Job Interviews: The Art of Self-Disclosure
CareerMakers clients often say that learning to tell success stories in job interviews is one of the most practical and powerful skills they have learned at CareerMakers. These stories have contributed to their success in becoming known to the interviewer (self-disclosure) and boosted their confidence because they now know how to prepare for interviews in a targeted manner.
Telling success stories in a job interview means that you are responsive to an interviewing technique known as “behavioral interviewing.” Many companies use this technique, and many hiring managers have had this training.
You know you are in a behavioral interview when the interviewer asks repeatedly “Give me an example when you wrote a company newsletter.” This means that you must come up with an example from your past which illustrates your newsletter-writing skills. “Give me an example = success story.”
The interviewer wants specific names, dates, skills, and results. Why? Because if you’ve done it in the past, you can do it again. Events from your life (all of your life) will determine whether or not you have the skills to do the job.
Most of us think we are articulate when we use phrases like “I’m good with people,” or, “I’m a good researcher,” or, “I’m a hard worker.” Although these statements sound attractive when presented by the candidate, they do not provide concrete information that both illustrates the skill or trait and proves the claim. Why should the interviewers believe those abstract self-descriptions when they are not backed up with successes or achievements?
In order to become an articulate and masterful candidate, you must build a file of stories to illustrate your skills and traits. Then, when you have a job interview coming up, simply go to your file and select the stories you know will best disclose your skills and traits clearly, powerfully, and appropriately,
This is known as the Art of Self-Disclosure. At CareerMakers you get to write your stories and do practice interviews so that you will, without a doubt, knock the socks their socks off in interviewing or proposing situations.
