Quintessential Careers Press:
The Quintessential Guide to Storytelling that Propels Careers
Chapter 8: Interviews That Tell a Story
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Most career experts agree that few interviewees prepare adequately for interviews. In 1995, Barone and Switzer went so far as to note that, while college students spend in excess of 4,000 hours studying and attending class to prepare for their career, the average interviewee spends less than an hour preparing for a job interview. These experts also agree on the reason for the lack of preparation -- job-seekers have no idea what questions will be asked in interviews, so they assume there is no way to prepare. Finally, career authors agree that this typical job-seeker rationale for lack of preparation is faulty because interview questions -- or at least general areas of interview questions -- actually can be predicted to some degree, and lists of frequently asked interview questions are available in any number of books, articles, and on numerous Web sites. [See our Interview Question Database and lists of interview questions.]
Agreeing that it is impossible to predict exactly what questions a given interviewer will ask of a job-seeker, interviewing guru Carole Martin nevertheless notes that "the secret to success in any interview is preparation." Author Tom Washington points out that since so few job-seekers prepare for interviews, those who do will "gain a real edge over others through preparation."
Career experts are virtually unanimous in their view that responses to interview questions should not be memorized but should nonetheless be prepared -- in some fashion -- ahead of time.
You’re probably aware of advice suggesting that job-seekers review lists of typical questions to gain an idea of what types of information the interviewer likely seeks. Taking this advice a step further, you can use these question lists to organize your thoughts about high points you want to share with employers and develop a list of what characteristics might be needed for success in the position for which you are interviewing. You can also engage in verbal mock or rehearsal interviews [See our article, Best Bet for Interview Prep: Rehearsed, Mock, and Videotaped Interviews]; however, Janet Emig points out that "writing tends to be a more responsible and committed act than talking."
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