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Navigate the complexities of behavioral interviews with 'Cracking the Behavioral Interview: A Step-by-Step Guide'. This comprehensive article provides practical tips and techniques for effectively conveying your experiences and skills, ensuring you stand out to potential employers. Elevate your interview strategy and advance your career with confidence. #CareerAdvancement #InterviewSkills #ProfessionalDevelopment #LeadershipHiring #SuccessStrategies https://lnkd.in/dTdMjbhe

For those preparing for an interview, here are some good reminders to help you get ready for situational questions - "Tell me about a time when . . . ". Use a proven format. This article gives an example using CARL - Context, Action, Results, Learning. What I like about this one is that they include learning. If a candidate doesn't tell me what they learned from a situation when I'm interviewing, I'll be sure to ask. Tailor your answers to the job and the audience. It's a very competitive market these days so the people that can demonstrate their skills and experiences are relevant to the job they are interviewing for have a stronger chance of getting it. What I have learned lately through my clients is that recency matters - keep your examples recent rather than something you experienced 5 years ago. Try to use the 2-minute rule. This is tough and I'm not sure I fully agree based on my experience. Some situational questions lend themselves to being answered in 2 minutes, but others may not. Be prepared, thorough, don't rush, and don't take too long. Definitely pause at the end of your response and ask if the interviewer(s) have any questions or want more information. If you don't and you went too fast, odds are the interviewer(s) will say you didn't answer the question fully. There's so much pressure on people interviewing for jobs these days! To do your best be sure to prepare, consider practicing with an experienced colleague, keep positive thoughts going through your head, remember to breathe, and go for it. After the interview, be sure to capture the questions you were asked, what you learned from the experience, and what you would do differently next time. Save that information because you will likely forget it and it will be useful for other interviews. Then, let it all go and focus on something else. There is nothing more you can do and holding on to those swirling negative thoughts of "I should have done this" or "I should have said that" won't help you. Stay positive! Interested in career or work-related coaching support, connect and message me any time!

How to end an interview to motivate them to make a faster decision. How to answer the “Tell me about yourself” question has the highest search numbers of any other interview question on YouTube… And it’s valid. You want to have a strong congruent answer for that question that’s unique to you… But the answer isn’t what matters it’s the place it comes from. In fact, the whole vibe of how you interview is what signals the Hiring Manager to think either: “Pass”  vs. “Ok ok I’m interested” Interviewers can tune out at any point during the interview. In a one-time conversation like an interview, it ALL MATTERS. And this includes how you close the interview. A Solid way to close has 3 common features. 1. A “now” energy vibe → This is letting them know that you’re actively interviewing and while you understand they’re going through their process, this is where you subtly let them know that you will not be on the market forever and *YOU* will need to decide within the next couple of weeks. (This creates closure for you even if *they* will take months to do anything). You are not required to leave that as an open loop while actively interviewing and expecting an offer to come in soon. 2. A good question that will leave their wheels turning. --> A game changer for my clients has been: “What would blow your mind for the new hire to accomplish within the next 3-6 months of this job?” 3. A non-attachment/empathy Statement. --> I recommend “Regardless of what you decide I have enjoyed meeting you and the team particularly I liked (mention something specific only to them), I know hiring can be challenging and you’ve got a tough decision to make, I have had a blast either way” Explorative and expansive conversation during the interview draws them in and strengthens their desire for you as a candidate. But ending well motivates them and at the same time lets them know you don’t “NEED” them. 📌 Which of these 3 do you like the most? = I'm a Career Coach for intuitive smart professionals. Find my featured section for: -My upcoming Free 3-day series on the subconscious mind to land offers  -Learn More About Working With Me

Five common interview questions and what a great answer looks like: 1) “What would your manager say is your biggest weakness?” This one is all about EQ. Do you recognize your gaps? A bad answer is a humble brag: “My biggest weakness is I work so hard sometimes I forget to unplug.” A great answer identifies: - A real gap - How you are closing the gap - The progress you have made 2) “What achievement are you most proud of?” This question measures talent, effort, and grit. My favorite answers have often been outside of work accomplishments (1st generation college grad, working through school to graduate debt free, etc.) A great answer showcases your ability to accomplish special outcomes even in adverse environments. 3) “How would you describe the value of the products we sell?” This question measures two areas: - Your research/understanding of the job - Your ability to sell value instead of features A great answer includes the value of the solution for different personas. For example, the value of LaunchDarkly for engineers, VP of Eng, and CTOs. A poor answer is a description of what the product is or what the product does. “LaunchDarkly makes sure you rollback release issues before your customers notice them” is a better answer than “LaunchDarkly is an easy-to-use feature flagging tool.” 4) “Tell me about a time you failed. What went wrong?” A great answer includes something that actually went wrong, a willingness to take ownership, and how you worked to fix the situation. A bad answer puts the blame entirely on someone else and/or no attempt at resolution. 5) “What questions do you have?” Possibly the most important question of the interview. How you ask questions in the interview tells me a lot about how you run discovery. Great questions are ones that you would not be able to learn on your own and show that you did your research. I’m not gonna give all the answers to the “test,” but I hope this is helpful to those of you interviewing!

