Teachers in Transition

Teachers in Transition - Episode 73 - The Interview is Not about YOU!

August 19, 2020 Kitty Boitnott
Teachers in Transition
Teachers in Transition - Episode 73 - The Interview is Not about YOU!
Show Notes Transcript

Interviews are necessary if you wish to land a new job. They represent one of the last steps in the process, and it is disappointing when you have gone through an interview you thought went well and then you don't get the job.

Unless you have a full understanding of how interviews really work, however, it is possible for you to blow it and not know it. What I mean by that is that the interview isn't really about YOU. It is about what you can do for your potential employer. And if you talk about yourself and your career goals and all the things YOU want without talking about how you can help your new employer and what you bring to the job you're going to lose out. 

Most interviewees neglect to do the basic research they need to do before going to the interview. If you don't know what I mean, listen to this episode of "Teachers in Transition."

#jobsearch #careerchange #interviewing #interviewskills

Speaker 1:

Are you a teacher who's feeling stressed out and overwhelmed. Do you worry that you're feeling symptoms of burnout or are you sure you've already gotten there? Have you started to dream of doing some other kind of job or perhaps pursuing a whole different career, but you don't know what else you're even qualified to do. You don't know how to start a job search. You just feel stuck. If that sounds like you, I promise you're not alone. My name is kitty Boitnott. I'm a career transition and job search coach. And I specialize in helping burnout teachers just like you deal, not only with the stress and overwhelm of your day to day job, but to consider what other careers might be out there waiting for you. Join me for teachers in transition. In some episodes, I'll be speaking to stress management techniques and how you can manage your stress on a day to day basis. In other episodes, I'll be talking about career transition. What tools do you need to be successful in a job search when you're moving from one career into a totally different track. These are questions that you need answers to, and I can help you find those answers. My name is kitty. Boitnott welcome to teachers and transition. Hi, this is kitty Boynton out of point, not coaching and founder of teachers in transition. Welcome to episode 73 of the podcast and the YouTube channel teachers in transition. If you've listened to me in the past, you know that I alternate topics between stress management one week and career transition of the next week. And today I'm speaking to career transition and a specific tip that I want you to keep in mind for the next time you are up for a job interview. I was thinking this morning about what I could say to someone who was in the midst of a job search. And I know that more and more teachers are making the decision right now that they're not going to return to their school division. And so they're going to be suddenly in need of a new job. I, I have spoken to the need for a resume and some of the other tools, the most important, the most critical step in the entire career switch job search process is the interview. And you need to get to the interview with a resume with a cover letter, with an application and all of the moving parts that are embedded in having those tools. But what happens if you apply for a job and you never get to the interview stage, why is this, why is that happening? Because it happens more often than you probably know. There are two things that are happening. If you don't get an interview for a job that you've applied for. One is that you are not making it through the applicant tracking system. And the reason for that is probably just in general terms, probably you didn't read the job description carefully enough, or you neglected to tweak your resume for the job description so that you reflected that you were actually a solid candidate for that job, too many people write one resume and use it for every job that they apply for. And that is a mistake you need to tweak your resume. Every time you apply for a different job, you need to make sure that you are at least a 60% match to the job. And if you don't know how to make that happen, you need to look into subscribing to job, scan that CEO, and you need to really read and pay attention to the job description. So the first gatekeeper, the first challenge that you face is getting through that applicant tracking system. Assuming you make it through the applicant tracking system and a human being looks at your resume and they determined that maybe you'd be a good fit for the job. Then they'll call you and ask you for an interview. These days, most places are starting with a telephone interview, 10, 15 minutes. They want to just get a feel for who you are, how you sound on the phone. It might be a zoom call, and then they get a chance to see you and see how you smile or not, and look into the camera or not. They can get a little bit of a feel for who you might be. And if they like what they see and hear, they'll invite you for a more formal interview, but there are so many steps along the way that can keep you from ever getting to the interview that you've got to really be intentional and thoughtful and, and pay attention to all of the needs that you have to meet in your resume and your cover letter and your application, how you present yourself in your telephone or zoom call and view. And let's say you get to the final interview. Now you always have to remember that you are not the only person that they're talking to. You are one of several candidates who finally made it to the interview stage. And I can't tell you over the years, how many people I've watched blow the interview because they didn't do the right amount of research about the job that they were applying for, or the organization that they were applying to. I heard people who came in for job interviews and they didn't really understand what the job was. They would ramble. Uh, one gentleman I watched the less, he knew