The job interview hasn’t changed much in the last 40 years. The same behavioral style questions are met with tried-and-true answers. If Villanova-based entrepreneur Eric Kramer has his way, however, the tables are turning.
His startup, InterviewBest, addresses the most intimidating and mistake-laden stage of the job hunt. And he has shifted control to the interviewee.
Kramer views an interview as a sales call, so he has developed a job interview specific presentation users can print, bind, and take with them to the interview. What sets InterviewBest apart is the presentation communicates all the information a hiring manager needs to know. With the interviewer’s agreement, the candidate uses their presentation to guide the interview and communicate the information they want the interviewer to know about them.
“The candidate is able to demonstrate how they assemble information into a presentation and then communicate it,” says Kramer, a licensed psychologist. “It also displays their ability to answer questions and think on their feet.”
Admittedly, that’s still a tough sell for interviewers–and a bold step for even the most confident jobseekers. But in a tight job market, InterviewBest is picking up steam. About 250 people have signed up to develop presentations, and they’ve landed positions such as Vice President of Sales, CEO and Medical Director for at least 40 employers as varied as IBM, Nature’s Plus, and the New York Rangers.
Last year, InterviewBest was one of the first companies to be selected to the entrepreneur “boot camp” at DreamIt Ventures, a Philadelphia early-stage investor that provided the company with $20,000 in cash and services. Now, Kramer says he’s in discussion with multiple career management companies that he hopes will either invest in or promote InterviewBest.
Source: Eric Kramer, InterviewBest
Writer: Joe Petrucci