By Yvonne LaRose

One of the most nerve-racking times when recommencing one's life is the job interview. You want to impress. You want to say the right things. You want to get the job.

Here are some scenarios of how an interview might go.

Interviewer:
"Hello. Your resume looks interesting Ms. Candidate. Why not tell me something about yourself."

Candidate:
"Hello. My name is Jane Doe Candidate. I'm applying for this position because I'm a victim of domestic abuse."

Interviewer's reaction:
Oh, great. I've got one on my hands who'll need hand-holding all of the time instead of helping me get my department running smoothly. I don't need this time waster now or on the payroll.

Interviewer:
"Oh, that's very interesting Ms. Candidate. Why not tell me something about yourself. The position we have open is for a bookkeeper."

What you can do now is thank your lucky stars that this person is willing to overlook a nervous false start. Some will recognize this gratuitous understanding and rephrase things. Here's how a second try might go.

Interviewer:
"Hello, Ms. Candidate. Your resume looks very interesting. Why not tell me something about yourself."

Candidate:
"Well, I'm definitely the right person for this job. You see, I'm a survivor of domestic violence which means I'm a hard worker. It also means I can come up with more and better ways to do things than the average person."

Interviewer's reaction:
Oh. So I have a self-appointed martyr. That'll do a lot for morale around here. We won't get much work done with this sort of campaign raging all of the time. Not a lot of sense in going much further with this interview. It'll be filled with nonapplicable trumpeting of "How Great I Art. My staff will be trying to fling themselves from the rooftop because Ms. Candidate wants to 'share' all of the time instead of get the work done."

Interviewer:
"Well, Ms. Candidate, I looked at your resume and it looks very interesting. Why not tell me something about yourself."

As you can see, this is a much better start but it still needs some help. The focus is still on the past personal life instead of past business and career successes that apply to the position for which Jane has applied. So let's see if we can get her to give this one more stab.

Interviewer:
"Ms. Candidate, your resume speaks of several bookkeeping positions you've held in the past. You cited some interesting accomplishments on your resume. Why not tell me more about yourself. We're looking for an accomplished bookkeeper for this firm. There is room for a lot of growth in that department."

Candidate:
"I'm most glad to do so. I've been in the financial field for more than ten years. Although I did take a long hiatus from working, I've kept my skills by doing small, private accounts. I've also stayed up to date on current trends. In fact, my skills were recently assessed and certified. If you'd like to see the online scores from the site, I can provide you with an access code.

"Actually, I did a little research on your firm to prepare for our meeting today. From that information, it appears you use the FIFO method of accounting. That's one of my strong suits. In fact, I developed several techniques for collecting information and applying it to various departments so that we were able to identify and cross-check a number of department performances compared with delivery. That system saved the company about 15 percent in administrative costs and increased efficiency by approximately 30 percent. I believe once I've become familiar with your system, I can develop similar efficiencies. "But all of that aside, what really matters to me is what you want for your company and what I can do to help you reach that goal. So, please, tell me about that."

Well, as you can see, Jane Doe Candidate made quite a turn-around in her performance. The focus was on the skills and opportunity at hand. She covered a lack of current job history in short shrift. The bulk of her discussion was focused on matters that deal with her strengths and talents and what she can offer the company. She demonstrated that she'd done some homework to learn more about the company. She showed she's interested in the company, not getting paid to come sit at a desk.

As you restart your entry into the workforce, consider using these techniques to:

• focus on what the company wants and needs
• who the company is
• what you have to offer
• how you can qualify your skills and background
• how you can quantify your accomplishments
• what you can do to help the company
• demonstrate through your discussion why you are the best candidate for the opportunity

Yes, it can be a nerve-racking time. But there are things you can do to make the situation work in your favor and get back to the good things about your former life.

-- Yvonne LaRose is a career and professional development coach and a consultant on business management and recruiting matters.

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