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Interview Preparation

Interviews are won and lost every day. Once an interview is lost there is seldom an opportunity to win it back. The information that follows will teach you the skills required to win interviews. Even if you are the most qualified candidate and possess the right background and career path for a particular opportunity, you may still lose if your interviewing skills are not sharp. As with any skill based discipline, the more you practice the better you will perform.

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Answering Behavorial Questions

Candidates that do not practice do not win interviews. There is a method to answering interview questions that you should follow, but it takes practice! Answers to Behavioral Questions should follow the SOAR method. This method will help you deliver the type of answers that interviewers are taught to extract.

The method is centered on you providing real world examples of your past behavior. Remember, past performance is the best indicator of future behavior. Behavioral patterns are what interviewers are attempting to determine. So, the more specific, relative examples you can give the better off you are.

Think of specific examples as telling a story to demonstrate a point. The SOAR process is an easy way to remember to give specific examples (stories) that give evidence to your behavioral traits.

Additional Notes on Answering Interview Questions

1. When answering problem-solving questions you must address the thought process involved in dealing with the issue as well as the solution you would put into place to avoid future issues of a similar nature. Identify the problem, consider constraints and limitations, seek out constructive guidance/criticism, and build consensus/create ownership and support on your team through implementing others ideas/plans.
2. When you talk about giving directives, coaching people, and putting plans into motion it is important to qualify and quantify what you mean. Many people in Corporate America perceive military leaders to be more authoritative than we really are. It's important to sound tough but also fair and reasonable, but above all else flexible. Good leaders are ultimately able to adapt their leadership style to the situation they are in and the skills and abilities of their team. In your examples, talk about how you gave specific guidance, set expectations and realistic timetables, played to people's strengths, coached them on their weaknesses, put contingency plans in place and benchmarks to follow-up with you, and built in natural flexibility.
3. Show that each solution or process that you create corrects root causes of problems and is not a Band-Aid approach. This has real value when you can talk about systems or processes you put into place that were adopted by larger parent organizations as "best practices."
4. Never be negative about a boss, a co-worker, another candidate, or the military. People who talk negatively in the interview process are typically perceived to be disgruntled and hard to please. Always put any negative answers or comments you consider making in the context of how you would consider somebody saying the same thing to you if you were interviewing.
5. Know your audience and tailor your answers to the person and the position you are looking for.
6. If all else fails, remember to tell stories!

• Phases of the Interview
• Closing Questions & Methods
• Resume Guide & Samples
• Suggested Reading