To view this month’s interview preparation video, please go to http://www.strategicsearch.com/interview-preparation-tips/index.php and click on #4. The title is practice on videotape. This is the case because the most important part of landing a job is selling yourself in the interview. To help you prepare for your interviews, I have created the acronym C.O.P.
C stands for copying. What you want to do is get a little ringed memo pad that will easily fit into your pocket or purse. Then over the next 3-4 days, you want to copy down all of your accomplishments and skills that are related to the job you are interviewing for. The way you will know what is important to capture for that interview is to look at the job description and research the company. Both will offer you clues as to what is most important for the hiring manager. Let that information guide your interview preparation.
When you cannot think of anything else, then you are ready for the second step, which is O for organizing. In this step, you what to take the interview preparation information that you copied in step one and organize it into a useful format. I recommend rank-ordering it from the most important down to the least important and then memorizing your top ten accomplishments and skills that are related to the job you are interviewing for.
Finally, P stands for practice, practice and more practice. I recommend practicing your interviews on videotape. I also recommend getting a friend that you can trust to be your practice interviewer. Have this practice interviewer be really tough on you during your mock interviews because research shows that the tougher you practice your interviews, the easier the actual interviews will be for you. Furthermore, if you practice your interviews on videotape, you will be able to quickly see your interview mistakes and be able to quickly correct them before your actual interview.
We have even created a more detailed version of interview preparation called the Real Benefit Exercise. Please go to http://www.strategicsearch.com/real-benefit-exercise.php to learn more. In any case, remember to practice your interviews on videotape and remember the acronym C.O.P. to help you during your practice interviews.
