How to Have a Great Interview

Once you're thoroughly prepared, you'll look forward to the acid test. Unfortunately, there's a fair chance that you'll have to wait just a little bit longer than you'd care to. The cause of this delay is the screening interview.

THE SCREENING INTERVIEW

The first interview with any large company is often a screening interview with someone in the personnel department. Screening interviews usually last about ten minutes and are designed to weed out, in as short a time as possible, applicants who are clearly not qualified for the job. The intent is to find out if something about you is noticeably out of place: for example, if your dress and grooming are sloppy, if you have difficulty relating to others, or if your qualifications are clearly not right for the job.

While the screening interview normally doesn't last very long, it is not to be taken lightly. If the interviewer, for whatever reasons, decides he doesn't like you. you're history. So regard the screening interview as a serious first hurdle, and act accordingly.

HOW A JOB INTERVIEW IS STRUCTURED

If you get past the screening interview—and normally you will—you can expect an interview that'll have five parts or phases:

1. Getting started

2. Being asked, and answering, questions about yourself

3. Being told about the job and the company

4. Asking the interviewer questions about the job, the company, and the community

5. Wrapping up and saying good-bye

To help you deal effectively with each of these phases, we're going to review a number of do's and don'ts.

HOW TO HAVE A GREAT INTERVIEW

Phase One: Getting Started

Getting started includes getting to the interview, arriving with things you might need, greeting the interviewer, and any small talk that might precede questions about yourself. Getting started, and the way you go about it, helps to create the interviewer's first impression of you. This makes Getting started important, since a good first impression will almost always increase the interviewer's interest in you, cause the interviewer to regard you as a more serious candidate, and make her want to know more about you. Unfortunately, a bad first impression usually has the opposite effect, and can take you out of the race before you've gotten out of the gate. So treat this phase seriously, and plan to make it work for you.

How you dress, your body language, and how you speak each have a great deal to with how well you get through this phase of the interview. Other things that will help are as follows:

1. Don't bring anyone with you when you go on an interview. If a parent, a brother or
sister, or a friend accompanies you, have them wait in the car, take a walk around
the block, or go window shopping. Don't let them come with you to the reception
area. It's not professional, and it isn't going to help you.

2. Get there ten minutes before the interview is scheduled to begin, tell the
receptionist you're early for your appointment, ask directions to the nearest rest
room, and ask her to wait till you return before telling the interviewer that
you've arrived. Going to the rest room before an interview will give you a
chance to make sure everything is in place: that your hair is combed, your hands
and face are clean, there's no lipstick on your teeth, your tie is straight, your
shirt's tucked in, and your bladder's empty.

3. Never arrive late for an interview. It doesn't help when you have to begin by
apologizing.

4. Bring several copies of your resume, for two reasons:

• The interviewer may have misplaced her copy, spilled coffee on it, or never
received it.

• When the interview is over, the interviewer may want you to meet someone else.
That someone else probably hasn't heard of you, hasn't seen your resume, and
will want to. So have one ready.

5. Bring a pen and paper. You may want to write something down, either during the
interview or after it's over.

Career Power!

6. Bring a typed list of the names, titles, business addresses, and phone numbers of
three or four people who would recommend you for the job. If you're asked for your
references, a typed list will make a much better impression than one which you
hurriedly write down or dictate to the interviewer.

7. If you can, get a letter praising the work you did elsewhere, and if it's at all relevant
to the kind of work you'll be doing if you're hired, bring the letter with you and
show it to the interviewer when the time seems right. It's one more thing that'll set
you apart from the other applicants, and it'll give the interviewer tangible evidence
of some of the things you've been saying about yourself.

8. Don't smoke. Smoking is not permitted in a many office buildings, so it will seldom
be an option. If it is, resist the temptation to take advantage of it, even if the
interviewer lights up.

9. Don't chew gum. It smacks of adolescence.

10. Be poised and confident. You have a lot to offer, and if this company is lucky, you're
going to work for them.

Phase Two: Being Asked, and Answering, Questions About Yourself

Never go on an interview without a really good idea of the things you want to tell the interviewer about yourself. Do you want to talk about the kind of person you are, your values, the things that motivate you? Do you want to talk about particular academic or work experiences that relate to the job? Do you want to talk about why you want to work for this particular company? Arrive prepared to do so.

