How long has it been since you prepared for a job interview?
According to a January 2022 report from Statistics Canada, the average tenure for a job is approximately 8.5 years.
Interestingly, of the six executives I’m working with this week, four haven’t had to interview for a job in 20+ years.
Each professional has been with the same employer their entire career. They’ve each been recruited, hired, selected and promoted multiple times within the same organization. The same can be true for executives who have been ‘cherry-picked’ by industry leaders without having to do a formal interview.
We can debate the rationale behind this (likely networking, strong career and brand management) but the fact remains there are many people out there who believe they’d do well in an interview when given the chance.
Here’s what I’ve seen in my interview coaching program.
People need:
✅ A plan – something to organize their thoughts and keep them grounded in the interview.
✅ Key messaging – that helps them stay on point to share “relevant to the employer” messaging.
✅ Time to practice – sharing their stories in a way that feels genuine verus stiff and robotic.
✅ Confidence boost – a reminder they aren’t ‘pleading’ for a job, they’re educating companies on why they are the top candidate.
✅ Time to remember – they have forgotten a lot of their accomplishment stories, simply because they’ve moved on to the next task. They need time to remind themselves of their achievements so they’re not drawing a blank in the interview.
✅ Blind spot check – a chance to learn about red flags, negative questions, avoiding emotional trigger questions (bad bosses, difficult experiences) and how they might handle their toughest interview question.
✅ Brush up on video cues – how to create the personal connection when you are screen-to-screen.
These are just a few items I’ve noticed. What might you add?
Related Categories: Interview Strategy, Job Search
About The Author
Maureen McCann is an award-winning career coach, master resume writer, and master certified interview, employment, and career strategist whose clients include C-level executives, managers, and professionals in all industries including the Canadian banking, oil and gas, healthcare, IT, and government sectors.