Interviews are always challenging. And if you haven’t done a formal interview for a job since joining the military, it might feel overwhelming. But the military has actually trained you to be ready for an interview. With different opportunities to brief leadership or sit on awards boards, you may have had more practice than you think.
4 Military Tools to Ace Your Next Job Interview
And even if you don’t think your experience can be related to an interview, the military has taught you a lot of tools that you can use to help you prepare – just like you practice over and over to be combat ready. You should also practice and prepare so you can be ready for whatever your interviewer(s) throw at you.
1. Relax
The first thing to remember in an interview is that the hard part is actually behind you. You were able to show through your resume or other submitted documentation that you are not only qualified but the company wants to learn more about you. You already got your foot in the door. Now you just need to remember that.
A veteran I talked to was so nervous before her interview that she couldn’t even remember her own name. This stress led her to not do well on the interview and ended her path forward with the company. In hindsight, she realized that she should have taken time to meditate and listen to calming music pre-interview to help ensure she was in the right state of mind before the interview started.
Being relaxed so you can be yourself and remember all the amazing reasons why a company should hire you is one of the most important things to remember.
2. Use the STAR method
The STAR method is an acronym that stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. When you think about the work you have done related to your new job, think of how you can answer by focusing on what the situation was and what task needed to be done to solve the problem. Then share the action you specifically took to help solve the problem and the final result. If you include numbers, it makes your answer even better. This concept is similar to the bullets on your performance report but not in a one-line acronym-filled text. You have the opportunity to show how the work you did had an impact on the final outcome.
3. Get prepared
Besides thinking of different types of situations that you can show impact, think of what types of questions the interviewer will ask. If you are going to work for a larger company, there is likely to be readily available information about what the interview process is like, different questions that are commonly asked, and company core values.
Showing that not only have you prepared for the interview by knowing how to talk about yourself but showing how you align with a company and their core values shows the interviewer that you did work preparing for the interview. A job interviewer already knows that you are qualified because of reviewing your resume. But if you can show you are the right candidate for their company your odds of success are even greater.
4. Each interview is an opportunity to grow
Lastly, take each interview opportunity as a learning experience. There often is only one open position for each new job. And just because you were not picked does not mean you did not do a great job in the interview.
After each interview, try to remember the questions you were asked. Evaluate the answers you gave and see if there are more details or a better situation that can help you answer it in the next interview you go on. You can always find ways to improve. And small changes can have a big impact on if you are chosen for that new job.
Interviewing Isn’t Easy But You Are Already Prepared
Finding a new job is rarely easy. But if you take the tools you learned from the military and can share them with an interviewer in a way they can understand, you will be able to make an impact and land that next new job. And if you don’t get the job, there is always an opportunity to take what you learned, re-evaluate, and adjust for the next interview.
