Today we welcome to the show Dayvon Goddard author and podcaster.
Secrets of the hire provides insights and information to help recent graduates stand out during an interview even when they are competing with someone who may be more qualified.
In his book, How to Answer the 25 Toughest Job Interview Questions, Dayvon shares his insights on how to answer the questions, how not to answer and exactly what your interviewer is looking to hear from you.
He even provides sample answers to each question that can be used by new and experienced job candidates alike.
Dayvon and I spend a large part of today’s show discussing the hardest part of the interview process; answering the actual interview questions themselves.
Dayvon, Welcome to the show.
DAYVON’S PATH
What does setting yourself up for success look like to you? Do you know? Have you thought about it all?
Like many of us, Dayvon chose a major and went off to college. He graduated with a degree in accounting and was excited to start working in his chosen field. For many, this would be the definition of success.
But not for Dayvon. He quickly realized after entering the workforce as an accountant; the work was not for him.
He was sitting in his cube one day and realized not only was he not using his degree, more importantly, but he also was not having any kind of impact on the world or making a difference of any kind.
Do you ever wonder about the same things?
Dayton decided it was better to do something about his situation rather than sit back and resign himself to meaningless work. So he took action.
And because he decided to Just Start, his actions not only lead him to his dream job but also inspired him to create The Secrets of the Hire website and podcast to share his knowledge and expertise.
SECRETS OF THE HIRE
As with most things in life, when you look back from where you are today, you’ll discover the road that brought you to this point wasn’t straight. Instead it is usually a series of twists, turns, and forks in the road which required us to make a decision.
These twists and turns can be from ideas or frustrations. In Dayvon’s case, it was his frustration with the hiring process that inspired him to reach out to career coaches and other experts in the hiring field to seek answers, to discover why he wasn’t getting responses from companies.
With every conversation, with each interaction, Dayvon was gaining valuable skills and knowledge. He was becoming a subject matter expert on the secrets of the hiring process.
Because of his giving nature, Dayvon wanted to share his knowledge, his expertise, with others to prevent them from going through the same experiences.
This lead Dayvon to turn his knowledge into resources such as the Secrets of the Hire website and podcast.
But he didn’t stop there. Going above and beyond Dayvon, decided to give back at an even higher level and created the SOH scholarship foundation, which he uses to help current college students overcome challenging financial situations.
HOW TO ANSWER THE 25 TOUGHEST JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Continuing his journey to make an impact on the world Dayvon didn’t stop with the website, the podcast, and the scholarship fund.
He decided to turn his knowledge and passion into a product, a book, or resources as he humbly refers to it as called How to Answer the 25 toughest job interview questions.
The content in the book all came from the knowledge he gained during his job search process and through reaching out to other experts looking for help and guidance.
As I mentioned in the intro, the book provides insights on how to answer these thought job interview questions, how not to answer them, and precisely what the interviewer wants to hear from you.
Dayvon and I discuss the two most common job interview questions.
1 – Do you have any questions for me?
2 – Tell me about yourself?
We go into detail on how to answer these questions and even dive into what questions you should ask your interviewer.
USING THE STAR TECHNIQUE TO ANSWER BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
One of those methods is the STAR Method. The STAR method of interviewing helps the interviewee answer behavioral or situational interview questions.
The STAR Method is an acronym for Situation or Task, Actions, and the Results achieved.
Dayton and I provide examples of how to answer questions using the STAR method.
It’s during this part of the interview when we talk about the importance of job research and how to leverage your past experiences into the interview to demonstrate how you can add value to the company.
THE BEST WAY TO CLOSE OUT AN INTERVIEW
Like Tim Saumier and I discussed in Show 4, Dayton shares what he has learned about the best way to close out an interview.
We also discuss in detail how to follow up after a job interview.
SUMMARY
The following methods are the best way to get in touch with Dayvon.
Podcast: The Secrets of the Hire
Dayvon leaves us with these final thoughts:
“Go above and beyond in everything you do. Do what it takes to set yourself up for success”.
