EP 76 : 3 coach-like strategies how to respond to open interview questions

Shownotes

“Tell me a bit about yourself!” That’s an interview question/prompter we all should be prepared for. Are you responding with a 10min story that starts at the big bang, potentially boring your interviewer and blowing the conversation right there? Or are you able to give a concise, memorable response? In this episode, I share a few powerful techniques from the toolkit of professional coaches that can help you give a concise, to-the-point response to this and most other open-ended questions!

The best professional coaches are super clear and concise in their messaging. This is a learned skill for most of us, including me.

I believe that these skills are very transferable to an interview situation.

I share three techniques in the episode:

1. Structure through labels

I share how we can turn a confusing stream of ideas into a structured share that the other party finds much easier to comprehend and record.

2. Length of Sharing

People get tired of listening to you quite quickly, even in a dedicated interview setting.

I share a general rule of thumb, how long we can talk safely and when it gets into yellow or even red zone.

3. The STAR model

The star model is a versatile simple framework to formulate statements in a crisp and comprehensible way. It is very helpful to structure a response to open, scenario-focused interview questions (“tell me a time when you had to delegate”)

When we apply these techniques, even in combination we create an amazing degree of clarity, for ourselves AND for the other person!