Take Control of Your Interview With a Match List
Interviews are by nature scary. You are in a hot spot, and your every word is appreciated. A Matching List can help you feel more confident and in control during your interview.
You obviously want to be as interview prepared as possible, which means you know what your potential employer is looking for and you know how to show them that you fit their pattern. You want their job requirements to match your own experience and skills.
For this, The Art of Masculinity offers a “Matching List”. This tactic is mentioned in the book Thinking On Your Feet .
Start by creating two columns on a piece of paper. On the left, list all qualifications, skills, and experience that you know an employer is looking for. You should find this information in the job description, but it will also help you research the company itself and the position you are applying for.
On the right side of the column, write down all of your skills, experience, and qualifications that correspond to each item on the left. Filling in some of these gaps will be easy; others will require a little brainstorming. For example, if the employer is looking for someone with experience and you are a recent graduate, you can list any clubs and / or community service projects in which you acquired the relevant skills.
Once you have the columns, here’s what you do with them:
Review your matches several times before the interview, and then combine the information from the right column into as many questions as possible during the interview. Often times, the questions interviewers ask make things easier – your experience / skills are relevant and all you have to do is highlight and highlight the information that best matches what they are looking for. It is not necessary to draw explicit parallels between the demands of the job and your personality, although you can do so when they ask something like, “What makes you the right person for the job?” “The job description says you are looking for someone with experience in social media. In my last job, I grew the company’s Facebook page to 10,000 fans. “
If the interviewer is asking difficult questions that require little transition, there are several ways to change the question. One suggestion is to take one word from the question and use that word to create a convincing answer.
The art of masculinity offers an example:
“This work requires a deep knowledge of the subject area around which you will be creating exhibitions. Initiative is also important. How do you manifest these qualities? “
A good answer might be something like, “My initiative is one of my greatest strengths. I have a passion for deep immersion in the subject and I could always learn something new very quickly. For example, in the summer after college, I learned Spanish and French. “
They have a number of other great suggestions for refocusing the question, so be sure to check out the full post below.
We already know that it’s important to think about what skills you have for a potential job. But jotting down the details and thinking about specific examples can go a long way in your additional interview preparation. Knowing that you can offer great, specific answers to their questions makes it much easier to be confident during the interview and establish a little more control.
How to control the interview | The art of masculinity