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You've probably heard the Web expression "It's very sticky," and it means you just can't let it go because a "sticky" site uses techniques that keep you coming back and creating a buzz as you tell others about it. Your goal in a job interview is to get a job offer, and to do that you need to make yourself as sticky as possible.
How do you make yourself sticky when there are eight or 10 other good candidates competing against you? There are six techniques I've coached many of my job candidates to use, and now I'm going to share them with you.
Sticky trick 1. Stand apart in a job interview by devoting some time to the one thing the manager will remember you for-- solving one or two of his real, live work problems. To do this. you need to detach yourself from the interview protocol and focus on the work.
The problem with most interviews is that they're not very memorable. After meeting four or five candidates in a day, all a manager remembers is his own interview questions. The more standard the interview questions, the more similar and "canned" the responses are. Just take a look at one of those books that lists the "Top 2,000 Interview Questions and Great Answers." You will quickly appreciate why, at the end of the day, everybody's answers kind of blend together.
It's up to you to stand apart, and that means deviating from what's expected.
Here's how: break the question-answer interview routine by asking the manager to lay out a "live" problem he's facing that he would want you (being the new hire) to tackle, then show how you'd solve the problem. Your solution need not be perfect. Just show that you care enough to actually focus on the work itself and demonstrate your abilities rather than just talk. Chances are you'll be remembered.
Sticky trick 2. Think and act like you've already landed the job by letting the manager see you as an employee.
Never forget that the manager's goal is to stop interviewing people; he wants to hire someone so he can get back to work. Your objective is to be the last candidate he talks to. It's a simple tenet...