“You’re the reason that I get bad hires!” 

This was feedback to me last month when I was chatting with someone about how I help executive women to win raises, promotions or better opportunities.

And he was referring to the interview role play and rehearsal that I offer.

My response?

“Actually, you’re the reason you get bad hires.  And my clients are simply smart enough to know that people who win interviews are great at interviews. Why would they shoot themselves in the foot by not preparing?  In fact, I’m the reason you get great hires!”

And he laughed.

True story.

So is it wrong to role play interviews? 

No, it’s just super smart ‘n savvy.

Some people are naturally gifted at talking ‘a good game’, but they aren’t necessarily good at a role.

Some people are good at a role, but find interviews themselves incredibly stressful and intimidating.

And some people have been interviewing others for so long, that they’ve forgotten what it’s like to be on the other side of the panel.

With smart and savvy interview preparation you can demonstrate that you can talk AND walk a good game.  And that’s where it’s at.

• The purpose of the cover letter? To get your CV read

• The purpose of your CV? To get you an interview

• The purpose of interview rehearsal? To help you feel more confident and comfortable, so you remember the important detail about specific projects, and articulate that in language that an interview panel will understand and value, in a format that cuts through the clutter.

To all of my clients who are interviewing this week – power on!

And remember –

• Confidence equals competence in the eyes of most people so even if you don’t feel confident, ‘fake it til you become it’ a la Amy Cuddy

• It’s a conversation, not a performance or a test to catch you out

• Keep your answers succinct

• Cover all the important bases (use a formula like STAR or STRE)

• Do have responses for those random questions such as “tell us about your improvement areas”, or “how can you add value?”

• Don’t be afraid to reframe (?!) yes reframe – its a great tool, more on that later …. and

• Smile

It’s tough putting yourself out there over and over again to be judged. I know you feel uncomfortable and I’m proud of you anyway.

And good luck!

Feminine leadership superpowers + strategic interview role play = priceless