Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Got an interview coming up?
Here is the framework my father taught me to prepare for any interview.
It even works to evaluate whether this is a job you should consider.
You work through this template from left to right, top to bottom. Any question the interviewer poses to you can be answered succinctly and professionally by quickly referencing your preparation.
Pro-tip: If you know it will be a behavioral style interview, add one or two words next to every point where you can reference a personal anecdote or story.
So, are you ready? Let’s begin.
You have the job description and/or whatever you know about the job you are interviewing for.
*Objectives and challenges*
Begin in the top left and break the job description into individual pieces. Include things you learned from the job posting and also things from current employees, the hiring manager or anyone else that you can gather intelligence about the job. Bonus points if you rank these from most important to least important based on what you know today.
*Why am I the best for the job*
Next… Take each of those points and move to the right – Your Strengths. Why are you a good fit for the job? Add an anecdote of a time where you demonstrated this strength next to each one. No need to write out the story. Just one or two words that can remind you of the story.
*How will I develop and grow*
Then… We move to the bottom left. How will you develop and grow in this job? Anything that is in the job description that you will grow and develop into goes here. Any job worth taking will have development opportunities. List these and consider how your development will benefit yourself and the organization long term.
Instead of thinking of these things as “Weaknesses”, reframe them as “Development Opportunities”. Every interviewer loves someone who is honest with themselves about where they need to grow. It demonstrates humility, self-awareness and honesty.
*How will I add value*
Finally, we are at the end – How will I add value? Think “my unique value proposition” from the perspective of the company. Is there something about you that separates you from the pack? It may be something that is extraordinary that the interviewer should know about. This is really where you “sell yourself” – not in an obnoxious way but in a way that highlights what your employer should know in order to make the right decision – the decision to hire you.
Congratulations – you are prepared for the interview OR perhaps after getting half way into the template, you realized the job is not right for you. Both of those outcomes are a win!
If you would like a copy of the PowerPoint template to use this tool yourself, drop me a message or leave a comment.
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I post weekly about banking, data science and family adventures.
Digging deep on banks is what I do. If there is a bank that you are curious about, shoot me a note and we can discuss this bank together.
