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Preparing for a job interview can be daunting, but leveraging the job description to guide your preparation can make a significant difference.
A job description is the blueprint to a successful interview.
By focusing on keywords, crafting relevant impact statements, and keeping essential points at your fingertips, you can make a strong impression on your potential employer. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you prepare effectively.
1. Highlight Keywords from the Job Description
There are many, many different ways to describe the same thing and each company uses their own unique terms to describe the same job. Keywords in the job description are often what the employer is looking for in a candidate. These include skills, qualifications, and specific experiences.
How to Do It:
Identify Core Requirements: Go through the job description and highlight the skills, qualifications, and experiences mentioned multiple times.
List the Keywords: Create a list of these keywords. They will guide you in tailoring your responses during the interview.
Example: If the job description frequently mentions "strategic planning," "client relationship management," and "sales performance analytics," these are the areas you should focus on.
2. Prepare Relevant Impact Statements
Impact statements demonstrate your achievements and how your skills have benefited past employers. They provide concrete evidence of your qualifications.
How to Do It:
Use the PAR Method: Structure your impact statements using the Problem, Action, Result method.
Match to Keywords: Ensure your statements align with the keywords and requirements highlighted from the job description.
Example: For "strategic planning," you might say, "In my previous role, we struggled to bring in comprehensive approaches into our strategic plans, leading to siloed approaches that didn’t generate the results we needed. We were working on an aggressive timeline from our board of directors to deliver an updated plan that addressed the broader issues with targeted solutions (Problem). I led a strategic planning initiative with the C-Suite to redefine our market approach. I worked with a team of analysts to review historical outcomes and build comprehensive plan (Action) that resulted in a 20% increase in market share within a year (Result)."
3. Keep a Post-It with Key Points
Having a quick reference during the interview helps you stay focused and ensures you address the most critical aspects that the decision-maker is interested in. Having the full job description in front of you can often be a distraction— you don’t have time in an interview to listen, read through the job description again, and then match your response.
A post-it makes it easy to see the most important and relevant information to tailor your response.
How to Do It:
Identify Top Priorities: From the job description and your research on the company, identify the top three to five points that are most important to the interviewer.
Write Concisely: On a small Post-It, write these key points in a way that they are easily readable at a glance.
Refer Discreetly: Place the Post-It somewhere discreetly visible during the interview to quickly glance at and ensure you stay on track.
Example: Your Post-It might include:
"Client relationship management"
"Increased sales by 20%"
"Strategic planning success"
"Team leadership experience"
"Salesforce proficiency"
Putting It All Together
Here’s how you can use these strategies in practice:
Before the Interview:
Carefully read the job description and highlight the essential keywords.
Develop impact statements for each key area.
Write the most crucial points on a Post-It.
During the Interview:
Use your impact statements to answer questions confidently.
Refer to your Post-It to ensure you cover all critical points.
Align your responses with the keywords from the job description.
Example Scenario
Job Description Excerpt: "We are seeking a proactive Sales Manager with expertise in strategic planning, client relationship management, and sales performance analytics. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of increasing sales and leading a team."
Preparation:
Keywords Identified: Strategic planning, client relationship management, sales performance analytics, increasing sales, leading a team.
Impact Statement Example:
Strategic Planning: "In my last role, I spearheaded a strategic planning project that increased our annual revenue by 15%."
Client Relationship Management: "I managed a portfolio of top clients, increasing retention rates by 25% through targeted relationship-building strategies."
Post-It Notes:
"Strategic planning success"
"Client relationship retention +25%"
"Led team to 15% revenue growth"
"Expert in sales performance analytics"
By following these steps and staying organized, you can approach your interview with confidence, demonstrate your value effectively, and increase your chances of landing the job.
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