Marie first telephoned me on a Wednesday sounding upset and confused. "I've blown the seventh interview in 2 months. I think I need an interview coach."
"I just can't understand it," she continued. "I had my resume done professionally. You should see it. It can't have to do with my appearance. Every time before I go to an interview, I get my hair done, I have a manicure, and I always wear my best suits. I really don't know what to think. It makes me wonder if I'm in the wrong profession! If another person with less experience gets the job instead of me again, I'm literally going to scream!"
Marie faxed me her resume the day before our appointment together. On paper, she looked terrific. It was clear from her resume that she had a 10-year background in sales, had managed over 75 people, and had handled some formidable accounts of up to several million dollars each. Given the right presentation at an interview, Marie could probably have her pick of a number of sales positions in the tech industry.
She came for her coaching appointment on a Friday. In the ?rst few seconds, it was clear to me that she had excellent social skills. Her greeting was professional, and she had a winning smile and a firm businesslike handshake. She looked me straight in the eye and stood tall, appearing to have a lot of con?dence. She was dressed and accessorized impeccably. There certainly was nothing not to like about her. It was clear to me from the outset that first impressions were not her problem.
Marie and I decided that we would do a mock interview where I would play the interviewer and she would play herself. The ?rst question I asked her is probably the most common first question asked in any interview: "Tell me about yourself." I followed with some other common questions like, "Tell me about your skills," and "What is your greatest strength?"
What evidence did I have that she was, in fact, a top performer? How did she plan to apply her skills to make profits for my company?
Marie's answers to my questions, though technically correct, were fraught with generalities and gave only a vague impression of what she actually could offer as a marketing director. Had I been an employer, I might have had questions and doubts as to whether she could really perform as well as she said she could. How, specifically, could she prove her skills?
* For example, what did she mean when she said she was "extremely experienced".
Did she mean 2 years' experience? 5 years' Perhaps 20.
* And she says she has an "exceptional record of service."
What exactly is it that made her service exceptional.
Did she mean she had exceeded her quotas.
Did she mean she had handled accounts with an unusually high monetary value.
* What about her comment that she has "an outstanding sense of the needs of the marketplace".
Was she adept at market research.
Could she give me a specific example of being able to understand the needs of a customer.
I was not surprised when she said that her greatest strength was good communication skills. Most of us, in fact, believe that we have good communication skills. The challenge is that, in an interview, you have to be able to prove it.
Could she tell me about some presentations she had made that won accounts? Had she engaged in negotiations that resulted in the favor of her company? When? With whom? How much money was involved? Perhaps she meant she was good at resolving conflicts through communication.
It was hard to know exactly what Marie meant since she didn't really have the specific data to back up her assertions. This kind
of crucial data is exactly the kind of ammunition we'll be gathering in the next two chapters. You don't have to make the same mistakes that Marie made. You will know your skills and exactly how they can make a positive impact on whatever
organization you're applying to. Unlike Marie you won't do the following:
* Think your resume will speak for you.
* Speak in generalities and expect the interviewer to "connect the dots" for you.
No wonder. Marie kept getting turned down for jobs in spite of her friendly and businesslike demeanor. Employers want proof of your abilities! The reality is that, before an employer pays Marie over $100,000 per year to act as his or her sales director, the employer will want to have some specific examples of where and how Marie had used those skills to produce positive results for another company. Marie cannot expect her resume to "do the talking" for her. Instead, she has to learn to clearly and succinct- ly verbalize those results.
In the next two chapters you will learn how you can easily avoid the pitfall of sounding too vague simply by knowing your skills and knowing how to communicate them with confidence. Let's move on to the good stuff!