Talk Like a Pirate in a Job Interview
Aaarrggghhh! Well blow me down, it’s National Talk Like a Pirate Day. Shiver me timbers, it’s September 19th and batten down the hatches because you don’t want to wind up in Davie Jones’ Locker! Ahhh for the love of jargon. Yes, every industry niche has its own language and to facilitate understanding, one must learn that language. However, effective communication goes even deeper.
Understanding another person’s communication style and adapting yours to theirs helps facilitate conversations, projects, and teamwork. This can be especially helpful on a job interview as it can put you in control and calm nerves. Pirates’ lives were no doubt rich with stores, as is yours. Along with understanding communication styles, stories are another tool to help you win at interviewing.
Stories are the heart of behavioral style interviewing questions. As you know, these are the questions that begin something like, “Tell me about a time when you…” The “when you” could be
- disagreed with your boss and how you handled it
- had to solve a problem with little guidance or direction
- made a mistake and what you did to correct it
- had to speak with an unhappy customer
Don’t walk the plank of indecisiveness during an interview. Taking the time to develop the stories from your treasure trove of life experiences to answer these questions is an investment well worth the effort. Rehearse your answers and tape yourself for practice. Get feedback from a trusted friend or hire a coach. Even seasoned, professional speakers use these strategies. Just like a professional speaker, you do not want to sound rehearsed. On the other shore (see what I did there) failing to do this will make you come off like a ship without a rudder caught in a storm and being buffeted about with the winds of self-doubt, low self-esteem, and looking unprofessional. That’s when your swashbuckling competitor, swings in over the yardarm and swoops up the job.
These stories can come from
- Your current job
- Any previous job
- Education scenarios
- Lessons learned in childhood
- Many non-business-related events
A non-business scenario might be related to the question of “Tell me about a time when you set a goal and how you achieved it.” Maybe you wanted to participate in a triathlon, a tennis tournament, or sailing competition and beat the odds to succeed in participating even if you didn’t’ win. Stories such as these can serve to illustrate your “true grit” and character.
So, my hearties, don’t come off like a scallywag during an interview or get marooned in the briny deep of dead men tell no tales. Rather, weigh anchor, unfurl your sails, and tell your tales like you’re going on account. Remember, we cannot control the wind, but we can direct the sail. Take command!
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