Don't memorize, internalize.
how acting and performance help in interviews
I had a brief career as an actor—in high school and college—and I have often said that Theatre was one of the most practical courses for me for the career I ended up finding. Public speaking, thinking on my feet, studying and preparing, teamwork, storytelling, and more, have all been helpful in leading workshops, speaking, facilitating and even 1:1 Coaching. Thanks, Ms. Simich!
“The other day” (as my dad would say, meaning in the last several years), I read the autobiographies of Bono, Matthew McConaughey, and Will Smith. Something striking I’ve heard reiterated from many actors is that some of the best lines in film, TV, Saturday Night Live, etc. were not written or in the script. They were felt and flowed out of the character in the heat of the moment.
These lines caused in the beautiful distance between “memorizing” lines and internalizing a character. A human felt deeply what a character would feel and did or said what was right in the situation. This isn’t simply improv, coming up with things on the fly with no prep or background, but this is prepared and intently experienced. The pressures of the performance (lights, camera, action) produce some of the most powerful and memorable moments in genre and culture defining art.
The interview as performance
How does acting help in an interview? I’m supposed to be authentic and well prepared, right?
The interview is, in many ways, a performance. Not in the sense that you put on a mask and portray a character you aren’t, but it’s a performance because you prepare, study, and present a compelling representation of who you are and who you will be in the role for which you are interviewing.
Many of my client's struggle when they are preparing for an interview, as they work tirelessly to craft and then memorize statements and their answers to common interview questions. The problem with the ‘write, memorize, and rehearse’ strategy is it puts your energy in the wrong places, often external words and perceptions. The end result then lacks heart, authenticity, and fails to feel compelling to you or the interviewer.
For the best results, deep reflection, authentic emotion, and quality understanding of oneself help us to internalize our answers to “why do you want to work here?”, “what do you bring to this role?”, and “what is your greatest growth opportunity?”
If you believe what you are saying, if it is authentic to you, and if your words emanate from your heart, your responses will not only be compelling, but they will feel natural. If you can’t come up with a compelling response to “why do you want to work here?” it could be because:
a. you honestly don’t.
b. you haven’t dug deep enough to feel compelled. OR
c. you’re trying to find answers you think others want to hear.
If you are experiencing A, B, or C in any combination, you are probably crafting answers and trying to memorize them, swimming upstream and struggling to feel like you’re making it. When you internalize answers, you can say them in multiple ways, respond quickly or at length, and feel pumped to share what you have to say. When you memorize, you are waiting for the right prompt (internally screaming ‘LINE!’) and if you get off or get hit with a curveball, you feel lost and unprepared.
Thanksgiving dinner as a practice grounds
Consider how often probing interview-like questions come from extended family, grandma, siblings and cousins, or the weird uncle… Holidays are a great proving ground to contemplate and internalize answers to those questions on your drive over. WHY are you doing what you are doing? What excites you about what you’re pursuing? If you can crush an answer to grandma, the interview is nothing.
The final secret is that internalizing is likely more work and almost certainly deeper than memorizing. But the results speak for themselves.