Interview - Training

How to Impress.

Goodness, if everyone knew how to impress we may not know what to do with ourselves! From personal perspective, I think we sometimes forget how to put our best foot forward. I think in modern society we tend to become very individualistic, and approach people and jobs with an attitude of if they don't like them then I don't care. Which in some cases may protect us for when we don't get the job or don't get along with people. However, in most scenarios it's important to remember we are human beings and we need to use manners needed in different contents. Because, let's face it, an employer, more likely than not, will hire someone who is dressed for the job, acts maturely, articulates their words, and who put in effort before the interview as seen in their resume and cover letter or letter of intent.

Throughout my training I emphasized these important aspects of 'how to impress'. We spoke about how to impress on paper and in person. I used quite a bit of contrast between what is normally done and the added punch of what stands out. I did this with visual aids of resumes and cover letters, as well as mock interviews.

What stood out most to me was the comfort level people have with scripts. It is extremely easy to revert back to a 'script' - where it sounds like everyone you're saying has been rehearsed. And the sad thing is, it sounds like anyone could say it. It isn't personal, and it isn't impressive. To help with this I have contrasting examples of what to do and what not to do. We practiced how to take a question and turn it into a story or experience they could share.

Since I had put together an outline with this on it I knew I would cover the idea of scripts. However, by listening to the group I realized just how important that idea was. So I decided to alter my outline and spend more time in mock interviews to practice avoiding scripts. I feel as though this decision really helped the participants understanding of how to stay away from sounding generic.

The one thing I would change about this training was that I knew the participants. Since I knew them I feel as though they said only good things about me on the evaluations - which was great. But I think there could have been more feedback if I didn't know all of the students.

Challenge: Make sure to listen to the participants. If I listen I will be able to address their needs and they will get more out of the training.