How to Answer "What Can You Contribute?" in an Interview

Good interviews tell good stories about your past. GREAT interviews also tell good stories about a company's future. Most interview prep advice centers on stories and it's a vital place to start. Why stories? They're a memorable and relatable medium for communicating your accomplishments, strengths, character, and value in an interview setting. Some of the most common best practices include: Crafting stories on things like a time you succeeded, a time you failed, a time you collaborated with others, etc. Structuring your stories in the STAR or CAR or SOAR format. Regardless of the acronym, the A and R (your Actions and your Results) are the most important to emphasize. Rehearsing your stories, recording yourself telling them, thinking through different kinds of questions and which ones you might use. All of these can help you build a strong foundation for giving good interviews. But what separates good interviews from great ones? *Connecting* your stories to the company's story. ESPECIALLY their challenges. The best interviews are about showing that you understand the company's (or department's or team's) biggest problems AND framing YOU as part of the solution. To be brutally honest, companies don't REALLY care about you or your background. They only care about it insofar as your background can potentially help them achieve their goals. But by speaking to the company's goals and challenges: You can connect the dots for them Show that you're thinking like a current employee And explain how your background is exactly what they need. So how do you find out the company's challenges? Through great company research (something most job seekers don't do). Don't just read the job description and company website. Listen to earnings calls and talks from company leaders. Read news articles about company initiatives and products. Look at what their competitors are doing.  Talk to current and former employees. ASK about their challenges in earlier interviews (to address in later ones!). This allows you to go from: "Here's a story about a time I solved a problem." to "I understand one of your team's biggest challenges is ______. Here is a story about a time when I solved a problem just like this one." See the difference? Who would you hire? The job seekers who win offers are the ones who not only tell great stories about themselves, But also show that they're an important character in the story of the company's future. What ways have you connected your own stories to a company's story?

Friendly reminder: Stop listing your job duties in interviews. They already know what the role was. They’re trying to figure out what you brought to it. Your interview answers should focus on...👇🏾 📌 The measurable results you delivered. ↳ “I led a cross-functional initiative that cut processing time by 22% in Q1.” 📌 The problems you solved and how. ↳ “We were consistently missing deadlines, so I restructured our workflow and introduced a new project cadence that improved delivery speed and reduced team burnout.” 📌 The systems or processes you improved. ↳“I identified inefficiencies in how we tracked metrics, so I built a dashboard that aligned KPIs to team goals and improved visibility across leadership.” 📌 The why behind your actions (not just the what). ↳ “I shifted our onboarding from reactive to strategic, not just to improve time-to-productivity, but to increase retention during the first 90 days.” 📌 The strategic lens you used to make decisions. ↳“Before launching that initiative, I studied our previous cycles, identified the choke points, and built a phased rollout to reduce risk.” You’re not there to prove you worked. You’re there to show how you think. Be generous. Share this with someone prepping for interviews right now. #AliciaEmpowering

Here's a game-changing piece of job search advice: Prove to organizations how you can add value. Your mission is to show potential employers exactly why they need you. Job searching can be daunting, especially in today's competitive market. Standing out and easing employer doubts about your fit for the job is crucial. Inspired by Josh Cohen and Christine Moorman, I've found a powerful strategy that I want to share with you: identify the organization's Job To Be Done (JTBD). Think of yourself as presenting a product on QVC - showcase how you can solve their JTBD. Start by using your network and conversations to understand their goals, challenges, and what they aim to achieve in the coming year. Example: I recently navigated a competitive recruiting process with a top organization. Despite being up against candidates with backgrounds I lacked, I didn't let me hold that back. Instead, I focused on adding value. Knowing this organization wanted to connect with energy and climate tech companies, I created industry snapshots for three key sectors. I identified a growing set of relevant companies and provided contact information for their CFOs. I offered to connect them with relevant colleagues in my network. Result: By demonstrating my understanding of their JTBD and showing my capability to add value, I reduced their doubts about my fit for the role. I advanced through the interview process, consistently asking, "How can I help you do your job better?" Does this approach resonate with you? Let me know if this framework and way of solving problems to demonstrate value makes sense and is helpful! #jobsearch #careeradvice #networking #careerdevelopment #interviewtips #valueproposition

I've interviewed and hired hundreds of people over my career. Here's what hiring managers REALLY want to know in your interview. Yes, they want to learn about you, but what they really care about is what you can offer and how you'll fit into the culture. After all, that's why they're hiring someone. The obvious goal is to find someone who can do the job, but it goes much deeper than that. It's assumed you have the required skillset, and yes, you need to prove this, but what's really important to prove is your PROACTIVENESS. This means someone who comes up with good ideas on their own, puts those ideas into action, and does so without anyone asking. For example, when you can spot problems and fix them without being told, managers will value you more. Additionally, if you can direct your efforts toward taking a load off the manager, even better. Just make sure what you're doing ties to the mission. Think about what skills you have that your potential manager might not. Can you handle the technical stuff they struggle with? Organize systems that would save them time? Deal with tasks they find challenging? During your interview, make it clear that you love using your skills to make other people's jobs easier. This shows you're truly a team player. Don't just say "I'm a team player" - that doesn't mean much. Instead, share real examples of times when you noticed a coworker was overwhelmed and stepped in to help, took over a task no one wanted to do, or used your skills to solve a problem for the team. Managers want to hear stories that prove you're the kind of person who makes the whole team better! Remember: In your interview, focus on character qualities, not just your qualifications. Also, show up prepared with good questions. Show them you did your homework. If you say you're proactive, then make sure you follow up after the interview and thank them. Let them know you're happy to provide more details and answer any questions. #careers #userexperience #productmanagement