A few years ago I made it to the third interview stage. A meeting with the VP.
We spoke in her corporate office for 10 minutes. Then she said, “part of this job requires you to do presentations. I’m going to get a glass of water, and when I come back, you can do one for me, it can be on anything, even how to tie your shoes.” Then she left.
All I could think of was the presentation I had done the day before.
She came back into the office. “Okay,” she said, “let’s see your presentation.” I stood up with my pen in hand and said, “I’m going to teach you how to check for head lice. The first part is to use a comb to separate the hair to view the scalp.” I mimed with the pen as if it were a comb checking a child’s scalp. “As you are checking for head lice, reassure the child that anyone can get lice.”
For three minutes I explained the art of lice detection in the fanciest office I had ever been in.
I got the job.
Months later we laughed about it. She said, “if you had the guts to stand up and pantomime checking for lice, I knew you could teach anything. Also, you checked for understanding, made eye contact and were a great teacher.”
As your career grows, it is no longer enough to just answer questions in the job interview. You’ll be asked to demonstrate value and skills too, often by showing and doing. This means being prepared to present or showing your portfolio of work.
How might you prepare for an interview beyond answering questions?
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