A Fresh Approach to Interview Prep - Engage All your Senses
The world is constantly sending us sensory signals—through sight, sound, taste, touch, and movement—that shape our experience of it in ways we often overlook. I’ve been taking a class called Coaching with the Senses where I’ve gained new insights into just how uniquely we all perceive these signals.
Interview Tips - A Perspective From a Professional Interview Coach
As you prepare for your next interview (or important meeting, 1:1 with your boss, or presentation), here are a few ideas for how to use YOUR personal sensory preferences to support you. Select the ones that speak to you.
Before your interview:
Movement: Do you want to feel more calm or more engergized? Which types of movement support that? Maybe it’s a morning yoga session, a refreshing walk, power-lifting, boxing, or a Zumba class? Or a bubble bath the night before to help you relax. Right before your interview, roll your shoulders, shake out your hands, or do some power poses. Plant your feet firmly on the ground and feel supported. If you’re on Zoom, waiting for the person to log on, maybe you spell the abc’s with your ankles or take a deep, deep breath.
Sound: What kind of sounds support you? As you’re getting ready in the morning, do you want an amp-up/ramp you-up/energizing playlist, or something calming, soothing, centering, chill-you-out. Maybe you put your cell phone on vibrate with volume low, or off so it doesn’t make your nerves jump, or maybe you let out a cathartic yell.
Visual: What else makes you feel like you? Having your nails done in a fun color? Maybe clearing your desk helps you focus, or tape a picture of your best friend to your computer if you’re doing an online interview.
Touch: What fabric feels good to you to wear?
Smell: Do you have a shampoo you especially like to use, or a candle you want on your desk, or a peppermint essential oil you can pop in your purse and smell before you get out of the car and find that building door?
During the interview (to help focus, or do a little mini re-set after you didn’t love your answer to the last question):
Gently squeeze each finger on one hand
Rub your fingertips together and focus on the sensation
If you're on Zoom, discreetly move your feet for a little movement break
Take a sip of water
Take notes - or jot down the question especially if it’s a multi-part question
Obviously, these are just a few ideas, but it’s worth thinking about preparing your body, and not just your interview answers and mindset. This will allow you to bring your most present, focused, and sharp self to your interview.
Take 10 seconds to focus on an object and really notice the color nuances, the shadows, the luminescence, the texture, and the size. This kind of exercise can activate the more positive parts of your brain according to a practice called Positive Intelligence!
Think about what YOUR sensory preferences are
Every person has their own makeup of sensory preferences and thresholds. In terms of movement, some people thrive on stillness, while others crave adrenaline-fueled activities like skydiving or rollercoasters. I’ve come to realize I sit somewhere in the middle with most of my preferences, except for sound. Certain sounds can really annoy or distract me, rather than trying to just supress my irratibility, I’ve embraced the fact that I really have limits to what I want I want to tolerate. Simple changes—like using earbuds (or handing my daughter her own headphones when she’s watching A for Adley on YouTube). I’ve also started a habit where instead of checking my phone first thing in the morning I take 10 seconds before I get out of bed in the morning to listen to the world around me, and I usually notice things I wouldn’t otherwise - like the sound of the crickets talking to each other.
As an interview coach, I love helping people learn how to be more confident in interviews through a variety of techniques. I believe in crafting answers to the questions you know are very likely to be asked, practicing in front of a real person, and also working on owning your capabilities and confidence. I hope these tips help you tap into your full potential as you navigate the interview process!
If you’re looking for interview prep coaching - explore more here.
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Your greatest strengths
Have you ever been in an interview where you answer a question, and the interviewer just gives a blank stare.
You know they’re not getting it, the dots are not connecting.
You might be finding it particularly challenging to connect the dots between your past experience and your next role because:
you’re switching roles (such as going from accounting to sales) or
you’re new to the field (maybe fresh out of college) or
you’re switching industries
Here’s a formula to showcase your relevance even if you're in one of these circumstances.
Examples of questions this formula works for include: “What are your core strengths?” “Tell me about one of your greatest accomplishments.” “Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond your job description.”
THE FORMULA
STEP 1: Introduce 3 skills or competencies you have that are also important to the interviewer. (Don’t know what to select? Comb through the job description and consider a technical skill, a job-specific skill and a competency such as: flexibility, adaptability, persistent at solving problems, or self-starter. Need more ideas? Reply to this email and I'll give you more tips!)
STEP 2: Pick ONE skill you believe would be most important for the job you’re applying for and tell a short story about that particular skill. The best story will be one where you can prove the impact your skill had by providing specific numbers, percentages, feedback, rankings, or dollar amounts.
STEP 3: Mention you’re proud of your achievement
STEP 4: Link your past accomplishments or results with your future performance by saying something like “And that’s exactly what I’d like to do here at X company.”
Here’s an example from a client I worked with today:
A few of my greatest strengths are 1) working collaboratively with cross-functional teams 2) my subject-matter expertise in health, safety, and industrial hygiene and 3) my ability to find solutions (vs. just pointing out problems.). One of the times I had to work very closely and collaboratively across departments was in the early stages of COVID. I was working for the DOT in NY overseeing the safety of subway tunnel operations. I started watching the World Health Organization and helped gather consensus among multiple leaders within departments X, Y, and Z and was able to have conversations with key stakeholders to very quickly put a plan in place which included ordering PPE and putting in place blood-borne pathogen protocols. As a result, we had the PPE available when unfortunately at that time, many others didn’t. As a result, I’m pleased to say we didn’t miss a single day of operation during that critical period. I’m confident I can build those same type of cross-functional relationships in your organization that are the foundation for being able to make critical decisions quickly.