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Permalink Reply by Tina Huckabay on September 5, 2008 at 2:26pm

Easy and cheap way to prepare....just takes a little time....google anything relevant to interview skills, questions, styles etc. Copy and paste into a document (you must make this person do it themselves, part of the process). They can then write their own answers, practice them, get a second opinion, practice them some more until they can answer on the fly. When I finished collecting data I had thirty pages of wisdom, experience and kick ass q&a....then I started answering the questions in the manner they applied to me.....no generic answers.

I have had telephone interviews where my home office was covered with the relevant company info, the questions I would have for them, my answers for the typical questions, of course the job description, closing words and more. This preparation is necessary to make you stand out, to be informed regarding the opportunity, to be take seriously, you can't just be good at your job, you must be able to communicate and "sell" yourself.

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Permalink Reply by Joshua Letourneau on September 5, 2008 at 2:39pm

Question: What is the truth?

Is the paper the truth?
Or is the candidate's attitudes & behaviors (and ability to present ideas in an interview) the truth?

If the paper is the truth, then rehearse, rehearse, rehearse . . . and rehearse some more. Get into the STAR model - go over behavioral interviewing . . . and then do it again. Even if the interview isn't behavioral, you might be well served to advise your candidate to treat it that way so they leverage your multiple rehearsals :)

Hey, just my opinion . . . but that are other super opinions here, too :) I guess run with what you think will work for you!

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Permalink Reply by pam claughton on September 5, 2008 at 2:54pm

Mary,

What is horrible about his interviewing skills? Is he just rusty or does he have poor communication skills? What kind of a role is he interviewing for and will it involve any client facing or presentations? If it's a developer role, a back office coder for example, where he won't have to interact with many people, then you might be able to go over some interviewing basics and do a little role playing to make him more comfortable. If it's not a technical role and may involve client facing or internal influencing, then you may have to screen him out...as all the interviewing books in the world won't help if the job requires someone who is personable and a strong communicator.

That said, if it is just a matter of needing to brush up on interviewing basics, I have a word doc I'm happy to share. It's a handout on interviewing/resumes/networking that I give when asked to speak to groups on the subject. If you want a copy, just shoot me an email.

~Pam

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Permalink Reply by Eric Kramer on September 5, 2008 at 3:07pm

Have him develop an interview presentation at www.interviewbest.com. Go over the presentation with him for content and have him practice it on his own. Even if he does not use it in his interview he will be well prepared.

There is a 2 week free trial so there is no cost.

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Permalink Reply by Joshua Letourneau on September 5, 2008 at 3:11pm

Eric, that's very nice of you - good stuff :) Now that's community in my book!

Eric Kramer said:

Have him develop an interview presentation at www.interviewbest.com. Go over the presentation with him for content and have him practice it on his own. Even if he does not use it in his interview he will be well prepared.

There is a 2 week free trial so there is no cost.

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