Build my career series part 3: Interviewing

TIMOTHY KLECKER: Hello, everyone, and welcome to the third part of our Build My Career discussion series presented by the U.S. Bank Goals Coaching Team. In the first part of this series, we discuss something we call career pathing. How to determine where it is that you want your career to lead. What are some of your strengths, and how do you leverage them to create a personal brand for yourself that's going to help you along the way? 
The second section, we talked about how you can build a resume, which is a personal brochure for yourself. A resume is a perfect tool not to help you get a job, but to help you land an interview, which is what we're going to be talking about in this next section. 
My name is Tim Klecker. I'm a certified master life coach through Transformation Academy with special emphasis on goal setting and goal achievement. Every day, me and my fellow coaches meet with clients to discuss the importance of goal setting, helping them put structure to whatever plans that they have, and create measurable action steps as they work towards that level of achievability. 
Of all the clients that I've worked with with a goal like Build My Career, I can confidently say that the most nerve-wracking part of a goal like this is the interviewing process. And it makes perfect sense why. For many of us, we may walk into a room or maybe be on opposite sides of a computer screen with a total stranger. 
And we're supposed to sit there as they ask us a bunch of questions, things that we're not sure how to even answer half of the time as we sit there twiddling our thumbs, having to come up with confident responses on the spot as they judge us, as they take notes, as they try to see if we fit inside the position that they are questioning people about. Of course that's nerve-wracking. 
However, it is also an amazing opportunity for us to be able to put our best foot forward and show that we are indeed the best candidate for the role. It just may take a little bit of preparation, which is what we hope to cover with you today. 
Now there are three parts to preparing for a job interview. Before we start even doing the first section, I want to tell you, congratulations, because you know what? You made it. You got an interview. All the work you've put in so far with deciding which direction you want to go, doing some self-reflection on what it is that makes you special, and getting that resume put together and then applying for the job, that's a lot of work in itself, and all of it was for you to get here. 
This is the championship match. This is where you put everything out on the field. You leave it all on the court. So if you've gotten this far, take a breath. Pat yourself on the back and know that you've actually achieved quite a bit already in this journey. 
But the first thing that we want to encourage you to do when you're preparing for the job interview is to research the company. Most employers, corporations, companies, they want to hire people who have similar values to them because they know that they will become loyal employees. They know they will be motivated to fulfill the mission of the company. So it's important that you understand, what does this company stand for? What drives them? What are their goals? How have they performed over the last number of years? Do I really want to be a part of this company? Will I be proud to say that I am an employee here? 
It's also important for you to know if their values align with your own. It doesn't feel very good to have a job if every day when you wake up and go there, you're not happy because of the company culture, because of the team culture, whatever may come into play. Your values do matter in this. And if you aren't 100% sure what your values are, I encourage you to think back to that career pathing section of this series. it May be possible that you need to sit down, spend some time reflecting, maybe work with a coach. I know a couple of them might be able to help and I'll share more about that later. 
Researching the company also allows you to come up with and craft some good questions that you can bring to the interview. Having those good questions shows the interviewer that you've been paying attention, that you know a little bit about the company, that maybe there's some more that you want to understand on a deeper level than what's just out there in the public, or more about that particular business line. 
If this is an internal position that you're applying for or you're looking for promotion, do research on that business line or on that department, and you can apply the same strategy to that. It'll come off making you look really good, making you look competent as you walk into that interview, and you can have some questions planned. 
The next part is, again, where we get a lot of people being nervous, which is preparing for the questions that you're going to be asked. Think about the interviewer. Think about what it's going to be like for them to sit across from you and to ask these questions. What are they really trying to get out of you? 
That's something that's important to remember as you go through all of these example questions that I'm about to show you. They are asking you a question. They're proposing a question to you. And your answer is supposed to show them in one way, shape, or form why you are the best candidate for this role as they see that they need somebody for that role? 
Let's go through some of these questions, the more common questions. I've chosen six to cover with you, although there are many more that could come your way. But for the sake of this exercise, let's just touch on these six. The first one, tell me about yourself. There is so much behind this question, and that's because there is so much of you that makes you unique. 
At times, it is hard to come up with a short and sweet, yet informative answer for this question. Anybody who's ever been through an interview and has been given this question, they can probably say the exact same thing. What you want to do is answer directly and allow the interviewer, if they so choose, to ask some more follow-up questions or in-depth questions. 
