I receive a regular email newletter from Gary Burnison, the CEO of Korn Ferry, one of the top 5 executive recruitment companies in the world. This week’s newletter shared the story of a friend’s child… who absolutely bombed in a recent interview.
You can sign up for Gary’s regular newsletter here: https://www.kornferry.com/subscribe/hr-newsletter
I’ll focus on the specific part of his newsletter where he shares how you can prepare yourself for any interview:
over to Gary… “
What interviewers want …
Whenever I interview people, there are specific qualities I’m looking for—the 4Hs.
- Hunger. It’s what wakes us up before the alarm clock—not just to get a job, but to make an impact.
- Hustle. It quashes pedigree every time.
- Heart. It’s where inspiration lives—where passion meets compassion.
- Humility. It is the grace that whispers, “It’s not about you.”
Even when we have a handle on what interviewers are looking for, there are still unknowns. The interview intangibles.
What candidates can do …
Chance absolutely favors the prepared mind.
For every interview—whether on screen, in person, or even when sharing a video—we must be prepared to be a storyteller and deliver a message about:
- Who we are
- What we’ve done
- Why we want to work there
- And always have questions for the interviewer at the ready
The most common thing I hear when people come to me for interview advice is—what will they ask, what will the questions be?
My advice? The questions don’t really matter—it’s our preparation that really counts.
We can’t control the interviewer or the questions, but we can always pivot to our preparation. No matter the question, it’s always our Who, What, and Why.
This is not reading lines off a teleprompter or memorizing a script. For every question asked, though, we can always find a way to weave our story into virtually any answer.
Keep in mind, it’s not just the interviewer who is evaluating us. We are also evaluating them. This is a two-way street—and it needs to be a fit for everyone.
As one executive shared with me just the other day: “The pitch may need to change, but who I am does not.”
And that’s what really matters.
” that’s all from Gary
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