When an interviewer says “walk me through your resume” be careful.  Remember…brief, concise clear and conveyed with confidence.  This is why I joined the company, this is why I left, and this is what I took with me as added value from this experience.  Positive…negative…positive.  When you reign make sure you give an objective reason.  NO OPINION or subjectivity.  The more you say and explain the higher your chances are of being eliminated.  The #1 blunder in interviewing is over explaining, rambling, repeating, and opening doors you can’t close.

If it has been 5 years or more since you have interviewed, you need to know that 70% of the employers do a behavior-based interview. It is a validation style.  You are validating your skills, abilities, and competencies by responding with 60-90 second word stories or case studies.  “Tell me a story."

What separates you from the competition in the interview are three things:

Your responses:  Brief, to the point, concise, clear, and conveyed with confidence.  Use high value words and the verbiage that is in the posting or job description. Set the stage for the listener.

The questions you ask:  Make sure they are open ended, have substance, thought provoking and generate a response.  We don’t like text book questions. Remember… we remember you for your responses and the questions you ask.

Follow up after the interview.  Make your thank you note exciting.  Show me you were connected to me.  Tip:  I like a handwritten note. We attach it to the file.