Don't Skip Interview Prep

Job Interviews

June 18, 2024•3 min read

Want To Land Your Dream Job?

Don’t Skip Interview Prep

“What is interview preparation, and why should it be on my priority list?“

Let’s dive in:

Defining Interview Preparation: 📚

Interview preparation is researching, strategizing, and rehearsing before a job interview.

Preparation is about:

Understanding the job requirements.
Sniffing out the subtleties of the company culture.
Pinpointing how you can provide value to the company.

Hint: you have skills that are:

Not listed on the job posting.
But the company needs them.

In interviews, you want to show the hiring team how you can add value beyond the job description.

Here's why interview prep is essential:

1. Know yourself 💪

Identifying your strengths and weaknesses is crucial. Lean on your strengths. The more you talk about the topics you own, the more confident you sound.

And when it comes to weaknesses, don't hide them. Your weaknesses are the flipside to your strengths.

How so?

You've chosen to practice and strengthen certain skills.

Your time is limited, and focusing on some skills means neglecting other skills.
The skills you've neglected are called your “weaknesses.”

You've chosen to strengthen your strengths for a reason.

Get clear on that reason.

There's also a reason why you haven't worked as hard to develop your weak areas.

Get clear on that reason.

Your clarity will show confidence, and that's what hiring teams want.

At the same time, keep in mind that you can always strengthen your weaknesses more in the future. Stay open to that possibility.

2. Questions ❓

Anticipate questions your interviewers may ask you. You can google lists of common interview questions, or use AI to help brainstorm a list based on the job posting.

For each question, write out a 3-bullet answer. Practice saying those answers with a friend or coach.

Keep the answers short, and invite the interviewer to ask more questions or share their opinion.

Focusing on short answers and inviting the interviewer to talk will help you stay relaxed. You'll establish a better rapport with them.

3. The Art of Listening:👂

Interviewing isn't just about talking. It's about actively listening too.

Listening is the hardest “soft skill” there is. It takes genuine presence to actually hear what the other person is saying — instead of silently trying to figure out what you should say next.

Start by asking yourself this question, over and over: “Who do I want to be right now?

“It's way more important than “What should I say next?”

If you know who you want to be, you'll know exactly what to say.

Takeaway

Interview preparation is a journey that starts long before the interview and continues even after it.

“Job Interviews” are everywhere. Whenever you meet someone for the first time…

At a party
At a conference
At your favorite coffee shop

They're subtly interviewing you, just like you're doing with them.

If you master job interviews, you've also mastered networking and relationship-building.

It's about introspection, practice, and curiosity. Never stop learning.

With each moment of interview prep, you grow, not just as a professional, but as a person.

Trust the process, my friend.

Warmly,

Dave Wolovsky
Your Career Growth Engineer

More Resources

Free Job Interview checklist: Click Here
Job Seeker Services: Click Here
Free pay raise script: Click Here
Personalized Salary Data Report: Click Here

Dave Wolovsky

I was home schooled until 13 years old. Always a quiet introvert. Overly sensitive to others' discomfort. I was scared to ask for things. Waited for others to offer. Waited and waited. After a horrible job experience... ⚠️ Strangled by my own anxiety. ⚠️ Desperate to impress my bosses. ⚠️ "Stuck it out" until I got physically ill. I realized I needed to grow as a person. To ask for what I needed. To persuade with empathy. To negotiate without conflict. I dove deep into understanding people: ▪︎ Neuroscience (got a masters in it) ▪︎ Positive psychology (a certification) ▪︎ Negotiation (books, courses, teaching). Then I realized lots of people had difficulties like me. And I became committed to helping people get paid what they're worth. An early client got a $35k raise, while cutting back to a 4-day workweek. I wrote down everything we did. Conversations along the way. The mistakes along the way. I created a set of principles. Called it "Empathic Influence & Negotiation." Applied it to salary negotiations. Applied it to job interviews. Applied it to networking. And then I found Mindfulness. That added some next level juice. I created the "Mindful Sprint" process. And now I help talented introverts become Mindful Sprinters. This kind of personal growth creates: ✓ Better job opportunities. ✓ Higher compensations. ✓ Stronger boundaries. Without creating: 🚫 Confrontational situations. 🚫 Resentful relationships. 🚫 Suffocating stress. We navigate social complexities: ▪︎ Being a team player, not a pushover. ▪︎ Asking for a raise collaboratively. ▪︎ Making your value fully visible. With me, you're not getting an extroverted former CEO. I won't insist that you have to "command the room." You ARE getting a partner to help you: ▪︎ Shine a floodlight on your value. ▪︎ Stay authentically introverted. ▪︎ Meet you where you're at. Expect to be empowered: ▪︎ Do things you've never done before. ▪︎ Learn the science of negotiation. ▪︎ Experience true mindfulness.

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I was home schooled until 13 years old.

Always a quiet introvert.

Overly sensitive to others' discomfort.

I was scared to ask for things.

Waited for others to offer.

Waited and waited.

After a horrible job experience...

⚠️ Strangled by my own anxiety.

⚠️ Desperate to impress my bosses.

⚠️ "Stuck it out" until I got physically ill.

I realized I needed to grow as a person.

To ask for what I needed.

To persuade with empathy.

To negotiate without conflict.

I dove deep into understanding people:

▪︎ Neuroscience (got a masters in it)

▪︎ Positive psychology (a certification)

▪︎ Negotiation (books, courses, teaching).

Then I realized lots of people had difficulties like me.

And I became committed to helping people get paid what they're worth.

An early client got a $35k raise, while cutting back to a 4-day workweek.

I wrote down everything we did.

Conversations along the way.

The mistakes along the way.

I created a set of principles.

Called it "Empathic Influence & Negotiation."

Applied it to salary negotiations.

Applied it to job interviews.

Applied it to networking.

And then I found Mindfulness.

That added some next level juice.

I created the "Mindful Sprint" process.

And now I help talented introverts become Mindful Sprinters.

This kind of personal growth creates:

✓ Better job opportunities.

✓ Higher compensations.

✓ Stronger boundaries.

Without creating:

🚫 Confrontational situations.

🚫 Resentful relationships.

🚫 Suffocating stress.

We navigate social complexities:

▪︎ Being a team player, not a pushover.

▪︎ Asking for a raise collaboratively.

▪︎ Making your value fully visible.

With me, you're not getting an extroverted former CEO.

I won't insist that you have to "command the room."

You ARE getting a partner to help you:

▪︎ Shine a floodlight on your value.

▪︎ Stay authentically introverted.

▪︎ Meet you where you're at.

Expect to be empowered:

▪︎ Do things you've never done before.

▪︎ Learn the science of negotiation.

▪︎ Experience true mindfulness.