Kudos to the Interviewing Series

I just want to give a shout out for the MT Interviewing Series. I'm currently doing the interview jig right now, looking for a new role, and I'm feeling loads more confidence than ever before as a result of listening to the interview series. There's one specific area where I can tangibly feel my ability has improved in this game, and as a result my self-confidence has increased at every stage of the interviewing process: and that is having a high-level eagle-eye picture of the hiring process, from answering job ads, interacting with recruitment agents, going into first interviews, going into second interviews, following up, and (soon hopefully) accepting an offer. And it's thanks in big part to the subscription series of podcasts from you guys about interviewing, and then also the general-distribution ones about relationships with recruiters. To give two specific examples that have occurred in the last two days for me. I met with a recruiter (at a recruitment agency) this morning and had a Great conversation. Knowing the role of the recruiter, what makes them tick, who pays their fee, and what I need to do to get my application to the top of their pile, made that conversation go soooo well. We had a really positive and effective conversation. I knew what specifics to touch on, in terms of what I'm looking for, and that's because of the amount of prep I've already put into defining my skills when updating my resume and also from preparing my answers to behavioural interviewing questions (which took me really deep into understanding myself as an employable package). Those two things that I've done have really deepened my understanding of the kind of role I want to take next and that focus that I now have, and the ability to describe it really clearly and vibrantly have made these kinds of interactions far more straightforward and (tooting my own horn a bit, but really owing to MT) I've come across as an impressive candidate. In another scenario, in the actual interview, I've gone to the second round recently with a hiring company, and then the follow up from their side has been a bit of a negotiation around salary. Throughout the lot, I've had such a clear picture of what's going on, and where we are in the process, that I've felt totally comfortable and a heck of a lot more confident about my position. There was a skills interview (actually a written test) which I wasn't excited about doing, but I viewed it as a necessary evil and applied Mark's advice about courtesy and deference to the interviewer. Following that there was a behavioural interview, where I felt I really did well because of my preparation in building my "general supply store" of work experience stories ala MT style. Plus I was ready for the sucker-punch that Mark describes: "You say you did xyz. Give me an example?" leading to a potentially panicky interviewee - not this guy, I was ready to bop and weave! The point I'm trying to make is that in understanding the big picture view of the process, I've felt a huge difference in my ability to interview; that difference is manifest in the level of confidence I'm feeling; and that confidence means that I come across as more energetic, more enthusiastic, and better prepared than I've ever felt before. So far the feedback from employers has been VERY positive, and I guess that is the pudding wherein lies the proof. So really a jubilant, enthusiastic, upbeat thanks to Mike and Mark for all the great podcasts, and for demystifying the interviewing process. Thanks guys!