Interview Autopsies

This weekend, my father went for his 40th medical school reunion.  Next year, he should have his school loans paid off!  Ha ha... I kid...  But, only slightly.

One of the things he learned while visiting his beloved alma mater is that there's a new pitfall facing the medical students of today.  There are more medical school graduates each year in the US than there are residency slots available.  That means there are people who, after 12 years of elementary and secondary school, four years of undergraduate and four more years of medical school find themselves debt laden and unable to advance in their chosen field.  The competition has always been tough.  Now, it's even more so.

One of the factors than can mean the difference between securing a spot in a residency program or moving back home with mom and dad has very little to do with what has been studied in books or lectures.  It hasn't been on tests up to now, and it sinks many potentially great physicians every year.  It is the interview.

In order to be accepted into a residency program, graduating medical school students must travel near and far for an interview, usually by a board of faculty and staff.  These soon to be graduates may know their medicine backwards and forwards, but if they do a poor job of expressing that knowledge, their careers may end before they begin.  Sometimes, it may not be about expressing knowledge, but rather how they express themselves that hurts.

This isn't just about medical school students, however.  It's also about you.  Everything you do sends a message, whether you know it or not.  Those messages are received by others, whether they know it or not.  The message may be intentional, like wearing your best suit to make a good impression.  It can be something as simple as how you walk through a door.  It may be something you don't even know you're doing, like using "um" every third word.  Everything you do is communicating something to someone else.  The key to being good in an interview it to be acutely aware of what messages you are sending and how those are being received.

Very few people ever actually practice for an interview.  I find this surprising given how important they can be to our futures.  From winning scholarships to landing jobs, interview skills may make the difference between success and failure.  We study for tests.  We prepare for important presentations.  Why don't we practice for interviews?

It's easy to get started.  Step one: pick out your clothes.  Often, the first thing an interviewer will see is what you are wearing.  Even before she can make out the features on your face, she'll know if you're wearing sneakers or dress shoes.  If you're not sure what to wear, follow the simple advice from John T. Malloy's book, Dress for Success - Plain, Plain, Fancy.  That means you only get one flashy piece of clothing at a time.  Conservative blouse, conservative skirt, amazing shoes!  Plain suit, plain shirt, sharp tie!  Two fancy things at a time become tacky, so don't risk it.

Step two: record yourself.  This is easier than it sounds.  Almost every American has a better camera than the "broadcast quality" studio cameras at my first four television stations.  You may be reading this article on your camera right now.  Our phones and tablets are amazing video devices as well.  Use them!  Record yourself answering questions that might be asked in the interview.  Get a friend or family member to help by asking the questions from across a table.  Then, watch the video back!  A lot of people hate this part because they don't like seeing themselves on camera.  But, this is vital to improving.  You have to see your mistakes and bad habits before you can fix them.  Do you make enough eye contact?  Do you make too much eye contact?  Do you say "um" or "uh" often?  Do you overly rely on a single word, like, you know, "like?"  Find one thing you want to fix (only one at a time) and then try it again.

Step three: repeat.  I know this sounds like shampoo bottle instructions, but that's all it really takes.  Dress for success and record yourself.  Then, do it again.  Practice may not make you perfect, but it will make you better.  That improvement may mean the difference between you getting the job or someone else.

If you'd like a professional opinion on your interview communication skills, please let us know.  We've worked with journalists, doctors, and pageant winners.  We'd love to work with you as well.

http://www.amazon.com/John-Molloys-New-Dress-Success/dp/0446385522

Walker Walks Away

Another week and another one walks away.  This time it's Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.  The midwestern political phenomenon was at the top of the polls in the spring of this year and even referred to himself as the front runner.  By summer, his status was being trumped by outsiders.  Now, at the start of fall, his poll numbers and fundraising efforts had fallen so low, Walker couldn't see a way forward.

There have been several articles written about what went wrong.  Did he have the right staff?  Did he have too much staff?  Did he get bogged down in tactics instead of paying attention to strategy?  Why did the money dry up?  There was one quote in an article by Politico that caught my attention.  It was from one of Walker's big donors, billionaire Stanley Hubbard.

“What I was going to tell him is that he should get some training, some TV training. I know where to get it.”

