How To Find Work You Love And Then Nail The Interview – Wheelhouse Podcast 03

Everyone wants to do work they love. Everyone wants to feel fulfilled at the end of the day. No one wants to dread Monday morning on Sunday night.

I know that’s what I want. Do you?

In this episode of the Wheelhouse Podcast, I walk you through how to find your Wheelhouse, shake your relationship tree, and then nail the interview.

HOW TO FIND YOUR WHEELHOUSE

STRENGTHS

Someone said, “Skills can be taught. Strengths are natural. Skills get you a job. Strengths build you a career. Skills can be forgotten. Strengths last a lifetime.“

Use tools to help determine what your strengths are.

online quizzes: Myers/Briggs, StrengthsFinder, DISC
pen and paper
interview: ask people

So, what are skills?

Knowledge-based skills: Acquired from education and experience (e.g., computer skills, languages, degrees, training and technical ability).
Transferable skills: Your portable skills that you take from job to job (e.g., communication and people skills, analytical problem solving and planning skills)
Personal traits: Your unique qualities (e.g., dependable, flexible, friendly, hard working, expressive, formal, punctual and being a team player).

Some examples of strengths you might mention include:

Enthusiasm
Trustworthiness
Creativity
Discipline
Patience
Respectfulness
Determination
Dedication
Honesty
Versatility

PASSIONS

What gets you fired up? What can you talk about or do for hours and not be drained? What do you wake up thinking about? What is it the hardest to stop thinking about so you can go to sleep?

You want to learn:

What motivates you?
What inspires you?
What excites you?
What engages you?
What scares you and holds you back?
What do you do well naturally?
What do you need to improve?
What do you pretend to like but really don’t?

The list you’re creating is just the first step. Truly finding your passion can only be done by doing! You have to test what you think you’re passionate about.

Add your primary strengths and strongest passions together to find your wheelhouse.

This may not be a process you can complete in an evening but could be a good weekend project!

HOW TO NAIL THE INTERVIEW

So now that you’ve discovered work that’s in your wheelhouse, you’re ready to try to get a job in the field.

Now, you’ll need to nail the interview.

SHAKE THE RELATIONSHIP TREE

Find someone you know or someone who knows someone at the company you’d like to get an interview with. Get the person to help you connect or recommend you.
Make a personal connection.
In 2016, a survey stated that 85% of All Jobs are Filled Via Networking. Shake the tree!
Play “7 Degrees of Kevin Bacon.”

TIPS

Spend a few hours learning everything you can about the company—from as many sources as you can. Google, Glassdoor, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
Google typical interview questions.
Different firms use different types of interviews, so ask what you’ll be faced with. For example, some companies will ask case questions or brain teasers while others will give a standard set of typical interview and leadership questions. Asking the recruiter or HR contact about the interview format ahead of time is totally fair game. And once you know, investing time to become familiar with this style can make a huge difference.
Have an answer to “tell me about yourself” ready to go. Interviewers always ask it, and you want to be sure to nail this first part of the interview.
Don’t be thrown off by the classic, “What’s your biggest weakness?” One foolproof method: Think of something that you struggle with but that you’re working to improve. For example, maybe you’ve never been strong at public speaking, but over the past few years, you’ve taken on leadership roles and volunteered to run meetings to help you be more comfortable when addressing a crowd.
Be on time, and that means early.
Plan the perfect interview outfit. For companies that have a business or business-casual dress code keep your look basic and conservative for the first interview. Not sure what to wear? If you have a contact or friend who works at the company you’re interviewing with, see if he or she can give you a heads up as to what people wear. If you don’t have that luxury, hang out at a coffee shop across the street a day or two before, and try to get a glimpse at what people are wearing. It never hurts to be overdressed. But that doesn’t mean cocktail dresses or a tux.
Have at least 1, but no more than 3, questions for your interviewer. These questions can be job clarifying, department clarifying, or general questions about the company.
Try to stay calm. They know you’re probably nervous, and odds are they are nervous as well.

In his book, The Ideal Team Player, Pat Lencioni lays out 3 qualities of a great member of a team.

HUMBLE

Humble team members are quick to point out the contributions of others and slow to seek attention for their own. They share credit, emphasize team over self and define success collectively rather than individually.

HUNGRY

Hungry team members are self-motivated and diligent. They are constantly thinking about the next step and the next opportunity.

SMART

Smart team members are interpersonally appropriate and aware. They have good judgment and intuition around the subtleties of group dynamics and the impact of their words and actions.

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