By Alan Carinol
In the past, I've talked about the "Yada-Yada Trap".
Its a common interview mistake. In fact, it could be one of the biggest interview mistakes. And it's one that is most likely to be made by older and more experienced candidates. For reasons I'll explain in a moment.
It's name comes from an episode of Seinfeld.
There's a running joke throughout the whole episode where the characters share increasingly juicy stories with each other, but gloss over the key details with "Yada, Yada, Yada. (E.g. George's new girlfriend tells him that her ex-boyfriend "came over late last night, and.... yada, yada, yada... I'm really tired today.") The details are implied, and most of us get what is left unsaid.
In fact, it's what is unsaid that makes these lines funny in a sit-com.
But landing a job is no comedy. It's serious business.
A lot of candidates make the mistake of glossing over many of the critical details in their interview answers. For example, they will talk about a result or accomplishment they contributed to in the past, but then "yada, yada, yada" over their specific contribution because they don't recognize how valuable their most-used skills and talents are to a potential employer.
I sometimes use the term "reflex talents".
It describes the talents that you have that might be invisible to you, simply because, from your point of view, it's just "the way you do things".
Often, these reflex talents are the most important part of your answer to common interview questions. By definition, they are the things that set you apart from other candidates, and may help you land your dream job.
A large part of our Interview Success Formula program is the Online Self-Assessment Survey. Now, I'll admit that it's not the catchiest name in the world. But this quiz, which takes about 30 minutes to go through, uncovers your hidden "reflex" assets, explains why they are so valuable, and gives you the language you need to talk about them to managers and interviewers so you never again have to worry about falling into the "Yada-Yada Trap".
If you're already a member of Interview Success Formula and you've not completed this survey yet, I highly recommend you complete it today. The customized report you get back is an absolute game-changer.
And if you're not, consider it another reason to sign up to this program.
You can learn more about Interview Success Formula over here:
Until tomorrow,
Alan Carniol Founder of Interview Success, Inc.
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