Let’s settle those interview jitters.

How can you keep yourself from worrying about the questions that interviewers are apt to ask?

By remembering that you’re the specialist in information about you: your likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, what you do best and what you do least well. What you say is of interest to interviewers, not because it’s right or wrong, but because it helps them determine if what you bring to the table enables you to solve their problems, save them time, and make them money, not necessarily in that order.

For you to give them sufficient information to make that decision, you will need to know more than just their vision, mission and market. You’ll need to know their most significant business challenges and opportunities.

So, if they ask, “what can you do for us?”

You can answer, “here’s what I do best, and how I’ve contributed most. You tell me about the greatest challenges that face your company and I can tell you how I can be of greatest assistance in meeting and overcoming them.”

Let’s settle those interview jitters.

You weren’t a stand-out scholar, or captain of the football team. You’re not an accountant, an engineer, or a computer whiz. You’re suffering from small fish syndrome; you can do a lot of little things, but no one thing to write home about. How can you sell yourself to an interviewer?

Every company needs employees who are doers, who can jump in where they’re directed and get the job done. If that describes you, emphasize your ability to respond quickly to what’s needed, give evidence of having done that, and reinforce your message with an enthusiastic presentation that says “I’m energetic, goal focused, and trustworthy. You’ll always be glad that you hired me.”

Let’s settle those interview jitters.

You’ve been earning more money than the job you’re interviewing for will pay. You’re concerned that because of that, you won’t get serious consideration. You need the work and want a clear shot at this opening, what can you do to improve your odds?

Since you’ve been earning more, you’ve probably had more authority and responsibility than this job will afford you. If that’s true, you can say that you are looking for an opportunity to get back in the trenches, doing what you enjoy most, while managing fewer people.  You realize that will mean a step back in pay, and the trade off is worth it to you.

Or, you can say that you’re interested in changing industries and to do that you realize you may have to take a step back in salary. You expect to prove yourself over the course of the first year and would expect to improve your salary in the future.

Let’s settle those interview jitters!

You’re making much less money than the position’s advertisement says it will pay. The company’s representative wants to meet with you and has asked for your salary history. You believe that you’ve been underpaid for years. You don’t want the prospective employer to know the truth, for fear you’ll be undervalued and if you get the job it will be at a lesser salary than you deserve. What should you do?

Although most advertised positions give a salary range, the employer is most apt to make an offer at the lower end of the mid point. Since the interviewer has already agreed to meet with you, don’t discuss salary or provide your salary history until you’ve had an opportunity to learn more about the position and to demonstrate how you will bring value to the company. (“I’d like to defer our compensation discussion until we can determine if we have a potential match.”)

If the interviewer insists that the meeting can go forward only if you provide salary information (which almost never happens), explain that your company pays lower than industry standards (if true) and that the level of authority and responsibility that you have is commensurate to salaries that exceed your current rate.

Interview jitters can be a good thing. If you’re prepared, they’ll increase your focus, sharpen your thinking, and improve your responses. If you aren’t, they’ll just be a whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on.