Why you need to erase interview assumptions

Assumptions are made and most assumptions are wrong. Albert Einstien.

When you begin preparing for your interview, it’s important that you erase all preconceived notions. Do not assume someone who works in your industry automatically understands your role. Take time to prepare your messaging and value proposition for each interview. No two interviews will be the same and you have to prepare with that in mind.

The biggest mistake candidates make when interviewing is rushing and assuming. When you plow through your background and assume the interviewer "gets it", you are missing a critical opportunity to explain your skills, value proposition, and your unique skill set. Just because your job title aligns with the role you are interviewing for, doesn’t mean the responsibilities are the same.

Jobs With The Same Title Are The Same…Right?

Positions with the same title are never the same. Variances in industry focus, staff size, and career levels will guarantee that the responsibilities at one company will not be the same as that at another; even when titles are an exact match.

For example, let’s say you are interviewing for an Internal Audit role at a local CPA firm. All CPA firms have audit clients right? Truthfully, some do not.

Continuing with this example, let’s imagine you are headed to an interview at a CPA firm for an audit position. You naturally assume they have an established audit shop. However, as your conversation unfolds, you learn they do not currently have an audit practice but are looking at branching into audit. Had you simply continued with the interview assuming their shop was already established, you would have blown an opportunity to explain how your expertise could help build their audit program.

Never assume you know the entire story when walking into an interview. Instead, ask probing questions during the interview to understand why the position you are interviewing for is open and what specific skills and traits the interviewer is looking for. As you gather information, you’ll be better prepared to tailor the remaining conversation toward how your skills align with the interviewing company’s needs.

Highlight Your Unique Skills

Once you understand the interviewer’s need for the role beyond what has been presented in the job description, focus on explaining how your current responsibilities align with their needs. Be detailed in your answers and questions. Imagine the interviewer has no clue about your current line of work and you are crafting a story to help them understand.

For example, if you are a Regional Sales Professional and you are interviewing for a role in National Accounts, it would be important for you to bridge the gap between selling in a regional footprint and a national footprint.

You would want to convey that you can handle a larger, more challenging portfolio by sighting examples of how you have successfully grown clients with multiple offices across your region. Details on how you engaged decision-makers, grew revenue, and sold from a solution-based perspective would all be helpful traits for a National Account Sales Professional. Conveying that you understand the needs of a position at the next level is imperative if you want to step up in responsibility.