When I started this blog it was with the idea that I would take real life experiences on the job and share my insights, successes – or failures – and hopefully impart some knowledge that others would find useful. So, since I’ve been in the midst of a job search over the last few months, I decided to focus the next few entries around that theme and create a Job Search Series of posts.

This first post, aka “Chapter 1”, will focus on tactics for presenting your best self during phone or in-person interviews, as well as a cautionary tale from a situation that may have cost me a new position. So let’s get to it!

Here are more details on the Four Interview Prep Tactics to help you present your best self when meeting potential new employers:

1. Think about how you want to tell your story during the interview, but don’t be so overly rehearsed that it sounds like you’re trying out for a high school musical. The key word here is “story” and conveying yourself in a confident but relaxed manner – not robotically as though you’re reading bullet points from cue cards. Also look through your resume, or reflect on past positions, and come up with a short list of relatable projects that highlight your work experience and how well you’d be suited for the new role.

2. Have at least 3 follow up questions prepared for the interviewer at the end, when inevitably they will turn the tables and want to know if you have questions. This is nearly as important as the first part of the interview, because it shows you’ve thought about the position and the company that you hope to work for. As a freebie, a question I’ve always had success with is, “How big is the team I’d be joining?” or something along the lines of asking how the team is structured.

3. If you were laid off or let go from your last place of employment, have a solid answer ready because it will come up – and probably earlier in the conversation rather than later. Also it should go without saying, but be completely transparent about what happened. You want your answer to match was the HR department would say at your past company if the new employer was to call and ask.

4. Do your research! Scour the company website, read the “about” section and Google for any articles in the press. Also an audit of their social media channels can be helpful if you’re joining a B2C company that consumers would follow and comment on. Once you’ve done that, prepare a few key phrases you can weave into the conversation letting them know that you have looked over their digital assets/web presence. (Just try not to sound like a know-it-all… and if you’re a regular reader, you already know my views on smarty-pants-people.) In a nutshell, you’ll flush any bonus points down the drain if you come across as an outsider attempting to tell the interviewer what’s going on in their own house. You dig?

Now to the cautionary tale portion of the story… Which requires a little bit of backtracking, but I promise I’ll keep it brief.

In my previous job search expeditions, I’ve created mock proposals and taken them along on interviews as a special guest star in the “all about me” pitch. This was done in part to show my enthusiasm for the position but also because I’m a creative person with an imagination on overdrive and I wanted to showcase those skills as well. And with my last couple jobs, either it worked or it didn’t do any harm, because I ended up getting the position! Based on those successes, in my mind, this was the clincher; a home run idea and a way to absolutely differentiate myself from the herd of other candidates the employers were sorting through.

So why wouldn’t I continue this practice in the job search I’m going through now?

Fast forward to a couple months ago when a particular job opening came to my attention and after reading through the job description, I felt confident I could “rock it” and absolutely be able to execute on the tasks they’d laid out for the new hire to achieve. Also it’s important to note the position was one step up from where I’ve been in the past – but what’s the point of life if you’re not trying to better yourself and grow as a person? So I applied.

Not long after I was chosen to come in for a half-day interview process with some of the company’s executives, and in advance of that I carefully crafted what would be best described as a 30-60-90 day plan. Essentially it was a roadmap meant to convey, “If you hire me for this position, this is my game plan for completing the tasks and goals you’ve laid out in the job description.”

Once I’d completed the document I was bursting with pride. Not only was it full of great content and strategic planning, but I’d also artfully laid out in InDesign (a nod to my graphic design roots) so it looked very sharp and I thought I had the position in the bag. Who else was going to come in with a fully realized plan for the goals, large and small, included in the job description?

This last part of the story, admittedly, is without a lot of specific details. But that’s only because I don’t have them to share, not because I’m holding back. (Believe me if I knew what went wrong I would tell you as I’m dying to know myself.) Anyway the post-plan epilogue is as follows… So I have the multi hour interview with the executives and share my 30-60-90 day plan. One exec seemed very impressed, while the other only seemed mildly interested and unfortunately it would seem the 2nd individual was the one calling the shots.

About a week after the interview, the 2nd individual called and said that while they liked me very much and thought I had a strong background, they were looking for someone more seasoned for the (higher level) position. Ouch.

It baffled me for weeks how my bright and sparkly 30-60-90 day plan had failed me. Surely no one else had come in as prepared… So where did the breakdown happen? Then the other day I was reading an article in which the writer said, “Some people think that anything offered for free is without value.” Hmm.

As I said earlier, with no specifics I can’t say for sure what happened in my situation and/or if the thought behind that quote was part of the reason the company decided to pass on me for the higher level role. But it certainly gave me cause to pause, which is why I’m sharing this insight with you here and now.

While it is most certainly beneficial to showcase your unique creativity and talents during an interview – at the same time, don’t give the farm away. Perhaps things would have ended differently for me if I’d only referenced the plan I had in mind versus bringing a hard copy blueprint to the interview. In that alternate reality I still could have showcased strategic forethought and creative insights, while at the same time refrained from shilling my wares on the corner for anyone to scamper off with.

For me that is the lesson learned – and I hope it’s helpful to you as well.