Imagine sitting in a job interview. You’re already nervous. You know you have something to contribute. You really admire the company. However, when the interviewer asks you to tell them about yourself, you buckle. You realize telling your story in person is quite difficult. You stumble or forget the most important pieces of your personal story, potentially damaging your interview experience. It’ s happens to me almost every time. Now what?
We create stories about ourselves in mere minutes online in social profiles or blogs. Why is it so hard to tell the same story in person? Perhaps the solution is to merge your two stories, your online self and offline self, together in order to optimize your image. The following are a few tips that can help you to craft a compelling personal story for job interviews.
According to Rafe Gomez, author of What’s In It For Me: A Powerful New Interview Strategy to Get Hired In Today’s Challenging Economy, the trick is to create validations.
“The online story blog posts, articles, etc should validate the assertions and promises made in the offline story, that is the resume if you’re seeking to leave a positive and memorable impression in a job interview.” For instance, if you’re presenting yourself in interviews as being an experienced sales executive who has delivered results for your employers, your online story should support this assertion.
Gomez continues to say that, “Online mentions of, references about, or discussion of your accomplishments will serve to legitimize your offline claims, and make it indisputable that you could be an invaluable addition to your interviewer’s organization. Blending the two stories will back up any career history claims you’ve made during the interview.
Be consistent. Your online presence and interview responses give you a chance to provide more color to your career history. You can go into more detail and really show your passion for a particular industry or company in ways that aren’t possible in a resume. However, the bottom line is that both stories should be similarly positioned.
Sell yourself. Look at your interview story as a way to sell your accomplishments, strengths and motivations to the interviewer. By doing so, you clearly show why you’re worthy of the position.
Google your name. Before an interview, make sure you Google your name so you know what any recruiter or hiring manager will see in case and when they search for you. If any damaging results show up, now you have a chance to try and remove them or at least prepare a response for the interview. The worst thing you can do is look surprised or taken off guard when an interviewer challenges your story based on something they found online. It’s also important to spin the conversation back to your accomplishments if things start to go sour. You could maybe flush out concern by asking what caught their attention and if they have any specific concerns about your capabilities.
Creating your interview story in a digital era means more than telling the interviewer about yourself. Merge your online and offline stories to create a more cohesive story. Doing so helps the interviewer understand why you’re right for the job.
Do you think these tips are useful? What are some other ways to create your interview story in a digital era?
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