“Luck is where preparation and opportunity meet”. Nothing could be more accurate in terms of the interview process. First and foremost, the prep session before the interview is designed to put the candidate at ease and create a mental picture about what should take place during the interview. From the headhunters’ perspective, we do realize that many of our client employers are not very good at handling the interview process. Thus, we like to have a candidate as prepared as possible to minimize any potential downfalls that may occur.

In addition to covering standard interview questions, we generally try to find out what specific “hot buttons’ or other concerns rest in the mind of the prospective interviewer. We will provide as much detail as possible in this regard. Additionally, and on a more generalized basis, the prep will cover:

1. A candidate understanding their own profile: By this, we specifically mean that a candidate must look at their resume and career history objectively. What would you think about the career moves or changes a particular candidate made? What are the candidates’ significant strengths and specific weaknesses? A candidate should be very prepared to discuss both sides while maximizing the strengths and minimizing the weaknesses, or under the best of circumstances, leveraging the respective weaknesses into positives. We prep candidates so they can rehearse or “script” these responses. There is really no excuse for lack of preparation in this area as most interviews generally cover this topic in some format or another.

2. Selling Points: In addition to the discussion of candidates’ respective strengths, we strongly urge each candidate to prepare at least 3 significant accomplishments that they can use as “selling points’ for their candidacy. Candidates should take the time here to fully script out their responses. The responses should last no longer than 3 minutes per accomplishment and should focus and tie into the respective needs of the client employer. Do present these accomplishments on a generalized basis. The more detail the better as it makes the client employer see not only attention to detail, but specific attention to the bottom line.

3. Create Linkage with Questioning: Often times the most difficult part of the prep involves the creation of linkage. By rehearsing and scripting out the responses to questions a candidate knows are coming, they take a huge mountain of pressure off their shoulders. When the candidate does have the opportunity to ask questions of the client employers, they should ask questions which create a linkage between their specific accomplishments or strengths and solving of the employers problem or issue at hand. Candidates that can assert their questions and create a linkage back to their skill set on a highly conversational basis, tend to do significantly better in the interviews. Candidates must be able to set aside their nerves and truly listen to what the client employer is expressing, make the connection to their “arsenal of accomplishments”, and launch into a specific selling point solution from their background.

4. Expression of Interest/Closing the Sale: Nothing is more frustrating than hearing that a candidate accomplished all the key elements of the interview only to be told: “I forgot to tell them I was interested”. Once a candidate has hit the major points and they sense the interview is coming to its natural conclusion, they should express interest. After all, this is a sales call and the candidate is the product. Make certain the client employer knows you are interested. Do not make this a question or issue to be covered in the debrief. Make a clear and concise statement of interest in moving the process forward.

While a variety of nuances and personalities can hamper the interview process, the preceding elements should summarize what you should expect out of the “prep” for an interview. Well prepped candidates have a success rate dramatically higher than unprepared candidates. Get prepped for the interview and get prepared to succeed.

Executive recruiter William Werksman is a frequent columnist to job boards including http://www.NevadaJobBoard.com addressing both the candidate's and employer's perspective. Werksman's expertise has been featured in business magazines, national newspapers and television news segments. His firm, Resource Partners, is recognized as the leading source of specialized and executive talent in the Casino and Gaming industry. He manages a staff of recruiters out of his firm's Las Vegas, Nevada headquarters. He may be reached at: Bill@CareerInsider.com

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