Start with your name. Give your place information. Where are you from? Where do you currently reside? But make it really brief. Share possibly your education or even your most recent job experience. These can all be things that show that you are local, that you care, and here's what my background is. Right off the bat, you're sharing why you might be good for the role. 
So a couple don't suggestions that we have. Don't necessarily start answering this question with, I was born here. I like to sing. I have these kinds of interests. They may be insightful to you as a person, but are they relevant to you as an employee in the role that they're-- that you're interviewing for? 
Instead, a couple of things we might recommend that you consider, directly tell why you are qualified in about a two-minute little pitch. And let me give you an example. My name is Jane and I live in Alaska. As far as my educational qualification is concerned, I've graduated with honors, and I have two years of experience in accounting. I pay attention to detail, and I'm a great communicator. 
That is a very professional answer. It gives insight into your past, maybe covers good chunks of what's on your resume right in that first question, getting some of that out of the way. 
The next question that may be asked, what are your strengths? I'd encourage you, always start with your personal strengths. Again, this is something we covered in the career pathing section of this series. Are you hard-working, flexible, honest? What are the things that you have identified as values, and therefore, strengths when it comes to you? 
If you have take any sort of strengths assessment, like CliftonStrength Finders or any of the others that might be out there, feel free to share them. They want this insight, they're asking for what those strengths are, and it is to your credit that you can demonstrate you've actually done assessments about yourself to uncover these things. You're not just coming up with them on a whim, so it can be really well-reflected. If you haven't done strengths assessments, again, I encourage maybe go consider some. Might be pretty telling some things that you didn't even know about yourself. 
Don't be self-deprecating with this answer, and don't offer strengths that are irrelevant to the position, to the industry, to whatever you think is going on in this interview. Instead, talk about strengths that align with the role that you're applying for, showcase specific examples that demonstrate your strengths. Be prepared to maybe give a little bit of an insight on why you think that is a strength. 
And here's an example. I'm a punctual, self-motivated, energetic, and hardworking person who approaches work and life in an honest way. Do you see all those fun buzz strength words that are in there? Punctual, self-motivating, energetic? But then also, approaches work and life in an honest way. This is actually a really good instance and demonstration of how you can share those values. So what are your strengths? 
The next question, what are your career goals? Now some of us may be thrown off by this, especially if we're just starting our career. If you're fresh out of college, fresh out of some higher education, you may not necessarily know what your career goals are because it's just starting. But this question could also be translated in the form of something like, where do you see yourself five years from now? That's an important comparison. 
Stick to professional goals when you're being asked a question like this, not so much personal goals. Focus on, again, the position that you are currently applying for and how it can be a gateway to those longer-term goals. There is a difference between short-term goals and long-term goals. You don't have to pick one or the other. You actually can cite both of them in your answer. 
What not to do? My goal is to buy a particular car or my goal is to buy a house, my goal is to be married by this certain time. Those may be relevant to you, but they're not relevant to the person who's doing the interview, and it's not necessarily going to be pertinent to them deciding that you are the person they want in this role. Instead, talk about your desire to learn, to improve yourself through this position. Be as specific as possible. 
Example. My short-term goal is to be an accountant in your firm and utilize my skills and experience to improve my overall career path. My long-term goal is to become a certified CPA and hold a respectable position within your organization. 
Now the reality is, you don't necessarily know if you're going to be in that organization a decade or two decades from there, but as far as this time and place is concerned, this is where you've identified you want to work and that you might not be able to find a place to sustain yourself and grow and continue to become towards that long-term goal as much as possible. 
The next question. Why are you looking for a job change? This particular question stumbles a lot of people. This could also show up as, why are you looking to leave your current job? Or why did you leave your previous job? Talk about more than just your ability to earn money here. What you want to do is not show up as bitter or petty, especially if you currently working for the competitor of the company, or in the past have worked for somebody who was considered a competitor. 
Thank the previous organization. Share your reasons for the job change. Relate those changes to your career goals. This is forward thinking. This isn't ruminating about the past. It's about what you want in the future. 