3 reasons to thoroughly prepare for every interview. I am a big believer in taking every interview even if the role or company is not my ideal fit. ( I also find it less stressful interviewing for roles/companies that don't fall in my target list--Is that just me? 🙄 ) Regardless of level of interest prepping helps me in the following ways: 1) While doing my company research I look for company values, employee and customer reviews. Then I go into interview with the question: "How would you describe the company’s values? Or "what can you tell me about morale?" *If their answers do not align with my research this shows me lack of transparency or even a lack of care for mission/employees. 2) Practice makes perfect! Mock interviews build confidence and it becomes second nature on how to answer questions like "tell me about yourself?" or "What are your strengths?" *Instead of a generic answer, rambling, or or stumbling I am able to articulate the strengths I have with concise and clear examples. 3) Knowing the job description will help me not just ask clarifying questions of expectations but also prepare me to explain how my transferable skills will enhance my value in the role. * I may not have experience in a specific technology or tool the company is looking for but if I know the solve needed, then I can be prepared to explain how I used a similar tool to solve similar problem. What prep do you feel is important and how do you use it? Interviews are about finding the right fit for both you and the employer. Knowing who you are talking too,

How do you dominate your second interview? If you get a call for the second interview, it will be more behavioral. They want to ensure you are about what you say you are, accessing your ability to do well under pressure. **Second interviews are usually because one or more candidates are a good fit. **Out of the 7, we wanted to call 3 back finalists for a second interview.  **We called the most qualified candidates, trying to find the tie-breaker.  **When interviewing, it's important to ask for the next steps to gain insight into where you are in the process. **You want to be aware of how many candidates they are interviewing so you can prepare for how long it will take for them to get back to you. **At the end of your first interview, you should ask; Can you share with me where I fall in the interview process? **Give yourself 1 week to follow up after your 1st interview. (Don't put all your eggs in one basket) Do not stop applying for new opportunities.  During the 2nd interview, it's a tie-breaker conversation; (The Hiring Manager) will be asking a few questions. **Do you prefer to work alone or work with a group? **Can you tell me how you've impacted your current role and why you are looking for a new opportunity? **Can you describe to me what your day-to-day looks like in your current role and what your daily tasks are? **Tell me about a time when you had a challenging customer/client.

This is an interesting take on the interview process. I am biased towards behavioral-based interviewing, and I would never recommend providing the interview questions to the candidate in advance. I do believe it is appropriate to tell the candidate to expect behavioral-based questions, however. Then, the candidate can think through specific examples from personal experience that can be used during the interview. What say you? 

Using the STAR method for your next behavioral interview (worksheet included)

What are your greatest strengths? When responding to the interview question “What are your greatest strengths?” it’s important to be strategic and authentic. Here’s a structured approach to crafting a compelling answer: 1.  Reflect on the Job Description: Before the interview, review the job description and identify the key competencies required. Align your strengths with these competencies to show that you’re a great fit for the role. 2.  Choose Relevant Strengths: Select one or two strengths that are most relevant to the position. These could be technical skills, soft skills, or a combination of both. 3.  Provide Context and Examples: For each strength, prepare a specific example that demonstrates how you’ve effectively used this strength in a professional setting. This could be a challenge you overcame, a project you led, or a positive impact you made at your previous job. 4.  Quantify Your Impact: If possible, quantify the impact of your strengths with data or measurable results. This could be in terms of efficiency gains, revenue generated, or improved customer satisfaction. 5.  Practice Your Delivery: Be confident but not arrogant. Practice delivering your response so that it comes across as natural and genuine during the interview.

💡 Back to Basics: Why are You Failing That Interview? 💡 I've had a good think about some of the reasons why candidates are failing interviews and the majority of it comes back to the absolute basics that every single one of us has probably done, or not done, (including myself 🤣) Here's a couple insights that you will absolutely know, and most likely do, but it's the little wins that add up 👇 👉 Not Researching the Company This is Interview 101, but it’s astonishing how often it gets overlooked. Researching the company should be one of the very first things you do after hearing about a role—and then again, just before your interview (whether it’s in-person or on Teams). Why? Because showing you’ve taken the time to understand what the company does and how you might fit into their mission demonstrates genuine interest. It’s a small step with a huge payoff. Drop in something insightful you’ve learned about the company—it’s almost always a winner. For example: "I saw on your website that you’re launching X product next quarter—how does that align with the team I’d be joining?" 👉 Unclear answers - Something as simple as the STAR Method for behavioural questions shows you've clearly prepped for what they might ask, and you've got experience in relevant situations that'll show your soft skills and prove why you're worth the investment. 👉 Body Language - This might seem run of the mill, but this is probably one of the most important seeing as you're sat across from the person deciding to hire you 🤣. Express interest, keep eye contact (not a creepy amount), and show genuine acknowledgement of where the conversation is going. The prep at Cathcart Technology covers everything you'll want to know on representing yourself in that interview and landing that role I first phoned you about 😉 Hiring Managers, I want to hear your thoughts, what do candidates often overlook that could heavily sway your final decision?