One of the biggest lies t hat people believe is that experience is the most important thing in the job interview process. True, experience can be vital – you wouldn’t want to hire a surgeon without the proper education and experience. But whether this interview is for your first job, or your ninth gig since 2013, there is always uncharted territory in a new opportunity. Especially if it involves changing your title or your responsibility: that’s something you haven’t done before.
By definition, that expansion goes beyond your experience. The good news is, there are stories all around us of people who have overcome their circumstances (and their experience) to create something completely new. Maybe your interview skills need to expand as well – particularly if you want to discover new results in your career.
Here are three things that matter more than experience in the job interview process – and how you can leverage these insights to create a fresh career experience for yourself.
The past reminds us. It does not define us. – Unknown
1- Trust: whether you are looking for a babysitter, a brain surgeon or a brand expert, you rely on trust more than experience. In a recent survey, PWC points out that our ability to trust is the biggest challenge that tech titans face. On a more personal level, consider the story of Tessa and Tim, a married couple with a three-year-old son. They are interested in going out with some friends on Friday, and they need a babysitter. Their next-door neighbor just moved in two months ago, and she has advanced degrees in child care. She’s run a daycare center for 15 years, in another state, and she’s available to babysit. Across the street is where Clarissa lives. She’s a seventeen-year-old high school senior who the couple has known since she was in grade school. Clarissa is also available to babysit. So, who do they choose? The new neighbor with tons of experience? Nope. They go with who they know: Clarissa.Because trust matters more than experience. So, trust your gut and consider how you are connected to your next employer. Look in the direction of trust: consider who knows you, and how. Leverage your connections, because of relationships matter (especially as you move up within an organization). Make sure your LinkedIn profile shows that you are someone that hiring managers can trust, and reach out to your network to make sure that you are more than just qualified – you are connected to the people you need in your job search.
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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened ’ ?
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2- Resourcefulness : it’s the greatest human resource. An ability to figure things out is something we all share . Your ability to identify and solve problems is the kind of experience that every employer really wants. It’s resourcefulness that leads someone to find their next job (doesn’t matter if it’s a doggie daycare, day-trading or Diageo – you are on a mission of discovery in the job interview process ).
When it comes to the experience you want to create for your job interview , consider focusing on your resourcefulness. Tell a story about how you figured something out , for yourself or for your prior company, where you created something that no one else could. Why? Because, according to PWC, 77% of CEOs are looking for creativity and innovation as the most-desired skills. Your ability to be resourceful is central to your ability to innovate – and find a creative solution for your next job interview.
If you can imagine, think of your experience and education as tools. What is it that makes any tool valuable? It’s the way that you use it. How have you been resourceful in the past, leveraging your experience to innovate? Tell that story and you will go beyond experience in your job interview. Find a friend or a career coach that will help you by asking questions that go outside of your experience – so you have to think of times and situations where you demonstrated that you have the ability to figure things out. Your story may not be directly related to the job description – but solving problems is central to every job, everywhere! Those critical thinking skills are what employers really want – especially if you are going to help your next employer prepare for the future of work .
3- Communication : in the job interview process, whoever tells the best story wins. Not by manufacturing some fiction, but by delivering resourcefulness in a way that’s authentic, trustworthy and powerful. Understand that there’s really only one thing (and one thing only) that companies want in the job interview process: solutions providers.
Can you communicate the solution that you can provide? compelling ? Ask yourself some difficult questions : How does your history show that you are a solutions provider? Can you communicate, using this five-step-story process , how you overcame obstacles in the past? Can you use stories and anecdotes to help others to trust in your ability to solve current challenges – and are you ready to tackle whatever the future of work has in store for you? Communicate your resourcefulness and you will build the kind of trust that leads to job offers.
Insights into these three areas can take you beyond your experience, helping you to create a new one for yourself and your next employer. Consider how you’ve been able to figure things out so far – can you trust in what you’ve experienced?
If you’ve got challenges you didn’t figure would be so difficult, maybe it’s time to get some training or coaching on how to overcome those obstacles. Because, regardless of your position, education or interests, you have the ability to be resourceful. To innovate. To tell a story that is authentic, heartfelt and compelling. Like five fingers on a hand, resourcefulness is a quality that we all have. As you reach out for that next opportunity don’t let your experience keep you from seeing all of the possibilities.
Forbes.com | December 23, 2019 | Chris Westfall Contributor
