The 3 R’s to Ace Your Interview

Interviewing is a challenging, complex process. Your success depends on your ability to communicate. Miscommunication leads to mistakes that will lose your offers.

In our 30+ years in the recruiting field, we’ve worked with candidates who left an interview thinking they’d nailed it, only to find out their answers weren’t what the client was looking for. They made an error because they misunderstood what was being asked.

This is where the three R’s come in. Mastering them will guarantee you’re answering the questions in the interviewer’s mind, not the ones you thought you heard.

1. Redirect

When you’re asked a question, you need to redirect it to make sure you’re talking about the same thing. For example, here’s a snippet of Jim’s interview for a position at an automotive supplier:

“Tell me about your experience in developing car doors.”

“I’d be happy to. There’s a lot of components involved. Which ones do you focus on?”

“Our biggest issues have been in the handle assembly.”

“I’ve worked with that before. What issues are you running into?”

“We keep having issues pop up at the last minute because of design issues. It all looks right on paper, but problems come up in manufacturing. There’s not enough communication between the two teams.”

Jim did a positive acknowledgment of the question, followed by a slight redirect to hone in on what the real concerns were.

2. Reaffirm

Once the interviewer responds with specifics, do a quick summary, or reaffirmation, to make sure you’re on the same page.

“So the issue is getting the design and manufacturing teams on the same page?”

“Correct.”

Now you’re ready to answer.

3. Relate

It’s not enough to tell the interviewer you can solve their problem. You have to relate it to your earlier accomplishments.

“I ran into a similar problem at my current company. A design problem had cost them $200,000 over three years. When I looked into it, I discovered a component wasn’t being manufactured to the design. I got the design and manufacturing teams together to brainstorm design changes that would solve the manufacturing issue. We hammered out a solution, and the problem disappeared.”

You’re not telling them you have what it takes to do the job. You’re proving it by relating their current headache to the one you’ve already solved. They can now feel confident you’ll do the same for them.

This shows how using the three R’s will create a correct understanding of what’s going on, and convince them you’re the solution to their problems. It’s a simple and effective process to use when discussing any aspect of any potential position.

PRA USA has 30+ years leading our candidates to successful careers in the Electronic, Embedded, and Controls Development space. Contact us to use our knowledge to get the career you deserve.