So what are some things we recommend you don't do? Don't say anything negative about your previous employer, as I've mentioned, or the boss or the coworkers or the customers. That does not help your personal brand either. Instead, talk about looking for those new challenges in your career. Learning new skills or your eagerness to explore new industry. 
And here's an example. I'm thankful for my previous organization as I gained experience and I learned a lot. Side note, by the way, sometimes the things that you learn are what you don't want. So you can still be grateful and not feel like you're lying when you're giving this answer. 
I feel a change is necessary to continue to grow my skills, and my knowledge, and for my personal and financial growth. I believe your organization will allow me those opportunities. Hopefully you genuinely mean this. And if you've done the research, as I mentioned at the beginning of our conversation today, you should be trying to apply at jobs where you can genuinely feel this way. So your answer will be genuine. 
Next question. Why do you want to work for our company? Now that may sound similar to the last question, but it can be very different. Maybe it could be translated as, why should we hire you? Give me the reason why you should be the person that I choose amongst all the people who've applied and amongst all the people I am spending time interviewing for this role? Be prepared to use some of the learnings that you researched in the company which we mentioned to do before the interview. 
Explain what you like about this company. Share what you have researched about them and the industry and the position. What is exciting about that for you? What you're interested in. Maybe what you're curious about continuing to learn. Relate all of those above elements to the long-term career goals. So now you start to see that some of the answers in the previous questions, they do start to overlap. That's OK. You don't have to have completely unique, different answers for every question. They can strengthen and highlight and make a stronger foundation for overall what your motivation is. 
So what do we recommend you don't do? Don't show that you are only interested in the job because it happens to be available. I would extend this to, don't show that you're interested in this job because my mother or father worked for this company, or because it's close to home. It doesn't reflect, necessarily, that you are somebody who's committed or driven to succeed here. 
Also, don't express that you're only interested because of the pay that is listed. These are conditional reasons for why you might choose a job, but it's not going to be the thing that convinces them to consider seriously for the position. Instead, prepare yourself and read up on that company prior to the interview. Show that you are interested and are knowledgeable in that industry, at least as far as you have been educated or done your own research. 
And here's an example. I'd be proud to work for a company who leads their industry. When I read up on your company, I found that many people with similar skills as mine have found success here. I've always wanted to work and contribute to a company just like that. 
Next question-- of course, the one that many of us actually dread, even though it is probably one of the more important things we want to get information on-- what are your salary expectations? This one is tough. It's hard to put a dollar value sometimes on our expertise and our experience. We don't want to go too high in fear that we will maybe lose the opportunity. We also don't want to go too low and possibly leave some money on the table. 
As you start to answer this question, honor the silence that may exist between you and the interviewer. Once you respond, let them be the ones who potentially speak first and reply if they have any sort of, hey, that's close to what we were thinking. Maybe that's too low, maybe that's too high. Odds are they're not going to tell you if it's too low, so you want to be careful how you make this decision. 
But advocate for yourself. Know your value. Know the value of what you can do. Again, do some research and find out what other people are making in that industry. Ask them to share the salary ranges. What do they normally or on average pay somebody in this role? Show your willingness to be flexible in that conversation. 
So some things we recommend you don't do. Don't throw a number out there without having done that research, and don't share what you currently make. Any time you're talking about pay and a pay increase or what you might want to earn, what you're actually doing is you're trying to put a number on the value of what you're going to offer, not necessarily what you've already offered at another job in the past. I know that over the next year I will make X amount of dollars, and I have to live up to that salary amount. 
So you want that to also be something you know you're capable of living up to. And not overshooting it too far because then all of a sudden you may feel like a little bit of a failure or fraud if you're asking for a super high amount but don't know what it takes to actually earn that or to fulfill a role. 
Instead, one of the things we recommend doing, have a base number in mind based on the standards, and show that you are open to negotiating that salary. And here's example. Thank you for asking. I didn't see a salary range in the job posting. Are you able to share that with me? Or, based on my skill sets and experience, I'm looking to make a minimum base of, say, $50,000. These are all perfectly reasonable things to comment on with a question like this. Well, put some thought into it, and do some research if you're not sure. 
Now, how do you prepare for the job interview step number 3, after the interview is done, first off, take a breath. The interview is done. You've gotten through it like so many people get through interviews every single day. But when you're done doesn't mean that your efforts or your work or everything that you've built up to this point just stops. 
