Alan Carniol is the Founder of InterviewSuccessFormula.com, an online training program that helps job seekers deliver powerful answers that prove why they are the right person for the job. Follow Alan and Interview Success Formula on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Imagine sitting in a job interview. You're already nervous. You know you have something to contribute. You really admire the company. However, when the interviewer asks you to tell them about yourself, you buckle. You realize telling your story in person is quite difficult. You stumble or forget the most important pieces of your personal story, potentially damaging your interview experience. Now what?
We create stories about ourselves in mere minutes online in social profiles or blog "about" pages. Why is it so hard to tell the same story in person? Perhaps the solution is to merge your two stories, your online self and offline self, together in order to optimize your image. The following are a few tips that can help you to craft a compelling personal story for job interviews.
Your Two Stories
According to Rafe Gomez, author of What's In It For Me: A Powerful New Interview Strategy to Get Hired In Today's Challenging Economy, the trick is to create validations.
"The online story — blog posts, articles, etc. — should validate the assertions and promises made in the offline story — resume — if you're seeking to leave a positive and memorable impression in a job interview. For instance, if you're presenting yourself in interviews as being an experienced sales executive who has delivered results for your employers, your online story should support this assertion,†Gomez says.
Further, blending the two stories will back up any career history claims you've made during the interview. "Online mentions of, references about, or discussion of your accomplishments will serve to legitimize your offline claims, and make it indisputable that you could be an invaluable addition to your interviewer's organization.â€
Consistency
According to TheLadders job search expert Amanda Augustine, making the two as similar as possible can make telling your story more interesting.
"Your online presence and interview responses give you a chance to provide more color to your career history. You can go into more detail and really show your passion for a particular industry or company in ways that aren't possible in a resume. However, the bottom line is that both stories should be similarly positioned,†Augustine says.
Look at your interview story as a way to "sell" your accomplishments, strengths and motivations to the interviewer. By doing so, you clearly show why you're worthy of the position.
"Remember that as a job seeker, you must develop a personal advertising campaign to tell prospective employers and recruiters what you're great at and passionate about, and how that's of value to an organization. Your online presence, resume, and how you pitch yourself during networking events and interviews are all components of this campaign. Each of these components needs to tell one consistent story to build a strong personal brand,†Augustine explains.
Be Sure Your Story Checks Out
A recent JobVite survey indicated nearly four out of five hiring managers and recruiters check candidates' social profiles. It's possible you will be researched online before your interview. If your offline story does not match your online one, the interviewer may challenge you.
"Before an interview, make sure you Google your name so you know what any recruiter or hiring manager will see when they search for you (and trust me, they will). If any damaging results show up, now you have a chance to try and remove them or at least prepare a response for the interview. The worst thing you can do is look surprised or taken off guard when an interviewer challenges your story based on something they found online," says Augustine.
It's also important to spin the conversation back to your accomplishments if things start to go sour. According to George Dutch of JobJoy, flush out concern by asking what caught their attention and if they have any specific concerns about your capabilities.
"Understanding the interview as a risk assessment exercise helps you respond appropriately to these kinds of challenges. It's not personal — they don't know you — it's them doing their due diligence," Dutch says.
Creating your interview story in a digital era means more than telling the interviewer about yourself. Merge your online and offline stories to create a more cohesive story. Doing so helps the interviewer understand why you're right for the job.
