Preparation Archives - Polished Interview Prep

29Jul 2019 by Nathan Johnston

What Are CORE Experiences

It clicked for me while preparing for an interview. In my preparation, I had stumbled on a simple system to condense my past experiences into a simple format, ready for any interview. I could not define “the system” for many years, but that did not stop me from using it to perfectly integrate past experiences into interview question responses. The CORE Discovery It was late. I had been sitting at my desk for several hours attempting to plan and prepare for the next day’s interview. The hours preparing ground by as I burned the midnight oil. At that late hour, I still did not feel ready to interview the next day. Feeling defeated, I knew it was almost time to give up for the night. I convinced myself to pour…

22Jul 2019 by Nathan Johnston

The Perfect Personal Introduction

Preparation

First impressions are everything during an interview. The personal introduction, commonly known by its street name as the “elevator pitch”, is the first building block in any successful job interview. The elevator pitch serves one purpose: a brief personal introduction perfectly designed to transition into the interview. Choreographed and rehearsed properly, the elevator pitch should only require 15-30 seconds at the beginning of the interview. When a future job is on the line, a strong start to an interview will help you stand out from the crowd. Studies have concluded that it takes between 7 seconds and 15 minutes to form a first impression. The evidence is clear, do not risk a bad personal introduction. Here are the key steps to crafting the perfect elevator pitch. Building Blocks of the…

15Jul 2019 by Nathan Johnston

The Importance of Job Interview Failure

Preparation

It was one of my first job interviews. A freshman in college, I wandered through career fair booths passing out my resume. I was on the hunt for an internship. The day long, unfocused search through the rows of sharply designed company displays eventually earned me an interview. It was scheduled for the day after the career fair. The Interview As I walked up to the first interview, I was confident and positive (albeit nervous) for the next thirty minutes. After shaking hands and introducing myself, I launched into my elevator pitch. Luckily, I had taken the time to perfect the 30 seconds required to tell the pair of interviewers about me, but after that, the interview went off the rails. I had taken the “Job Preparation 101” class from…

14Jul 2019 by Nathan Johnston

Why Polished Interview Prep

Preparation

I’ve always enjoyed it. Interviewing for a job. I know, you think I’m sick to write that; however, it’s the truth. The entire job interview process has always fascinated me. Job application, elevator pitch, meeting the interviewer, answering interview questions, and ultimately asking for the job have always come natural to me. It feels natural because interviewing for a job fits my personality style (confirmed by various personality tests). I like to meet and talk to strangers. It does not mean job interviews have always loved me back. I have failed. I have flopped. I have stumbled through interview questions because forgot what I was even asked. To this day, I have not even heard back from several places I interviewed with- should I give up hope after 9 years?…