You landed the interview. You've done your homework on the company, the hiring manager, the position itself. Suit pressed, list of questions prepped, and "smart answers" practiced. Ready to go!
Go in, answer questions, shake hands, return home. How'd it go?
If you don't know, it probably didn't go well. You didn't fall on your face, because you would certainly know if that happened. But if you didn't feel that *click* -- that same feeling you get when you meet a new friend or love interest -- that, "we're really getting along!" feeling -- if you didn't get that, you didn't nail the interview.
You may still get the job. Some companies and hiring managers look for paper candidates. Folks who have the "right" credentials, the "right answers." Check those boxes and you're perfect for the job.
I don't want to work at those companies. Do you?
The job market must be picking up because a handful of my coaching clients landed interviews this week. All of them reached out for encouragement and thoughts the night before, and I came up with the same answer every time: Try to connect.
What I mean is that an interview is really just two people sitting in a room, trying to determine if they should work together. Person 1 has a full list of information about Person 2: Previous experience, business results, education. Person 2 has a full list of information about Person 1's house (the company): Where it's located, how it was built, who lives there, if it's popular.
Enough with the paper! Just talk.
If I'm Person 2, I want to know things like, Do you like working here? What's it like? How would you describe your management style? Would we work together directly, or would I work with other folks? Who are they? How did you decide to work here? Oh, so you haven't always been on the West Coast?...
Before you know it, two people are having an actual, real conversation. They're relating. Things start to click (or not). Then, when asked, "How did it go?", the only "right" answer is, "I really enjoyed it."
If that's hard to imagine, you've spent too much time on paper and not enough on people.
