By Bobby Johnston
Ambassador and Alumnus at American Public University
The interview you have wanted and been thinking about since you started your search has arrived. You make the rundown through everything you believe you need. Best outfit, check. Reviewed all of the questions you believe they could ask, check. Good night’s sleep, check. Ok, you are ready to go–or so you think.
The first interview question throws you for a loop, “What do you know about our organization?” You pause, desperately trying to pull something out of your mind. Not knowing, you simply reply that you have not done much research on the company. Your failure to investigate the organization may have cost you the opportunity that you were so desperately seeking.
A job or career is a relationship between you and a company and that relationship begins as soon as you walk through the door for the interview. How you carry yourself, your tone of voice, your mannerisms, and whether or not you have checked them out are all factors that start to form that relationship.
I know, because that is what I do in interviews. I do not take a note. I simply listen and watch.
[Related: Get the Interview]
Do Your Research
In today’s world it is vital for individuals to set themselves apart, especially when it comes to being agents of change. Being able to incorporate valid data about an organization is key. This shows that you have done your research about the institution.
The successful candidate will be able to show how she or he can improve performance with her or his actions. Candidates who lack this knowledge tend to give more run-of-the-mill answers that come across as stale and bookish. If your goal is to appear dynamic and invested, then set yourself apart with appropriate data about the organization.
People on Fire Wanted
By establishing yourself as a successful change agent, you also show a passion for what you do. The best interviews I have been in have shown individuals who have been on fire for what they could do for my organization. You can see their eyes light up with excitement as they talk about how they can make a difference.
By showing that their value system is similar or comparable to the organization’s, they add to the ideas and constructs that we already have in place. Those are the people employers want interacting with colleagues and clients.
[Related: Strategies for Preparing for a Job Interview]
Green? No Problem
It is not experience that provides the passion or drives the change; it is the ideas you have and how you apply those ideas. Green simply means you have untested ideas. To get your ideas tested, you have to convince the interviewers that you have the confidence to implement them successfully.
In the end, you have to start to form a great employer-employee relationship the moment you walk in the door for the interview. Have you done the necessary research so that you can do that? If so, you are prepared to convince them that you are an agent of positive change that will get things done for the organization. Now, you are ready to go.
About the Author: Bobby Johnston is currently serving as Principal at Warren County Middle School in Front Royal, VA. He has worked in the field of education for 15 years. Bobby holds dual master’s degrees in Information System Technology and Management and Educational Leadership; the latter he received from American Public University. He did his undergrad work at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, majoring in Psychology and History.
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