Ask Vicki: What do you do if an interview says, “You have 10 minutes to impress me”?
In this answer on Quora, Monster career expert Vicki Salemi tells you how to win them over when you're under pressure.
Vicki Salemi
Each week, Monster’s career expert Vicki Salemi—a former recruiter who utilizes 15-plus years of experience in recruiting and human resources to empower job seekers—answers user questions on Quora. We’ll be republishing the answers here. If you have a question for Vicki, send it to socialmedia@monster.com.
Q. What do you do if an interview says, “You have 10 minutes to impress me”?
A. Gotta love these questions, right? Absolutely no pressure, zero. None. (Kidding!)
Spend every minute wisely. Think about what makes you stand apart from other candidates. Instead of saying, “I’m awesome!” give them examples of your awesomeness. Show; don’t tell. That’s why it’s important to have anecdotes at the ready.
You can say, “I always go the extra mile—and then the mile after that—like the time when I…”
To impress them even more, sound and look enthusiastic. If you speak with a monotone, the interviewer will neither be excited nor impressed. Show your passion, that fire in your belly! You want your energy to convince the interviewer that you would definitely be an asset to the team.
Keep in mind, whenever I asked hiring managers why they decided to hire one candidate over another, it was because they liked the winning candidate better. The winning candidate fit in the group. In addition to showcasing a solid work ethic, the soon-to-be-employee was “one of us.” Simply stated, having outstanding soft skills was the deciding factor.
So instead of sounding like you’re reading from a script, share examples of the ways you go above and beyond, and express excitement and confidence. You want to win people over in a genuine, authentic way. That’s always impressive.
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Read Vicki Salemi's answer to "What do you do if an interview says, 'You have 10 minutes to impress me'?" on Quora.
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