If you’ve been laid off, chances are you have some pretty strong emotions around that. It's pretty hard not to be royally pissed off unless you got 2 years salary as a severance, like a friend of mine did. So you're probably angry, depressed, feeling rejected or walking around in a daze thinking wtf? People describe being laid off like being thrown under the bus, being sold out or unable to even leave the house ever again.
Or you may be blasé about the whole thing, thinking this is the vacation I’ve been waiting for! (NOT. This is NOT the vacation you've been waiting for and if you start believing that, you're in for a world of hurt, my friend....but more about that in a future post.)
So, how do you conceal those emotions when you’re interviewing for a new job? You may think you’re covering up but the interviewer may sense something about you that ultimately keeps you from landing the job. Because humans detect the teeeeniest, tiniest things about other humans. We may not pick lice out of each others' scalps but we sense these things. That's why it is imperative that you keep your emotions about being laid off—whether it’s anger, fear, revenge, timidity, arrogance, neediness or even indifference—completely hidden during an interview. Yeah, I know, it's tough to do but
1. Make a list of all the questions you might be asked during the interview. If you don’t know what they are, ask friends, colleagues, do an internet search. I'm gonna compile a list for you but seriously, if you do an internet search for these questions, you'll get 'em all.
2. Figure out the best answers for those questions. What you don’t want to happen is to be asked a question you haven’t anticipated an answer for. Here’s why: if you feel put on the spot, you may say something that you’ll regret or end up being misinterpreted. An obvious one is “why were you laid off?” You can say “the company was downsizing,” but you may be asked to explain further: “did they close your department? why you?” You’ve got to have your answer ready so that you don’t say something like “I have no idea” or “my boss wasn’t that sharp” or “well, it was between me and this other guy and I guess he lucked out.” By the way, a good generic answer to that question might be “well, the entire company was re-organized which made sense during this down economy. They’re interested in hiring me back when the company stabilizes.” [Note: whether this is true or not, you can say it. No one is gonna check.]
3. Practice answering the questions with a friend and then again, by yourself (out loud). And then do it again. Practice, practice, practice till you know them by heart. Do it.
4. Have those answers memorized and ready-to-go but you gotta deliver them in a personal fashion. Think about something that you love doing and are terrific at. Maybe it’s singing or riding a skateboard or fishing or dancing a cha cha. It may be how to build a web site or design motion graphics or produce a video. If you were to describe how to do that, what would you sound like? Confident, assured, calm, in-the-know. Probably smiling. That’s how you want to sound during your interview. You’ll be convincing if the answers roll off your tongue just as easily as describing your favorite activity.
5. Know the five things about yourself that you want the interviewers to learn about you and make sure you emphasize them during the interview, regardless of what question you’re asked. This is so important. You may only have this one time to demonstrate who you are so make sure that the people in the room learn what you want them to know about you. For example, let’s say the five things about you are:
a) You get along great with people on a team
b) You love to look at processes and rethink how to streamline them
c) You’re honest
d) You’re extremely precise and deadline driven
e) You always volunteer to do the stuff no one else wants to do
And you get asked something like: “Can you give us an example of what stresses you out and how you deal with that?”
Instead of scrambling for an answer, “uh, what stresses me out? Not having enough time to do my job,” take the opportunity to convey who you are and pick from the 5 things about you that you want them to walk away knowing about you. “I’m the type of person who loves to think about how to streamline processes. So I typically strive to manage the workload before it becomes stressful and on top of that, I work best when I can honestly communicate what I can accomplish and when. I like to deliver exactly what’s required.”
If you’re asked “What did you like about your last job?” You might say, “I love helping people so I often end up volunteering to do the stuff no one else likes to do. At my last job, my co-workers really liked that about me but I didn’t think of myself as a martyr—it was my way of contributing to the team and that feeling of being on a team really motivates me. I’m good at it.”
Then, if you’re asked, “What didn’t you like about your last job?” you can refer to one (or more) of the 5 things you want them to know about you, again. For example, “Well, like I said, I’m deadline-driven AND I love being part of a team, which can be challenging. There was a time when I was frustrated when a co-worker couldn’t commit to a deadline but we worked it out through clear communication and divvied up what needed to be done.”
6. Here’s another thing that may sound goofy but really works. Choose a personal mantra to say silently to yourself while you’re interviewing, such as “I will fit in perfectly here,” or “I’m the best person for this position,” or “I have a great feeling about working here.” Your facial expressions convey your thoughts and even inexperienced interviewers can pick up on subtle nuances so make sure your mind is clear and you’re communicating strength, commitment and passion.
If you don’t have the luxury of working through your emotions before you get the chance to interview, make sure you still give it your best shot. Keep the focus off of how you’re feeling and focus, instead, on being in control of the interview. You'll nail it and then you can go home or to a bar and scream and rage and rant and be pissed off as hell.