— http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/scott-walker-quits-2016-213912

I believe Hubbard was right.  Walker wasn't ready for the bright lights of mass media.  Most of the articles written about the demise of his campaign mention his two debate performances.  They are described as poor, or mediocre at best.  It wasn't that the subject matter stumped him.  He didn't have an "oops" moment like Rick Perry four years ago.  He just didn't resonate through the camera lens out to the audience at large.  He wasn't able to display his passion for the job of President with any authenticity.  It's not that he didn't want it.  It's not that he didn't have experience in government administration.  But, that never came through to the American public.

It's amazing how difficult it can be to just be yourself on camera.  As soon as a camera comes out, most of us turn into someone else, and usually it's a less competent version of ourselves.  Being an effective communicator on camera takes practice.  It's not a coincidence that the best communicator in the Oval office in the past 50 years was once a professional actor.

You don't have to be an actor to be able to represent yourself or your company well in today's media.  But, you do need to practice.  Silver Tongue Communications can help.

Learning from Rick Perry's Mistakes

Rick Perry has exited the building.  This week, the former Texas Governor added Former 2016 Presidential Candidate to his resume.  Perry was better prepared this time than he was 4 years ago.  He had obviously studied the issues, both domestic and foreign.  He had a new pair of snazzy reading glasses.  He was rested, rehearsed, and ready.  So, what went wrong?  

It's possible, there wasn't anything Rick Perry could have done differently in this campaign that would have made a difference.  He was running against another candidate who's mouth was keeping Perry's polling depressed.  No, I don't mean Donald Trump.  I referring to Rick Perry from 2011.

Four years ago, Rick Perry jumped into the campaign late, but instantly became the front runner. He had a great resume as the longest serving Governor of Texas, a state that was growing when the rest of the nation wasn't.  He had a great story of fighting against the Obama Administration, filing lawsuits to push back against Federal overreach.  And, he had great hair.  What he didn't have was great preparation.  A series of disastrous debates sunk Rick Perry in 2011.  His iconic moment of forgetting which departments of the government he'd get rid of became the "oops" heard around the world.  (If you haven't seen that moment, I included it in our Media Training video.)

Prior to the Oops, Perry enjoyed poll numbers as high as 31% in the Real Clear Politics average of polls.  After the Oops, he never topped 9%.  Flash Forward to this year and Perry still never tops 9%.  I believe his lack of preparation and focus in 2011 not only doomed his campaign that year, it has doomed his campaign again this year.

Lessons to Learn...

I've always admired people who are able to learn from the mistakes of others.  Rick Perry falls into that category for me.  10 years ago, in the late summer of 2005, Rick Perry was battling for his political life.  Polls said The Republican Governor of Texas was losing in a primary fight for reelection.  Then, quite suddenly, his poll numbers and political fortunes turned dramatically.

The reason for the uptick in Lone Star support was literally an act of nature.  Hurricane Katrina slammed into a poorly prepared New Orleans.  Evacuations which had been suggested by FEMA and NOAA were ignored by city and state leaders until it was too late.  Then, after the city was under water, Governor Kathleen Blanco was not able to handle the crisis well.  People died.  When outsiders looked at how Mississippi managed the disaster and compared that to how Louisiana dealt with the same storm, Louisiana leadership looked like they were in over their heads.

Jump forward one month and another destructive hurricane was barreling into the Gulf Coast.  This time, it was going to hit Texas.  Perry, to his credit, had learned from Blanco's mistakes.  Evacuations were not only ordered in a timely manner, they were generally smooth.  Rick Perry looked like a genius statesman compared to Blanco and his post hurricane poll numbers reflected that newly discovered competence.  He sailed onto reelection, becoming the longest serving governor in Texas history.

That's why his lack of preparation in 2011 was so surprising to me.  He had been in the politics game long enough to know better.

The good news is that we can learn from Perry's mistakes.  Perry never got second chance with the voters.  You may not either.  That's why it so important to be prepared.  Before you step up to the podium or address the microphones, do you know what you're going to say and how you're going to say it?  Have you practiced reacting when things go wrong?  Do you have the important information you need to share at your fingertips?  

If you need help with this type of preparation, please give us a call.  We are prepared to help you present the best you possible.