Hiring managers have a responsibility to interview effectively, to find the best candidate for the job. Given our topic this month on Core Competencies, I want to continue to discuss leadership for the next couple of days. One of the questions rolling around my head today is “how do you demonstrate leadership in an interview?” How do I help you prepare effectively enough that you feel some level of comfort walking into a job interview and discussing your strength in leadership. Can you do that if given an oportunity right now to interview for your dream job?

Hiring managers must understand your leadership style based on the answers you give in an interview. So your preparation will be critical to your success to navigate the turbulent waters of an interview. You have to be able to tell a compelling story that demonstrates your strength as a leader.

Hiring managers must know that you will make a good fit into their organization if an offer is extended. You get to help them make that decision, based on how well you are able to convey who you are and what you wil bring to the table, to their organization.

I found an article, Leadership Job Interview Questions on About.com. Take a look at these questions. They will help you prepare for your interview. Sit down with each question and answer the question on paper. Tell your story. Know your story so that it flows naturally when speaking to the hiring manager during the interview.

• Give me an example of a time when you played a leadership role in an event, an activity, a department or work unit, or a project. Describe how you led the efforts. Tell me how people responded to your leadership.
• If I were to ask your reporting staff or your peers to comment about your leadership style, your leadership strengths, and your leadership weaknesses, how would they respond? What would this discussion tell me about you as a leader?
• Tell me about a time when you created agreement and shared purpose from a situation in which all parties originally differed in opinion, approach, and objectives.
• As a leader within an organization, you must often build support for goals and projects from people who do not report to you and over whom you have no authority. Tell me about a situation in which you demonstrated that you can build the needed support.
• What are the three most important values you demonstrate as a leader? Tell me a story that demonstrates each of these leadership values in practice within your workplace.

The value of these questions is that it gives you as the job seeker, insight into the interview. It gives you potential question that may come your way. And even if they don’t ask these exact questions, there will be a questions that can act as a reasonable facisimile of these questions, and you will have stories, answers prepared. Look for opportunities to tell your stories throughout the interview. This is what I call an offensive plan. Offense in any game I know, is what wins games. All games. It works in the hiring process as well.

“It’s better to be thought dumb, than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt.”

The first time I heard this quote I was a teenager and my mother said it to me. At this point, I can’t remember the context, but I have never forgotten the quote. It took me years of course, to understand the meaning of the quote. I get it now!

Better for people to think you are an idiot (my interpretation), than to open your mouth and prove they were correct in their assessment of you. So what?

So, when you walk into an interview, it is imperative that you open your mouth. If you don’t you probably won’t get the job offer you were looking for, unless they don’t want you to talk in the job, in which case you will have WOW’ed them!

“It’s never to late to make a first impression.” NOT! If you make a poor first impression, you might as well, walk away, make some adjustments in your approach, and get to the next interview. You have ONE opportunity to make a good first impression. PERIOD. If it is not a good one, there is really nothing you will be able to do about it.

That being said, here is my point. Here is my take, “It is better to be thought dumb, and prove them wrong when you open your mouth!” It isn’t too late to make a good first impression (unless you already made one). In other words, don’t worry about what they are thinking about you when you first walk in the door.

Are you ready for the interview? Are you the best candidate for the job? What makes you the best candidate for the job? Can you articulate that to the interviewer and shift their thinking. My recommendation - don’t worry too much about what people you when you first walk in the door. Most people make bad assumptions about other people based on their own personal life experiences. That’s ok with me. I know I bring value to the table, no matter whose table I get to sit… I know my skills are strong, and will strengthen ANY organization I walk into…

How about you? “It’s better to be thought dumb…” But, can you shift that thought and change their perception, and say something great? I dare you to shift the way you think about yourself. The minute you do, so will everybody else around you, including the person that is conducting the interview!

Good Morning, I have a “job opening”. I am looking to hire the most qualified candidate I can find.

Job Description

Position Title: Stay At Home Professional

Office: Your Living Room

Temporary/Permanent: At the discretion of the candidate

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Stay home, and don’t work. Coach potatoes are welcome to apply. Must be proficient with a remote control and a lap top computer. Must be willing to answer all incoming calls from telemarketers and soliciters. Unwillingness to work for someone. Strong desire to be self-employed.Must be independently minded. Self-starters welcome.

Qualifications: Strong Computer Skills, Willingness to surf the internet, and/or television cable channels.

Education: 4-year degree required, Master’s degree preferred.

Job Close Date: Open until filled

Submit all resumes by leaving a comment with a link to your resume! Interviews will be scheduled within the next week.

If you have read my post this far, keep reading I really do have a point to this somewhat unconventional post for Interview Chatter. I am not a comedian, and if you found humor, thanks for laughing. That is how I feel when I read some of the job descriptions I see online. There are countless job descriptions for various jobs. But many of the job descriptions DO NOT give an adequate description of the actual position you are applying for.

How do you know you qualify for a job if the job description is unclear? If you apply to a job description similar to the one I just wrote, make sure you ask lots of fact finding questions to ensure you have a good understanding of the job. Don’t say yes to a position if you are unclear. And if the organization can’t explain the job, RUN!

Now here is an interesting question for you to consider when thinking about an interview. Are you an asset or liability for the organization you are interviewing with?

As a hiring manager when evaluating candidates, determining whether you as a candidate will add value to my organization is a very important question to answer.

Managers must determine the risk vs. return they will get for hiring you and allowing you to work in their organization. As a candidate you must demonstrate your value - you must demonstrate that you will be an asset to the organization.

Questions to consider to determine whether you are an asset or a liability?

1. Do you have the skills and abilities needed for the position?

2. Are you willing to invest your time and energy to see the organization be successful?

3. Check your attitude - Are you difficult to work with?

4. Are you worth the monetary value connected to the position?

5. Are you a leader? Follower? Problem-solver?

6. How do you define success?

7. How long are you planning to work with this organization?

8. Are you teachable?

9. Are you dishonest? Are you lying to get this position? Did you stretch the truth about your skills and abilities?

10. Are you one that brings contention and strife everywhere you go?

These are 10 questions for you to consider as you determine whether you will be an asset or a liability to the hiring organization. All of them are important, but your integrity, your trustworthiness is a key ingredient to determining your value to the organization.