By Andrew Gilman
The key concepts of media training can be boiled down to a few simple lessons: Know your material, figure out the audience you're trying to reach, reduce your content and edit
to a few key points, develop two or three sound bites that will get quoted, figure out the difficult questions you'll be asked, create the bridges from the tough questions to your
key messages, ask reporters questions, impressions count, and practice, practice, practice.
There are rumbles that the job market is starting to come back. Non-farm payroll employment rose by 248,000 in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, following gains
of 346,000 in April and 353,000 in March. Job growth in May again was widespread, as increases continued in construction, manufacturing, and several service-providing industries.
This could mean fattened PR budgets to bring in some warm bodies, not to mention that a better job market means more movement on the agency side. With all that in mind, let's take
a look at how media training applies to the interview process.
Know your material
Job candidates need to think through their resumes and accomplishments. What makes you qualified for a position - or a raise or promotion? This is more than a chronological
list of courses and prior jobs. It's about what makes you standout. If you put it on a resume, make sure you can explain it.
Figure out your audience
Do as much homework as you can on the company, the specific job, and the people who will interview you. Web sites, blogs, current employees and SEC filings for publicly traded
companies are all good sources. We also find that a Nexis or Google search on the respective company and specific projects can help you find independent information. It's not
just about you; it's also about them.
Edit
There's only so much you can say in a 20- to 30-minute interview. So, make sure you have a sense of what's most important to communicate. It's also a better idea to plan to
repeat a couple of your key points, rather than be encyclopedic and cover everything on your list.
Sound bites
The most effective sound bites capture the visual. Our favorites are anecdotes, analogies and third party endorsements. In the job interview, this means telling a couple of
stories about yourself and what you've done or accomplished. Analogies are not as applicable in job interviews as they are in media. Make sure that when you tell a story, you
answer the other questions that an interviewer wants to know: So what? Who cares, and What's in it for Me (WIIFM)? You can talk about yourself, but make sure you talk about how
it helped the client or your company.
Know the difficult questions
Face it: nobody is perfect. There are always a couple of questions on the resume. Whether it's why you had a 3.99998 instead of 4.0, or why the dot-com company you worked for
went belly up, or another probing question. Mere mortals in the job-seeking field ought to be able to figure out the most challenging questions.
Bridge on the tough questions
If you have to give up a point, do so. Otherwise, you'll run the risk of losing credibility. If you have to say, "Yes, that project didn't go well, but here's how we fixed it
or would have done it another time," do so. Occasionally, in a TV interview or a press briefing, a spokesperson can get away with a non-answer. That won't work on a job
interview. In fact, when I'm trying to teach spokespersons how to "bridge" on difficult questions, I often site the job interview paradigm. Too many people in media interviews
treat it as a deposition rather than a job interview. Any good interview candidate has to be able to cover their shortcomings and bridge to positive information.
Ask your own questions
A person who is being interviewed has to ask a number of questions of the reporter in order to do a better job. A thoughtful candidate will always ask a couple of questions
about the company. We're not talking about Mike Wallace-type grilling; just one or two queries that indicate you've dome some homework on the firm.
Impressions count
TV teaches that impression is critical. We elect presidents based on their presence in front of the camera. Impressions and likeability are important for print interviews
over the phone. During the dot-com era, "candidates" came in for job interviews in un-pressed clothes, never mind a lack of tie or sport coat. For 21st Century dress codes, wear
clothes that are appropriate. It's okay to sit up, lean in and demonstrate poise and maturity.
Practice, practice, practice
Take advantage of any and all opportunities to practice. With friends, relatives and counselors (and even the mirror if you have to).
Andy Gilman is president of Washington, DC-based CommCore Consulting. He can be reached at 202.659.4177; [email protected]
Answering WIIFM?
In my experience hiring employees, from media trainers, to marketing and business development staff and administrative personnel, I have found that the ability to tell a story
is critical to gaining insight into a candidate. Resumes tell a piece of the story. What I look for is someone who can select one or two projects, jobs or situations they have
been in, explain the facts succinctly and then tell how the projects et al. helped them develop and/or how it benefited others involved. Like developing a good sound bite, these
stories take time and must be edited and fine-tuned.