My dad made the best sandwiches growing up. I could always find a ham and cheese sandwich with a Little Debbie cake in my lunch box. However, when I graduated from undergrad, I had to make my own sandwiches.
This is where my interview tips come in. Even if you don’t like sandwiches, you will want to swallow this one. Here are the basics. No matter the question, you want to keep the order of these steps in mind.
Having sat on the other side of the table and interviewed candidates myself, I have found some people to come off as arrogant or a “know it all”. But, using this strategy will make you appear experienced and confident. It takes away the need for wordiness, but gives the right amount of information to sell yourself.
The bread represents your beliefs. It is what represents what you have come to understand about yourself. Here is an example. Let’s say you’re applying for a job with Amazon. This question refers to Amazon’s principals and values.
This is a tough question. Not only have you had to reflect on your abilities, but you have also had to reflect on others’ abilities and what makes you unique. This is why preparation is key!
In this response you have stated your belief as well as tied it back to the company’s values. Of course, depending on the values, your response might be lengthier. The important thing to note is that your belief is now tied to their values and your contribution.
The cheese represents your strengths. You have researched the position and your ability to respond to the values and needs of the business. Let’s take the same question and response and extend it, this time adding your strengths.
Interviewee:“Amazon definitely has strategic principals that are impressive. As a leader in your business, I understand one must possess and reflect on these responsibilities daily. I believe leadership is about strong awareness and then response to a consumers needs.
My strengths of pursuing e-relationships as well as staying on top of innovation demonstrates my influence. I have the ability to see through the eyes of consumers, observe a problem, and connect it to a solution. This ability gives me global perspective, yet the knowledge to develop a response with detail…”
You have just stated your ability to respond to the values and mission of this business. You have stated it globally and without being wordy. If the interviewer needs to know more about you, let it be him/her that asks for more detail. It’s important not to talk to much or elaborate on a point. You will lose your focus and their attention.
The ham represents your experience. Even if you have no experience specific to the role you have applied for, you still refer to what real life experience you have had that may contribute to the position.
Interviewee:“Amazon definitely has strategic principals that are impressive. As a leader in your business, I understand one must possess and reflect on these responsibilities daily. I believe leadership is about strong awareness and then response to a consumers needs.
My strengths of pursuing e-relationships as well as staying on top of innovation demonstrate my influence. I have the ability to see through the eyes of consumers, observe a problem, and connect it to a solution. This ability gives me global perspective, yet the knowledge to develop a response with detail.
My role as a…(fill in the blank)…prove this as I have delivered results directly impacting the growth of this company. The focus of one particular project was to…(fill in the blank)…I found the solution to be…(fill in the blank)…Because of this response and my action steps, the results delivered were…(fill in the blank)…which impacted the company in the area of personnel…”
This is the area where you go into more detail while also maintaining the focus of the question. If the interviewer wants more detail than you give about the project or specifically your action steps, let them dig deeper.
The bottom layer of bread brings you back to your belief which ties to the question. In a sense you are restating your belief from the beginning of the response. However, you want to try to re-word it so it doesn’t sound redundant.
Interviewee:“Amazon definitely has strategic principals that are impressive. As a leader in your business, I understand one must possess and reflect on these responsibilities daily. I believe leadership is about strong awareness and then response to a consumers needs.
My strengths of pursuing e-relationships as well as staying on top of innovation demonstrate my influence. I have the ability to see through the eyes of consumers, observe a problem, and connect it to a solution. This ability gives me global perspective, yet the knowledge to develop a response with detail.
My role as a…(fill in the blank)…prove this as I have delivered results directly impacting the growth of this company. The focus of one particular project was to…(fill in the blank)…I found the solution to be…(fill in the blank)…Because of this response, the results delivered were…(fill in the blank)…which impacted the company in the area of hiring personnel with highly qualified skills.
These results tie back to my belief in that leadership has a role of being a problem solver. It’s my responsibility to stay aware of a need and respond to it with innovation and consumer buy-in. For me, it’s all about values that put a consumer’s needs first.”
So making a ham sandwich is way easier than this process. Wouldn’t you agree? But what makes you stand out with the Sandwich Strategy is PREPARATION. You can’t wing it and just hope for the best. It’s experience, research, reflection, questioning, and observing all to get to a place of answering one question at a time.
But even with all this preparation, a job can’t be guaranteed. Sometimes it’s failure that you need. You may not be the person that the role requires, although you have all the qualifications. I am sure of one thing though, use this strategy and you will stand out. When the right door opens, you will be ready.
