Connect the Dots

It’s no longer a game when your next job is at stake

Remember those puzzles when you were a kid? Connect the dots. Draw a line between dot 1 and dot 2. Then draw another between dots 2 and 3. And so on until you ended up with a picture or a message.

Those were fun… when we were kids.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), we’re not kids anymore. But that doesn’t mean that we still can’t play connect the dots. Sort of.

A different kind of game

To connect these dots you don’t necessarily need a pen or pencil. You have to connect them mentally. And worse, you have to convince someone else (the interviewer) to see the same picture that you’re trying to draw.

The difference is that now you’re connecting dots in a job interview. Which is a puzzle of a different color. But that’s another story.

In this job interview, we’re talking about connecting the dots between your job skills and strengths and the employer’s needs. Connecting those dots should convince them that you’re the right person for the job. If they need a detail person, you need to connect the dots between the detailed-oriented work you’ve done in the past with their present need.

The bad news is that sometimes connecting those dots may not seem as obvious to them as it does to you. This is where your interview preparation and rehearsal come into play.

By the time you’re called in for an interview, you should be familiar with the company and the job description, and you should have a pretty good idea of what they’re looking for; what their pain-points are and how you fit. Armed with that knowledge, you should be able to prepare your presentation accordingly.

After all, haven’t you heard people say that getting hired is a game?

More tips.