, the expected outcomes and how any shortcomings will impact the results the employer needs. If the missing 20% ends up reflecting critical baseline functions, then everyone needs to be aware of how much it would take to get you up to speed. You need to think through whether it is even practical to expect the employer to invest the time and effort on a new employee to teach them a basic function of a role they need to fill right now.

The flip side of that is that it is also common that posted requirements or qualifications are only minimally relevant to the functions of a role. The screener may completely overlook very relevant experience or skills because the words they are looking for are different than what they see in someone’s resume. Once again, without understanding the context of the role or the actual functions, transferable skills can be completely missed. In these cases, even prepared answers to the usual interview questions will fall flat if the candidate’s description of their prior work is not exactly translated into how that experience matches the new employer’s needs. To do that effectively, you need to know exactly what the employer does/produces, how this role supports their mission and what it takes to get that job done. A posted job description may cover only the bare minimum of this information. If you have already applied for a job, a call for an interview could come immediately. Waiting until after you apply to learn more may be too late.

If you are now thinking, “how in the world can I find out what they really need if I have only a job posting?” The answer is pretty simple. The key to knowing what an employer needs is to learn first about the industry, then as much as possible about the actual employer through conversations with actual employees or people who work for competitors and finally as much as you can about the role by talking with people in the same department – before you apply. A proactive search (targeting and researching organizations) started long in advance of applying typically produces more satisfying results than a passive search (only applying to posted positions). Internet research can produce a considerable amount of relevant information to start. Yet it is learning from real people who actually do the work you will be doing or others already working in a company or their former employees that will help you to know and understand what you would really be signing on to.

Fully understanding what an organization needs and wants will help you to be realistic about whether you are qualified for a position or a fit with the organization’s culture. Simply wanting the job (or the money it reflects) is not enough. Knowing who else is in the market, which skills are in greatest demand and the amount of talent available to an employer will help you understand whether you are competitive or if pursuing a role is worth your time.

There are many ways to help ensure your next interview results in an offer. Overall, it requires research and preparation. It all comes down to how much time you are willing to invest up front to get the results you desire in the end.