2023 has been an interesting year so far, and its only February! We’ve already seen the great digital reset kick in with the slashing of hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout the US and abroad. Additionally, we’ve seen this new digital craze kick down the doors of every business, sector, and profession with the emergence of Generative AIs such as ChatGPT and Dalle2.
Before you jump up and down, screaming that it’s going to take our jobs, I want to say, “Yes, I agree – it will!” For many jobs throughout the world, AIs will start taking over many repetitive and labor-intensive roles. Much the same happened when industrial machines started producing higher volumes than what animals or humans could with their own hands or hooves. It’s a natural evolution of innovation and technology. Businesses will find ways to invest and incorporate this technology to have a long-term profitable return.
However, the concern shouldn’t be, “Will this new innovation take my job?” but “How can I use this tool to my advantage and stay ahead of the technological curve?” Staying relevant in the market and understanding how this technology can help you do more or better at what you already do is crucial.
Since the beginning of the new year, I have been showing how AI and ChatGPT can be used as tools for my clients in preparing for their job interviews. This may sound crazy, seeing that I am an Interview Coach and that’s what you hire me to do. But it’s not as black and white as it sounds.
ChatGPT is a tool, and without the user, it is useless. What makes the tool successful is the competence of the user. Familiarizing yourself with this technology now, rather than later, is crucial if you want to stay ahead of the tech curve. Using it for your interview preparation is a smart thing to do, but don’t rely on it. It does not have your experiences, examples, and answers to offer. Instead, you must do the leg work yourself – sit down and write out your answers using the STAR or HCCARR model, and then ask ChatGPT to offer some support in tweaking or ironing out the creases.
When working with my clients, my job is to uncover their genius, showcase the expert inside, and tap into their full potential. There is no magic button that will write the perfect answer for you, and in fact, there is no “perfect” answer. Anyone saying there is, is full of it! There are only your stories, and these can be told poorly or incredibly well. Having a second set of eyes and ears preparing for these can greatly improve the quality of your answers. Even a colleague or friend can offer support, but their critique may be clouded with bias or lack of experience. As a coach, I will ask you specific probing questions in the sessions to expand on your answers and enhance the clarity of your answer. I will look out for opportunities to align how and why you did the actions to the values and requirements of the company and role you are applying for.
Anyway, I did not intend to write this article to simply showcase why our Interview Coaching sessions are the best choice for you. Instead, demonstrate how Generative AI can be used in your workflow, so let’s get back on track.
Below are my 5 reasons why and how you should try this technology out to help you develop your interview answers.
Developing a Database of Questions to Prepare for:
Asking ChatGPT to create a list of questions for a job interview is a great start to prepare for the interview and anticipate what they may ask on the day. While there are numerous questions that could be asked, your stories can be reused in different contexts or situations. For example, you may be asked “Tell me a time you inspired change in your team and or project.”. Whereas, they may ask you instead, “tell me a time you made a difference”, “tell me something you’re proud of” or “tell me a time when you led a project.” The answers you prepare for one question can be applied to others as well. Additionally, looking at the job description or inputting it into an AI tool can generate a list of questions that are relevant to the role. The more specific the input, the better quality the questions try “Create me a list of 20 behavioral and competence based questions for a SAP Network Administrator at Cisco” and see the difference.
Finding Inspiration and Kick-Starting Your Motivation:
Procrastination is a common issue when it comes to preparing for interviews. However, using ChatGPT can help kick-start your motivation and inspire you to begin your preparation. It provides a foundation to work with and can spark ideas and memories, helping you to get started. Whenever I’m looking for somewhere to start, after a couple of questions and responses, my brain is flowing and coming up with inspired content is a breeze.
Making Your Answers More Concise and to the Point:
Writing can be challenging, and people may tend to ramble or go off-topic. You can use ChatGPT to help you rephrase and condense your answers. Simply copy and paste your text into the tool and add a request to make it more concise and improve the quality of the writing. ChatGPT will read your answer and provide a different version, which you can then use to refine your original answer.
Speed and Confidence:
If the interview is approaching, and you have not prepared anything yet, ChatGPT can help you get started quickly and efficiently. It can save you hours by giving you a target to focus on, allowing you to begin building your answers. With this head start and god-like speed, your confidence will strengthen as you become more prepared for the task at hand. To increase this, practice with a coach, friend or mirror to better remember your answers.
Using the Job Description to Get a Profile of Who They Are Looking for:
Lastly, one thing I often see is that some clients lack understanding of what the role actually entails. Many believe that the interview is simply a discussion about their personal background and accomplishments. However, it is much more than that. It is about how well you fit the position, and how your experiences, skills, and personality align with the company’s values, team dynamics, and role requirements. Understanding the key features of the role will help you include these aspects in your answers, which will enable you to check off the mental boxes of the recruiter or hiring manager and confirm that you are the right person for the task.
In conclusion, preparing for an interview can be challenging, but by using ChatGPT, you can make the process easier and more efficient. That said, it is not your solution and doesn’t mean you can just rely on it to do all the work. Just like a hammer, saw or screwdriver it still needs an operator to use it. But in the right hands it can be an incredibly powerful one offering unlimited potential.
I hope you enjoyed this article and that it has offered a fresh and brighter perspective on this new and current topic. If you have any questions or need help with interview coaching, you can reach out to me directly through my website https://interviewcoach.me/discovery-call/ or email me at charlie@interviewcoach.me all my discovery calls are completely free of charge and no obligation. You may find the answer you’re looking for or at least be pointed in the right way.
Whatever you choose, I wish you the best of luck in your job search and remember that success is when persistence meets preparation.