There are still things that you can do to give yourself a good reference to the person who did the interview. One of those is going to be following up with that employer, usually in the form of some sort of thank you note, or thank you email, or letter. Don't underestimate the impact that that kind of an element can have by you sending it to them. And let's go over what that might just look like. 
First off, writing a letter, you might think that this is a little bit difficult. Maybe it's a little bit corny, but I'm telling you right now, it will set you apart from others, especially when you can use the letter to reference things that happened in the interview. Make sure first and foremost that you get the name or the names of the people that were in the interview correct. If you are bad with remembering names, before you leave the interview, ask for business cards. That way you not only get the proper spelling, but you also have the proper address or contact information where you can send it to. And barring that, maybe look them up on LinkedIn. 
Also, start your email by thanking them for their time. Just interviewing people is not their job. They have probably plenty of other responsibilities to look into. So the fact that they took the time and met with you, that should be appreciated. 
Ensure the email is personalized and references specific details about the role that you gleaned from that interview. Again, another reason to possibly have some questions. If there was a standout moment in the interview, mention it, reference it, bring it back up. It's critical that the email doesn't look like it's a copy and paste. 
Keep the emphasis on the positive and state or restate your suitability for the role. Also, if there is the potential for a second interview, do not ask directly, but state your availability to meet again. If you look in the example before you, at the second-to-last bullet, I am available to meet with you any time should you have any further questions, and I look forward to hearing from you again. 
Make sure you keep your tone formal, and your grammar and your spelling should be perfect and very, very professional. Also, I recommend drafting the email, but not sending it right away. You can get into your head quite a lot, and you may have forgotten things, especially if there is a little bit of that excitement after the interview and a little bit of that adrenaline, you may have forgotten some really important elements. 
So draft the email, and then take some time. Take a break. Go do something else. Come back later. Read it again. Make sure it still represents what you want it to represent. Maybe make some amendments-- of course, checking the spelling and the grammar, and then you can go ahead and send it. If there are any spelling or grammar issues on there and there are ones that blatantly stand out, it may cost you the opportunity of the job. 
Lastly, I recommend sending it within 24, no more than 48 hours later. And there's reason for this. We don't know how many other people they may be interviewing. Keeping you in their memory is important, so you want to make this impact by sending an email like that. 
Now if any of the skills that we have discussed, whether it be preparing for the questions, doing some of the research, or even crafting this thank you email or letter afterwards, if any of that sounds like it's outside your level of comfort, you may benefit from working with a goals coach. 
This is a complimentary service. It costs you absolutely nothing, whether you're a customer or a non-customer. Everything we talk about stays confidential between you and the coach. Initially you have an option to schedule a 15-minute introductory session with a coach where you spend that time getting to know the coach and what is the cadence of the conversations that you're going to be having, what do the sessions look like going forward? 
Or, if you are already committed to going through with this process and partnering with them, you can schedule a full hour-long session. You'll go through the introductory stuff there as well, but within that hour, you will start to put some shape to your goals and hopefully have a document by the end of it that summarizes everything you've talked about and can be your starting point. 
Currently at the bank, we have six coaches, each of which has our own background and approach, but every one of us is committed to helping you make progress towards your goals. We absolutely encourage you to go to our site, read up on our individual bios, and consider scheduling with one of us. 
We are all trained in areas of behavioral science and goal achievement. We know what it takes to establish new habits, to maybe get rid of some of those less than helpful ones, to work on behaviors and limiting beliefs. And, of course, because we work for a bank, we have access to a variety of subject matter experts around some of the financial components that you may have as part of your goals. So whether your goals are professional, financial, or personal, we know that a goal coach can help, and we deeply hope that you consider connecting with us. 
With that, I want to thank you for joining us for this third installment of our Build My Career series that's been presented by the Goal Coaching Team. We hope that you will tune in for the previous sessions, the career pathing, or the resume building. And stay tuned, of course, for the fourth session, which is all about negotiating or navigating those job offers that may be given to you once the interview is done and you've been selected as the candidate, all of which are important to consider when you have a goal such as Build My Career. 
But until then, I want to encourage you, be good to yourself, consider what it is you want, and know that you are the one who is in charge of steering your own ship and writing your own story. I hope to see you and talk to you soon. Thanks.