Interview Skills Take Work to Master

There is no doubt interview skills take work to master. How would you rank your interview skills?

OUR CLIENT’S INTERVIEW SKILLS STORY

“I thought I was pretty darn good at interviewing,” he said. “I’m not sure what’s happening. It seems like they all go really well. But I’m not getting the job.”



I originally spoke with this client six months earlier. He had just been let go. The new CEO came in and wanted his own CFO, a typical playbook. They gave him a severance, offered him outplacement which he declined out of pride. He was convinced that he would land something quickly that was just as good if not better.

Fast forward six months. He called back.

“How many interviews have you had?” I asked.

He thought for a moment. “I think 5 that went past the phone screen to an on-site. I only made the finalist round for one. Is that just the normal” he asked.

“Normal is hard to define,” I said. “What I can say is employers will usually select 4 or 5 candidates for on-site visits. If you’ve had 5 chances and didn’t land an offer then you are performing below the curve.”

“Can you help me change that?” he asked.

“We can,” I assured. It took a lot of work but we were able to help him improve his skills in many different areas. A few big changes but mostly a lot of small ones. Those add up, especially with stiff competition. He landed two offers soon after.