The candidate should identify unique selling points in each of the requirements or competences of the job. From your unique selling points develop a simple, easily communicated statement of your unique selling proposition (USP)
[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Take time to reflect on this scenario. You have written your application, motivation statement and curriculum vitae so well that you earned yourself a position to the job short-list. You have been invited for a competence based interview. How well do you present your competences to the interview panel?
I’ve seen so many brilliant candidates dive straight into the interview question before first reflecting on “what is this question about? What competence or skill is it testing? They fail to determine where they are going in the presentation of their response and the panel is left wondering what is next. I’ve also seen many candidates trail off at the end, without coming around ‘full circle’ from the point they started with to reiterate the key points. In some instances the candidates even forget the question in the midst of their response. The following questions will help you make an impressive presentation to the interview panel
- Are you able to discern what competence the interview question is examining?
- Does your introduction grab the panel’s attention and explain your motivation?
- Are the main points in your response ordered in a logical sequence?
- Is your conclusion strong and is it tied or tagged to the requirements of the job?
In this article I will attempt to take you through these important questions and provide you with tips on how to sail through the interview process
The first question
The preliminary steps in the interview process are fairly standard. The Panel Chair will welcome you, offer you a seat and make a few welcome remarks. He or she sometimes makes a few pleasantries to make you feel comfortable.
The Chair will introduce the interview panel members, their names, titles, and roles on the panel. He or she will then explain the interview process and thereafter go on to ask the first question. The first question will invariably take one of the following formats:
- Tell us about yourself.
- Why do you think you are the most suitable person for this job?
What is the interview question about?
Are you able to discern what competence the interview question is examining? When the interview panelists ask you to talk about yourself, they are giving you an opportunity to market your abilities and experiences in relation to the job. They will have usually read your curriculum vitae (CV) and are therefore not expecting you to recite the content of your CV.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Rather, the panelists want you to market your competences or skills and bring out your unique selling points vis a vis the job requirements.In a few minutes the candidate is expected to articulate his or her unique skills and previous experiences and how these relate to the competences required of the advertised job. The candidate should focus on what he or she has done in the past and how this is or will be relevant to the job he is being interviewed for. If the candidate wrote a good motivation statement as part of the job application, this should be the source of his or her answers for this question. The key point here is for the prospective employee to communicate how his or her skills and past experience will be brought to bear on his or her future job.
Does your introduction grab the panel’s attention and explain your motivation?
Your response to the question “Tell us about yourself” or “Why do you think you are most suitable person for the job will very likely grab the attention of the interview panelists if it presents a clear value proposition. When interviewers ask you why you think you are the best candidate for the job, they are essentially asking you to make a value proposition. They are asking what you are bringing to the table that adds value to the business of the organization or company you want to join. In creating a strong value proposition the candidate needs to be familiar with the requirements of the job for which he or she is sitting the interview. It is important that the candidate has studied and internalized the expectations of the employer and the competencies (knowledge, skills, and behavior) required of the job. Your value proposition should therefore be created based on the job description and your past experience in demonstrating the competencies required of the job.
Are the main points in your response ordered in a logical sequence?
In interviews what would be a good response can be diluted by a haphazard or disorganized presentation. It is therefore important that your response follows a logical sequence that takes the panelists from the context in which the response is derived, through the actions the candidate was involved in or undertook in relation to a defined situation, to the results that the candidate obtained or achieved and the experiences or lessons learnt through the entire process. In other words the candidate should ‘travel a journey of accomplishment or experiences’ with the interview panelists from beginning to the end.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Is your conclusion strong?
An oratory in the interview room will come to naught if it is not ended with a strong conclusion. Let us assume the candidate has articulately narrated the context of his response, given the various actions and a contribution he or she made in a given situation and has also alluded to the results achieved and lessons learnt in the process. So what? A response is only as good as its conclusion.
A candidate should conclude his or her response by articulating or re-articulating his or her unique selling proposition. Your unique selling proposition or USP is that unique attribute, characteristic or quality you can offer that makes you stand out of the crowd of the rest of the competitors. It is your ‘competitive edge’. The candidate should identify unique selling points in each of the requirements or competences of the job. From your unique selling points develop a simple, easily communicated statement of your unique selling proposition (USP). It is this USP that will give your potential employer the reason to select you as the most suitable candidate for the job. Drive your unique selling proposition ‘home’ by ‘tying it to the requirements of the job. When you present your USP, it must be something that really matters to prospective employer. There’s no point presenting very strong points in competences that your prospective employer does not care about.
For example a candidate who had raised USD 4 million in a fund raising drive he coordinated in his previous employment made the following value proposition for a job that required the successful candidate to mobilize resources for the installation of a new plant. “This organization is looking for resources to install a new plant. This requires a person with resource mobilization skills. In my previous job I coordinated the fund raising drive that raised USD 4 million for a new children’s ward. I will bring this skill to bear on the organization’s need to raise funds for the new plant”. In this example the candidate’s selling point is the ‘skill’ on resource mobilization. He uses the skill to make a value proposition i.e. “I will bring this skill to bear on the organization’s need to raise funds for the new plant”.
For more information about presenting your competences to the interview panel visit our Email coaching program at http://www.expressexpertise.com/lesson/getting- started/ and make a coaching request
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