“What questions do you think I should ask at the end of the interview?”

“Oh, don’t wait until the end. I mean, we can definitely work on that, but better if you don’t wait ‘til the end. The best interviews I’ve ever had are conversations. We can think through some questions for you to ask at the end by all means, but ideally let’s get you prepped to ask questions throughout.”

“Sure… so how would that work exactly?”

“Well, you do have to be comfortable thinking on your feet, so if tha….”

“I’m not sure, I get pretty anxious before interviews”

“Understood. Howeverrr…I think there’s a great opportunity here if you’re willing to ask questions early and often. We’ve shaped your resume to mask your age, but the interview with the hiring manager is the place to just subtly bring your experience back into the picture. With the experience you have, it’s a great way to put some white space between you and the other candidates. You can position yourself in a way where others simply can’t follow you.”

“OK, now I’m excited! Nervous but excited…what would I need to do?”

“First of all, in my experience, what really helps here is nailing the personal positioning statement right at the start. Take a little time to work on that ahead of time. Make sure you’re crisp and concise, ninety seconds max, tune it towards this role, what excites you about it, and why this company. If you can deliver that well, then it tends to settle the nerves somewhat. You just know that you’ve got off to a good start and your confidence will build.”

“Okaaay, then what about asking questions earlier in the interview?”

“I think the key is to just be naturally curious and inquisitive and then lean into your experience. I know that sounds simplistic, but it really is that simple. Go into the interview with the mindset that you’re going to have a conversation, not an interrogation. So, for example, if they ask you about your customer success work with K-12, first of all, answer the question. You remember we worked on that just after we started working together…we spent a couple of hours teasing out your career stories?”

“...yes, I think so…you mean the, the STAR format, is that what it's called?”

“Yes, exactly that, the SOAR or STAR format, they’re pretty much the same thing. So you have your career stories already prepared. So, answer the question about K-12 that they asked you. Use the career story that we’ve prepared already. You don’t have to remember it exactly, but as long as you have the core memorized you’ll be fine. It’ll sound more natural that way anyway. And after you’ve finished your answer, you just naturally ask an appropriate question back to the interviewer. You have to be able to sense the context and read the room effectively, but you could ask how is your customer success team structured here, or what are the two biggest challenges in the customer success team right now. When they answer that, you dip into your experience to share your perspective back. Eee gee, you could talk about the pros and cons of different team organizations, or share how you would address the two big challenges they mentioned.”

“You make it sound so easy…”

“Ha, well it gets easier with practice. But as human beings were naturally conversational. Or at least we used to be until we all started watching mindless videos all day…But I know you’re old enough to remember that. But yeah, it is simple. Go into the interview with a conversation mindset, be curious, listen intently, ask smart questions, and then draw on your depth of experience to distinguish yourself as a candidate. Job done.”

“David, I love it! Can we set up a time for a mock interview so I can practice?”

“Of course! You know I’m here to provide coaching and support until you land for no additional cost, so just pick a time on my calendar when you’re ready.”