3 Tips for a Winning Job Interview

Each spring and summer, lots of school counselors are graduating from school and looking for their first job or perhaps leaving one counseling job and looking for a new one. What do both of these things have in common? When interviewing for a job (of any kind) your first order of business is to sell yourself… in the job interview. I’m guessing that if you don’t love sales, then you don’t like interviewing for a job either.

The secret to being successful in any kind of sales is to create the proper mindset and this is also critical in a job interview. The word interview comes from a Latin word that means to see about each other and this is how you should look at the job interview. You and your prospective employer are seeing about each other and you should be just as curious about them as they are to learn about you. Here are some tips:

Practice asking questions: just as you should practice answering questions for the interview, you should also practice asking questions. Don’t leave it all to chance but instead be prepared with a list of questions which illustrate your interest in the problems and challenges the school faces and your ability to help solve those issues. One of the main questions a school wants answered is how will hiring you benefit the school, it’s programs and it’s staff?

Be prepared to share the character traits you exemplify: A wise employer will be interested in your character as much as your experience. Skill sets can be taught. Character not so much. An important piece of the equation is for you to be clear about your own mission and goals in addition to your skills and experience. Be ready to show how the mission and goals of the school are aligned with your own.

Showcase your ability to be an asset to the school: You will create confidence in your experience, expertise and talent. Remember, the school is not interested in what they can do for you, but what you can do for them and their students.