Why Should They Hire You?
IDENTIFY YOUR SELLING POINTS
Before you can intelligently organize and practice your responses to anticipated interview questions, it is a good idea to undertake:
An inventory of your professional accomplishments to date; and
An inventory and analysis of your transferable skills. (Remember that your transferable skills do not have to come only from your work life; you can use experiences and skills gained from other areas such as school, volunteer activities, etc.)
You likely have already started thinking about this while drafting your "Menu Resume" master document. When you are done, note which of your skills also appear at or near the top of the employer’s wish list for the target job. These skills are now your “must know” selling points that you need to communicate during your interview. While they are presumably already incorporated to some degree in your personal narrative and professional brand, your interview preparation should focus on highlighting these skills as they relate to this particular job.
At a Minimum, Ask Yourself Two Questions...
“If there are 100 lawyers in my field and at my level together in a room, what are five skills or competencies (relevant to the job for which you are interviewing) that all would be expected to have?” Make sure that you can speak confidently about these skills and that you can point to specific accomplishments or experiences concerning these skills.
“If there are 100 lawyers in my field and at my level together in a room, what distinguishes me? What am I exceptionally good at? How am I different?” Think about qualities and skills that are not necessarily obvious from your resume. Also, think about those qualities and skills that are listed on your resume but which “come to life” when you discuss them.
The Candidate Selling Points Exercise will help you to identify and sell your skills and competencies during an interview.
THE BIG THREE QUESTIONS EVERY INTERVIEWER WANTS ANSWERED
Three very basic, but critically important, questions lurk just beneath the surface of every interview:
Do I like this person? Would I (and the rest of the team) want to work with this person? (Likeability)
Can this person fill my organization’s needs? (Capability)
Why is this person here today? (Credibility)
These “Three Big Questions” – whether asked directly or not – are at the heart of every interview. It is your job to ensure that you give your interviewer the answers to all three of these questions before your interview is over.
1. Likeability
You want the interviewer to view you as somebody who is a cultural fit for the organization. To some extent, this varies by interviewer and organization, but most interviewers look for someone who, at a minimum, is pleasant, has a positive attitude, is team-focused and has good interpersonal skills. You’ll also need to show that you can represent the group or department well externally and contribute positively to the group dynamic within that organization.
2. Capability
The interviewer needs to see that you possess the most important hard and soft skills required for the position.
"Hard skills" are traditionally thought of as those that are tangible and quantifiable (e.g. analytical, writing and research skills).
"Soft skills" are less quantifiable and include, for example, interpersonal skills, the ability to work as part of a team, creativity and leadership.
Remember, it is unlikely that anyone will have all of the skills listed in the job description, so focus mainly on those you have that are most critical to the position, as well as any skills which might provide an ancillary benefit to the organization. Do not waste time worrying about skills and experience that you lack; instead, focus on demonstrating that you have both the ability and the drive to learn quickly and on-the-job. Focus on your brand and the qualities that distinguish you from others.
3. Credibility
You want to answer the question, “Why is this person here today?” This includes the subtexts, “Is this person truly interested in this job, or does she just want a job (in which case she may leave when something better comes along)?” Credibility also addresses “Why does this person want to leave his current (or most recent) job, and will those same reasons cause him to leave our organization if we hire him?” Your mission is to use your personal narrative to answer these questions favorably. Your counselor can help you formulate your response.
THE BIG THREE IN PRACTICE
When an interviewer begins with the common “So tell me about yourself” question, consider this a gift: You can seize this chance to address all three of the “Three Big Questions” at once (and also to work in an outline of your “must know” selling points). Then, having set the stage, you can spend the rest of the interview adding all the details that support your statement. You should use this question as an opportunity to steer the conversation to let the interviewer know what kind of person you are.
Example: “Thanks for asking! [smiling, warm and relaxed, to show your Likeability]. If it’s okay, I’d like to give you a little bit of my background. If there’s more that you’d like to know, please tell me. I was a summer associate at ABC Firm, and I’ve worked there for the past five years since I graduated from XYZ Law School. I was fortunate to have great mentors and to learn a lot about tax law, especially on behalf of clients in the transportation industry [to show your Capability]. While I enjoy my work and my colleagues, I would love to work inside a company, rather than as outside counsel, so that I can more directly feel the impact of my contributions to the business. I’m especially excited about your company because of the things I’ve heard from my former classmate Jane Doe about ___, and also because of the work you’re doing in the ____ area.” [to show your Credibility] Then smile, pause and wait for the interviewer to ask follow-up questions.