about something that we asked him about. The more he just to collated with these hands UV was very expansive. The more he talked when he didn't know something, he gave a long drawn out answer that was painful to watch because on paper, he was qualified for the job, but he hadn't, hadn't done his homework. He didn't understand really what the job was or what he would be required to do. And this is a big mistake that I think a lot of people make. They don't put in the time and effort to really understand what the job entails and what you, as an applicant for the job would be required to be able to do too many people, scan a job description and think, Oh, I could do that. But you know, I could learn how to do that. And then they apply for the job and wonder why they never hear back. It's because they're not a good candidate. They're not qualified before you waste your time on an application. And I say time because applications, these days are very time consuming. If you don't want to waste your time applying for jobs that you're never going to hear back from, you need to really pay attention to that job description and know with a certainty that you can do the job and that you have more than enough of the skills that are required to be able to perform the job. So study that job description and use a tool like job scan.com to help you get your resume to a 60, 70, 80% match to the job. And then you can apply with some confidence that you are more than likely going to at least get to the telephone interview stage. Once you do make it through to the final interview stage, then you really need to be on your toes and demonstrate that you have done the homework. You know, that, you know, the company's mission and vision statement, you know, who all the people are, who are at the top, you know something about them. You've, you've researched what the company or organization is up to. You've looked into what challenges they are facing. Let me tell you most impressive interviews I've ever sat in on are those where someone pointed out. I know that you're challenged by, I know one of the problems your organization is facing is, and I've thought about how we might address those challenges or problems, whether they offer a workable solution. Isn't even the point they've put enough thought in and effort into understanding the organization, that they have some idea of what we're facing. And they have some solutions to offer perhaps a different perspective, a different point of view from which to look at the problem, that person's more than likely going to get a second look, if not hired. So the biggest mistake that you can make if you were preparing for an interview is to think that the interview is about you because it isn't, of course it is, but it isn't. It's about what can you do for them? That's what they want to know. Do you understand this job? And can you do this job? And furthermore, are you someone that we would like to work with? So all of that goes into whether or not you get selected for the job. And it isn't about what you want. You know, too many people in answer to the question, why are you interested in this job? Which is the question that you might be asked in an interview, too many people make it about themselves? Well, I've reached the point in my career where I'm ready for a challenge and I want to change. And I think yada yada, and they make it about themselves. They don't care about that. I don't care if you're ready for a challenge. So you want to make it about, well, I saw in the, in the job description that you were looking for someone who could fill in the blank with whatever it is that you're referring to. And I know I can do that. I've done that in the past, or I've been trained to do it in the future. I know I can do that. You also want to present your very best self. So you want to pay attention to your appearance, whether you're in person or on zing, you want to dress professionally. Whether you're in person or on zoom, you want to look like you're ready for the job. And you want to smile when it's appropriate and be serious when it's appropriate. But mainly you want to be likable. I've heard it said that people who are really expert in a field, but are seemingly uptight or have some sort of personality issue, there are less likely to be hired than the person who maybe doesn't have all the prerequisites, but has most of them and comes across as likable and easy to work with. They're looking for someone who will fit in with them, who will be an asset to their organization. If you can demonstrate that you would be someone who can fit in and be an asset that moves you closer to being selected. So don't make the mistake of thinking that the interview is just about you. Like I said, it is, but it isn't at the end of the day, what people really want to know is what can you do for them? And in order for you to be able to articulate clearly what it is that you can do for them, you have to know everything you possibly can about who they are, what they do, what their main mission is, how they operate and how you can take over this job. That's currently open and make it yours while also making yourself an indispensable asset. So don't overlook, reading the job descriptions, and don't make the mistake of thinking that the interview should you get. One is only about you. You've got to make it about them and what you can do for them. If you want to make a lasting good impression, that's it for today, have a wonderful week. Stay well, say, stay safe. I'll see you next week. So there you have it. An episode of teachers in transition. I hope you enjoyed the information and I hope you'll plan to come back. Please subscribe to teachers in transition so that you can be alerted of future episodes. And let me know if you have any questions or topics that you would like me to specifically cover in a future episode, I'm more than happy to help with individual questions as well. So email me at kitty boy, not at boys, not coaching.com. If you are interested in finding a new career or just enjoying your life more, this is the place to start. I'm kitty Boitnott and this is teachers and transition.