6 Movie Clips Every Veteran Job Seeker Must See Before the Interview

Even the most confident veteran job seeker or military spouse can feel a little shaky before any kind of interview. To turn that interview into a job offer, you need to be on top of your game. You must convey intelligence, talent, determination and a positive (ack!) attitude that the hiring manager will love -- especially when you are not feeling it.

If you are a veteran or spouse prepping for any kind of interview, first sign up today for our newest, free master class, "Interview Genius: Strategies for Veterans to Excel When Everything Is an Interview". Then get yourself in the right frame of mind with these six simple lessons from some of my favorite movie characters.

1. Indiana Jones: Stick out Your Foot

In "Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade," Indy is supposed to cross this huge chasm to get to the Holy Grail and save his father's life. The gobbledygook in the instruction book says he is supposed to cross by taking a leap of faith from the lion's head.

"Impossible," Indy says. "Nobody can jump this." Which is true. But Indy had no choice but to believe.

Neither do you, Job Seeker. Sometimes the skills we tell you to do, such as inserting core competencies into your federal resume or using LinkedIn for off-label research, sounds like gobbledygook. But stick out your foot and take the leap of faith. Our users are always amazed how the invisible bridge appears beneath their job-hunting efforts and leads to the treasure.

2. Chris Gardner: Remember What You Learned on Active Duty

In "The Pursuit of Happyness," Chris Gardner (Will Smith) has to go directly to an in-person job interview at a prestigious firm. Unfortunately, he is wearing nothing but the clothes he wore while painting his house. The interviewers are not impressed with his attire, to say the least.

Chris thinks on his feet. When the interviewers roll their eyes at his claim that he was first in his high school class of 12 people, he does what he learned in the military.

"I was also first in my class in radar in the Navy," he tells them. "I'm the type of person if you ask me a question and I don't know the answer, I'm going to tell you that I don't know. But I bet you what. I know how to find the answer, and I will find the answer. Is that fair enough?"

Reader, they hired him.

3. Andy Sachs: Know Your Audience

In "The Devil Wears Prada," Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) is a recent Northwestern grad who does absolutely everything wrong -- just like so many newbie veteran job seekers -- in her interview to get a job as a personal assistant with a fashion magazine.

She disses the industry, tells the interviewer her baby is ugly, never looks up the interviewer on LinkedIn and has none of the skills required for the job. Andy is summarily dismissed. "Who is that sad little person," Nigel (Stanley Tucci) asks as she scurries away.

Until this very day, I had no idea why Andy was hired. Now I know. They hired her so I could tell you three things:

1. Use LinkedIn to look up your interviewer!
2. Get curious about the product and the company.
3. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.

4. Inigo Montoya: Answer the Most Important Interview Question with Conviction

If I say the name "Inigo Montoya," what are the first words that come to your mind? "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

When Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) says it in "The Princess Bride," it sounds like a threat. Yet it is the way so many veteran recruiters want you to respond to the question that starts every interview: Tell me about yourself.

One caveat: Don't mention killing anyone or noticing whether someone is the Six-Fingered Man. That is rude. Instead, use Inigo's pattern to practice your own response.

1. Polite greeting
2. Your name
3. What the two of you have in common
4. Set expectations

I might say something like this: Hello. I am Jacey Eckhart from Military.com. We met last week at the Easterseals Awards Dinner. You invited me to call and talk more about veterans and executive recruiters. I can't wait.

5. Scarlett O'Hara: Sometimes You Carry the Narrative, and Sometimes You Tell the Ugly Truth

This one applies to both budding entrepreneurs as well as veteran job seekers. In "Gone with the Wind," Scarlett (Vivien Leigh) has to pay $300 in back taxes so her family wouldn't starve. She also needs to borrow enough money to buy a business. She goes to Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) to beg for the startup money.

Dressed in her mother's velvet drapes, she pitches Rhett on the idea that everything is wonderful at Tara -- always a good way to attract the bank manager (and the hiring manager). But when Rhett finds out that she has been plowing, she confesses and must pitch the truth.

No matter who you are pitching and what is the narrative, always remain outwardly optimistic and upbeat, even if you are not feeling it. If things get desperate, confide the truth to people and organizations that can make a difference.

6. Deadpool and Wolverine: Feel Your Power

I could go a lot of different directions with "Deadpool and Wolverine." I could tell you that job seeking can feel like death by a thousand cuts. I could tell you that you must find a way to stand out from all the other Deadpools in their matching red suits. I could tell you to team up with a buddy. All good lessons.

This time, I am going to tell you to keep your sense of humor even when you are scared to death of the whole process. Watching movies that lift you up can be one step in your job seeker to-do list. Signing up for our free master classes, joining our new Veteran Employment Project group on Linkedin and reaching out to me to win free coaching are three more things you can do. Just keep moving forward toward full employment.

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