The Three-Step Process is important for understanding that the interview question being asked is often an attempt to discover underlying information. You can provide that information in an effective way by using the four-step Prove-It Technique:
1. Present a concrete example: People relate to and remember stories. Saying you have a skill is not nearly as powerful as describing a situation where you used that skill. The example should include enough details to make sense of the who, what, where, when, and why.
2. Quantify: Whenever possible, use numbers to provide a basis for what you did. For example, give the number of customers served, the percent you exceeded quotas, dollar amounts you were responsible for, or the number of new accounts you generated.
3. Emphasize results: Providing some data regarding the positive results you obtained is important. For example, you could state that sales increased by 3 percent over the previous year or profits went up 50 percent. Use numbers to quantify your results.
4. Link it up: Although the connection between your example and doing the job well may seem obvious to you, make sure it is clear to the employer. A simple statement is often enough to accomplish this.
If you do a thorough job of completing the activities in chapter 2, providing proof supporting the skills you discuss in an interview should be fairly easy.
- No matter what type of interview you face, you must stay focused on conveying the job skills you have in order to be successful.
- There are several things you should do to have a successful interview, including make a good impression, answer tough questions well, and follow up after the interview.
- By using the Three-Step Process, you can handle any interview question. First make sure you understand what is really being asked, then briefly respond to the question in a non-damaging way, and finally present your related job skills to answer the true question.
- To support the skills you discuss in interviews, you can use the Prove- It Technique. To use the Prove-It Technique, you give examples for, quantify, and list results for each job skill you present. You also must be able to relate your job skills to the position you are applying for.