If you’re getting interviews but not job offers (or your offers are less than what you should be getting), you’re probably making a big job interview mistake.
I recently spoke with a job seeker who called me for career coaching. He wanted my help in showing him how to get more interviews.
That’s a valid reason to get job search coaching, so I asked, “How many interviews have you had?” And he told me that he’d recently had 5 interviews.
Well, now, that’s a problem. How can he have had 5 interviews but no offers? That’s not right. So I said, “Tell me about your interviews.”
Interviews but No Offers – What’s the Problem?
He said, “I do pretty well in interviews.” I had his resume in front of me and it was a good one. Listening to him, I could clearly see that he was articulate and knowledgeable. He communicated well and seemed like a strong candidate to me. So what job interview mistake was he making? Why hasn’t he had an offer?
I realized there must be something he wasn’t able to demonstrate in his interviews, so I asked him, “Are you taking a 30-60-90-day plan to your interviews?” And he said, “No.”
Of course, I wanted to know why not. I know that 30-60-90-day plans are practically miracle tools. I’ve seen them get offers for less qualified candidates, and I’ve seen them get offers for jobs greater than what the person interviewed for…not to mention offers with better salaries. So why on earth wouldn’t he take one?
He said, “I’m really uncomfortable with the idea of taking a plan. You’ve said it’s great, but what if I take in my plan and it’s wrong? Won’t that knock me out of the running for that job? What if the interviewer doesn’t want to see my plan? That would be awkward. And, what if I do all that work and put in all that time and effort, and I don’t have an opportunity to present it? Wouldn’t that be a waste of time?”
What a 30-60-90-Day Plan Does for You
Maybe you’ve considered bringing a 30-60-90-day plan but you have the same concerns, so I’ll tell you what I said:
“Let’s pretend I’m a hiring manager and I have 2 identical candidates—Candidate A and Candidate B. You, my client, are Candidate A. Both of you dress the same, have the same education and experience, and even answer interview questions in the same way. You interview very well and even ask for the next step (closing for the job), but I have to interview Candidate B before I make a decision.
After you leave, I interview Candidate B. And guess what? He’s just like you in every way…he gives great answers to interview questions, he looks great, we get along, and he has the experience I want. Everything is exactly the same, except that he brings a 30-60-90-day plan.
When I say, ‘Tell me about how you’d approach this job,’ he says, ‘I’m so glad you asked. I put together a plan for what I could do in my first 3 months on this job, and I’d like to go over that with you right now. But I need to tell you, I haven’t worked here before and so I’m sure there will be things in this plan that won’t be totally on target.’”
That little statement right there resolves the issue my client has of worrying that his plan won’t be right. You tell the hiring manager right up front that your plan won’t be perfect. Of course, it can’t be perfect because you haven’t worked there before.
But what about his second issue…that the hiring manager won’t want to see his plan? Guess what? There’s no manager who’s not going to want to see what you’ve taken the time and effort to put together about how you’re going to do their job. That goes against every managerial bone in their body. They want to find someone who can really contribute to the organization and be successful, and this plan is a blueprint for how you’ll do that.
And the last concern my client had…what if there’s no chance to present your plan? The truth is that it does take some deliberate effort on your part to bring up your plan in a job interview. You have to take some control over the conversation—which you should, because this is your life. But it’s easier than you think to introduce a plan.
I have put together proven 30-60-90-day plan templates with coaching that tells you how and when to bring up the plan in your interview.
Bring a 30-60-90-Day Plan to Your Next Job Interview
If you have an interview soon, I want you to get the plan that’s right for you and listen to the coaching on how and when to present your plan. You can find your perfect plan here:
- 30-60-90-Day Action Plan
- 30-60-90-Day Sales Plan
- 30-60-90-Day Plan for Managers
- 30-60-90-Day Plan for Executives
Click a link above to see what is included in each plan and create a plan for your next interview!
Best of luck!