Career Resume Consulting Blog

How to prepare for behavioral job interview questions

It’s a question which is amongst the most commonly asked interview questions and can seem quite innocent at first, but could actually be the most important interview question that you will ever answer.

Many of my clients ask "Are there good questions to ask at an interview?" Think of it like this: interviews are a two-way street. It's not just about the interview questions they ask you, or what they think of you, but how well your prospective employer matches up for you. So there is a point, usually toward the end of an interview, when the tables are turned and the interviewer asks "Do you have any questions?" It's time to see this as an opportunity for you to figure out whether you would be happy in this role, working for this employer and whether the company goals over the coming years are aligned with your career goals.

Today, I would like to share with you something I tell every one of our clients when we work with them; it is imperative, if you are actually going to win the job -- especially if you are to get a job created for you -- that your next employer perceives you as not just a winning candidate, but actually an investment that will pay off big time.

In a recent speaking engagement, someone asked me, “If you had one piece of advice on how to get past a phone interview and get the face to face interview, what would you recommend?”

Today I’d like to hit on some learnings I gleaned from re-reading a classic book on persuasion: “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.” The author, Dr. Robert Cialdini, is considered the father of the science of persuasion (and I bet you didn’t even know that existed!).

Imagine walking into an interview for an executive position at a $2 Billion dollar company dressed in shorts, sandals and a t-shirt, holding a red Solo cup. You’d be out of there in a few seconds, escorted by a security officer at each elbow.