Getting a training job

I wrote a post recently on how doing a human resource program is often a good idea for those people trying to get into a training role. At some point regardless of how you tackle the problem of getting into training you will need to face an interview. For a trainer this should be a straight forward process as we are generally good at providing structured information. For some reason my experience has shown that a great number of trainers are terrible in interviews. Why? I don’t know. The key to any interview is selling yourself, not the content, which is often what we do in training. In a training job interview you have to sell the fact that you are a good communicator, that you have had a wide range of training experience and that you understand the training field. How do you do this? Make sure that you review your previous training experiences. Even though they maybe limited what groups have you trained, on what topics, in what situations etc. Make sure that you have been keeping up to date with training information. Blogs like this one are great for that. Make sure that you communicate effectively. The big interview tip is always explain each answer with this simple formula. Situation, action and result. Explain the situation or example that relates to the question. Explain how YOU took certain actions. Explain what the end result was, hopefully a positive one. For further interview tips check out these great sites. Good luck if you are going for an interview and remember that just like training, success is all about the effort put into the preparation.