Writing Your Way to a Better Job Interview

We’ve talked a bit in this space about the importance of writing to your career. That’s a major theme of this blog. At the same time, I’m sure most of you know how important a well-written résumé and cover letter can be to your attempts to land a job interview. Few people, though, have considered how valuable writing can be to them in preparing for the interview itself.

Katharine and Dr. Randall S. Hansen have considered it, and they’ve concluded that some pre-interview writing can enhance your performance in a job interview. You can read their article – “Promising Interview-Prep Technique: Composing Written Responses to Interview Questions” – so I won’t rehash it here. (For those academics out there, you can find the study upon which their article is based here.)

What I do want to say is that I think they’re right.

As a writing teacher, I’ve read a number of the studies about “Writing to Learn” that they cite in their research. Moreover, I’ve seen the results in the classroom. Writing – not to produce a polished final product, but to discover what you think and to make connections between ideas – is a powerful learning tool. As such, it is a very useful tool for self-discovery.

As an employer who has conducted a number of interviews and as an employee who has had to interview for a number of jobs, I can say unequivocally that interview preparation is one of the least emphasized aspects of the job search. Let me qualify that.

Some interviewees – usually people who have been through the interview process for multiple jobs – do the requisite research on the company with whom they are interviewing. Most good career and job counselors cover this aspect of interview preparation. However, most people do not spend much time preparing to talk about themselves.

I know that seems counter-intuitive, but potential employees rarely think deeply about their experiences. This is even truer for younger workers who don’t think they have a lot of experience to talk about. Of course, this makes it even more important to do some self-reflection before the interview.

As a prospective employee, you should spend time learning about the company with whom you are interviewing, but you should also identify those skills, abilities, and experiences that make you valuable to the company. You need to find effective ways to articulate your value to the company, to create what many businesses refer to as your “value proposition.”

Some of this work should have been done when creating your résumé and cover letter. Instead of just focusing on job titles, you should identify the tasks you’ve performed, the skills you’ve developed, the problems you’ve overcome and how you’ve done so, and the results you’ve produced. The résumé and cover letter is the place to demonstrate the value you brought to your previous jobs; the interview is where you get to make your sales pitch about the value you will bring to your new company.

The job interview is the main process by which employers determine whether you will be a good fit for their company. Employers are trying to determine not only what skills you possess, but also what type of person you are, how you communicate, and how you think on your feet. By taking the time to write to discover these details and hone your responses to their questions, you not only improve your ability to respond articulately in the moment, you actually practice the kind of preparation that can make you successful in other aspects of the job.

Interviews can be anxiety producing events – yet another reason to do some writing to prepare for your interview. By identifying your skills, uncovering your own personal success stories, and preparing answers to the questions you anticipate being asked, you can make your next job interview both more productive and less stress-inducing.