Using Visuals in a Job Interview

Unlock the Power of Visuals in Your Next Job Interview

Have you ever noticed how mentioning something specific like pepperoni pizza during a conversation creates a totally different response than mentioning something generic like food? Oftentimes when speaking with others during casual conversations we will provide specific details to help create a strong visual. But more often than not, interview candidates are not implementing this same strategy during their job interviews. And this is a potent communication skill that can transform your job interviews from forgettable to impressive. Injecting strong visuals into your interview answers is a proven strategy to keep interviewers engaged and make your interview answers memorable. So, why is this powerful tactic not a common practice yet?

Visualize Success: The Untapped Secret

Surprisingly, a quick Google search offers no resources on leveraging visuals during job interviews. This oversight is baffling considering that visual aids significantly enhance the delivery of your message, making it more interesting and effective. Why, simply put, visuals hook the interviewer's attention in a way that generic items cannot. Providing strong visuals in your interview answers is critical to success, but is often overlooked.

Why Visuals Matter More Than You Think

First, consider the impact of visual storytelling. It clarifies your contributions and achievements, making them instantly apparent to the listener. It’s one thing to speak about enhancing client revenue, it’s an entirely different experience to narrate *how* you transformed a large yoga clothing retailer’s revenue by running Youtube ads.

Furthermore, visual answers engage listeners on a deeper level. Remember, interviewers are humans too, liable to distraction and boredom. Answers with visual details that your interviewer can picture, breaks the monotony and keeps them interested. Essentially, you’re not just providing answers, you’re painting a vivid picture in the mind of your audience.

Implementing Visuals in Stories That Stick

So, how exactly do you weave visuals into your behavioral answers? It really shows up everywhere. When answering behavioral questions, I always recommend using the S.T.A.R. Method (Situation, Task, Actions, Results). So below, I have shared an answer that highlights the visuals you want to create in each section. For brevity, I have only covered one action, not all actions.

Let’s imagine we are answering the following interview question: Tell me about a time that you helped a client increase their revenue?

Situation & Task

This is an example from my current job as an Account Executive at Google focused on selling ads to Enterprise clients in the retail space. We needed to help a brick and mortar and online Enterprise Yoga Clothing company in the US increase their revenue by 5% using YouTube ads in 2023. We needed to collaborate across sales, marketing, and product teams distributed across the US. Let me tell you what I did over the final six months of 2023 to help this client exceed their target.

First Action (Planning, Data, and Conversations)

I started the planning phase by engaging with other Enterprise Account Executives, Account Managers, and Account Strategists throughout the US meeting over Google Meets. We reviewed the 10 most successful YouTube Ads Campaigns that we had run for Retailers in 2022. We identified 5 specific areas to increase revenue including focusing on items like demographics and ad placement. Lastly, we mapped out an initial strategy on how to target users with watching instructional YOGA YouTube videos by using non-skippable in-stream ads.

Results

The client was extremely happy when we more than doubled our target, and increased the revenue to 11% by the end of 2023. In addition, we were able to repurpose Ads we used during instructional yoga videos for instructional pilates and more general in home workouts too. Lastly, the overall strategy we used for this retailer became a use case for our Account Executives supporting retail clients in EMEA and APAC, and I know it has been successfully cloned for at least 3 other large enterprise retail clients.

Implementing Visuals in Scenarios That Stick

So, how exactly do you weave visuals into your hypothetical answers? It really shows up in the second half of your answer. When answering hypothetical questions, I always recommend using the C.F.A.S. Method (Clarify, Framework, Assumptions, Solution(s)). Below, I have shared an answer that highlights the visuals you want to create, specifically in the assumptions and solution part of your answer. For brevity, I have only covered one solution, not all potential solutions.

Let’s imagine we are answering the following interview question: How would you help a client increase their revenue?

Assumptions

Let’s make a few assumptions, I am going to assume that I am an Account Executive working at Google and our client is a brick and mortar and online Enterprise Yoga Clothing company in the US that is interested in increasing their revenue by 5% using YouTube ads in 2024. I need to collaborate across sales, marketing, and product teams distributed throughout the US. And the specific way I am going to try and help this client is by utilizing skippable and non-skippable YouTube Ads by targeting Instructional Yoga YouTube Videos

Solution (#1)

I think we should start by focusing on data and resources (concepts you mentioned in your framework), unless there is another area you would like to focus on (creating a transition statement like this before your first solution will effectively set up the visuals you are about to present)?

We would start by performing a Deep Dive into Past Performance, specifically

• Analyzing the client's past Google advertising campaigns, particularly on YouTube
• What types of ad placement 
• And what types of videos
• We would look at peak Purchasing Times
• What types of ad placement 
• And what types of videos
• Then we would look at the client’s yoga products that are the most popular and have the highest margins (for example yoga pants and yoga hoodies)
• Then after looking at past performance we would want to conduct a competitor analysis
• Starting by analyzing how competitors' are utilizing YouTube Ads
• For yoga and fitness retail items in general
• What type of messaging they are using
• And where do they appear to be targeting their prospective users

Now let’s dive a little deeper into resources by thinking about budget and strategy

• We would determine an optimal budget for YouTube ads based on historical ROI of marketing channels, specifically in the retail fitness industry, aiming to maximize reach and conversion within the target increase in revenue by 5%
• We would need to allocate budget segments for both skippable and non-skippable ads, based on their cost-effectiveness and potential reach to our target audience
• Strategically we would utilize YouTube's advanced targeting options to reach users interested in yoga, wellness, and fitness, particularly those watching instructional videos.
• Then segment the audience based on demographics, interests, and viewing habits to tailor ad content.
• Then develop engaging and relevant ad content that resonates with the yoga community. This could include testimonials, highlighting the unique value proposition of the yoga clothing, or showcasing the products in use during yoga 

I think this is a good starting point, I am happy to dive deeper into the data or resources or we can move on and talk about stakeholder engagement (another framework concept you would have mentioned when providing your outline earlier in your answer).

Key Takeaways:

Using visuals in both behavioral and hypothetical responses not only makes your answers more engaging, but also demonstrates your ability to think and communicate clearly and effectively, vital traits for any job role. This approach helps keep the answers concise yet impactful, ensuring the interviewer remembers your response long after the interview.

Remember, visuals aren't just for presentations, they are a crucial element in communication, especially in settings where you need to quickly establish a connection and make your message/words memorable. Next time you prepare for an interview, think about how you can turn your answers into visual stories. Not only will this keep your interviewer engaged, but it will also make your responses stand out, increasing your chances of making a lasting impression. Good luck!!

For more resources visit my website - Practice Interviews and check out our AI Practice Interview App.