Big interviews are wonderful and overwhelming at the same time. You probably have a lot of questions running through your head. 

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• What will they ask me?

• How should I respond?

• What if I don’t know the right answer?

• What if don’t connect with the interviewer?

• How will I know if it’s going well?

• What if I ramble or forget something on my resume?

• What if I look and sound like I’m nervous?

• What if I have to interview in front of a group?

• What do they really want to hear?

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Slow down. There are really only five simple steps to preparing the right way for a big interview. If you follow these steps your questions will answer themselves.

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1. Determine the stories define you.

2. Craft them into compelling narratives.

3. Research the company and the role for alignment.

4. Prepare insightful questions.

5. Practice your responses.

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If you stay on this linear course of action you will become a standout interviewee and a top candidate. But this process takes time. It’s in your best interest to start early and be certain you're ready for that big interview.

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1 - It’s important that you discover the stories from your experience that truly resonate with you. Start with the three most important: the Mentor Story, the Reluctant Leader Story, and the Overcoming Challenges Story. You probably have multiple stories that fall into each of these categories. Having too many stories can be as overwhelming as not having enough. Start with the three that matter the most to you. These are the experiential stories that will stay with you when interview nerves try to take control.

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2 - Heartfelt stories matter, but only if they’re good stories. Each story has to have a bold opening that makes a statement about that particular experience. This is a personal characterization that comes from your perspective. Each story has to have three very clear pillars, or buckets, as we like to say. This story structure helps you to remember the flow of the story, and it gives your interviewer an understanding of where this story is going. Once you feel you’re done explaining the details you wrap things up by restating that bold opening statement.

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3 - Take the time to visit the company website and take some notes. Write down the keywords that appear most often in the headlines, and especially in the company’s mission statement. For the most current trends and initiatives, go to the company’s Social Media channels and read their blog posts. Now compare the dozen or so keywords to the nouns and adjectives that are a part of your chosen stories.  Look for a moment in the telling of any story where you can drop in a reference to a current trend or initiative. When you prepare this ahead of time, it’s not so hard to do in your interview.

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4 - Use the knowledge you’ve gained from your research to fashion at least two insightful questions to ask at the end of your interview. Be very careful to not make your questions to broad or too binary. Give the interviewer room to share a bit of their company experience in their response.

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5 - Hoping for the best is not a good interview strategy. You have to become very comfortable using your stories as the answers to very common questions. You also have to practice recognizing the true intention of a any question, even those sticky technical and behavioral questions. 

Luckily, your Interview Buddha Training Program gives you 24/7 access to the Practice Zone. With over 170 reloaded interview questions, you won’t have to settle for playing a good interview game in your head. The multiple role play scenarios and interviewer personas make it easy to mold your self into a standout candidate.

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Click HERE for a free initial consultation.