Normally, you'll be asked questions during the course of the interview that'll give you a chance to say the things you want to about yourself. If you're not, create an opportunity to do so. For example, you might say, "I'd like to tell you a few things about myself that I think will give you a better idea of the kind of person I am and the contribution I could make to this company." Never let an interviewer keep you from telling her why you're special, why you're an outstanding candidate for the job. This kind of statement will give you the chance to do that. It will also say to the interviewer that you care enough to make the effort.

During the course of every interview, one of the most important things you're going to do is listen. If you don't listen carefully, you're going to hurt yourself. To keep that from happening, keep these do's and don'ts in mind:

1. A number of interviewers will begin an interview by asking you to "tell me about

HOW TO HAVE A GREAT INTERVIEW

yourself." When they do, they're giving you a chance to get off to a flying start. Because it's so general, this question gives you the opportunity to talk about the most outstanding things you've done. These things may have to do with your education, may be job-related, may stem from community involvement. Whatever they are, talk about them. It's one of the best ways you have of letting the interviewer know that you're special.

Besides talking about the most outstanding things you've done, try to create an opportunity to talk about your personal life: your family, interests, or favorite sports. They'll give the interviewer a feel for you as a person, and if he likes what he hears, you'll take a big step forward. To make sure that happens, try to find something that you and the interviewer have in common. When you enter his office, look for clues to his interests. For example, a photograph of the interviewer at a fantasy baseball camp; or in a race car; or on a dock, holding a large fish; or posing with a well-known professional athlete. There may be a golf knickknack on his desk. Or books on a shelf about a subject you're interested in. Or photographs of his children. Or fascinating artwork on the wall. Whatever it is, use it to establish rapport. For example, "That's a great picture. I've gone fishing a number of times, but never caught anything like that." Or. "Is that Pete Sampras? I love tennis, but the closest I've ever gotten to any of the pros is a seat at the U.S. Open." By being observant, then creating an opening, you'll get to show the interviewer your personal side and, more importantly, you'll give the interviewer the chance to talk about a subject that's close to his heart. That'll get the interviewer to like you, and that can make him evaluate just about everything else you say more favorably than he otherwise would.

2. Prepare to answer behavioral-based questions, which will focus not on what you
think, how you feel, or what you want to accomplish, but on specific work-related
behaviors, hypothetical as well as real. For example, you may be asked to describe
in detail the things you did that led to the successful completion of a project, or the
behaviors you engaged in as a team leader. You may also be presented with a
hypothetical situation that has to do with problem solving, conflict resolution, data
analysis, or some other manufacturing, marketing, public relations, or personnel
issue, then asked to describe in detail what you would do.

3. When you're asked a question that's going to require a fairly complex reply, try to
organize your answer. Suppose you're asked what you look for in a job. You might
say there are a number of things, then list them. For example: one, you want a job
that interests and challenges you; two, a job that provides you with opportunities to
grow; three, a job that enables you to work with and for talented, committed people;
and so on.

4. Don't volunteer information about yourself that can hurt your chances, things like

Career Power!

shortcomings, bad habits, courses you failed or jobs you lost. However, if the interviewer does ask a potentially embarrassing question about your educational or job history, don't try to dance around it. Very few people have flawless histories. Some of you may have done badly in college for a while, getting poor grades. Others may have tried two or three majors before finding one they liked or could live with. Still others may have transferred because they were unhappy. Some of you may even have flunked out, then gone back and earned your degrees. Similarly, some of you may have had a hard time on a job. Or may have quit in disgust. Or may have been fired. There's a fair chance that the person who interviews you will ask a question or two about these experiences. If the question comes up, deal with it. Talk about what happened, be ready with a good reason as to why it happened, and if it taught you anything, say so.

5. Don't be dishonest. There's a big difference between telling the interviewer some
things about yourself and leaving out others, and telling the interviewer things about
yourself that aren't true. Being selective is a reasonable, useful strategy. Lying is not,
for several reasons:

Being honest, particularly about things that can be checked out, is always safer. For example, the company may ask to see your transcript or they may call your references. If you lied and they find out, you're dead in the water.

If you tell the interviewer that you've got more education, more experience, and/or more skills than you really have and she believes you, you run the risk of being given a job that you won't be able to handle. If that happens, there's a good chance you'll end up hurting yourself.

You want to be hired for what you are, not for what you can pretend to be. Besides, if you are hired, it'll be easier to be the real you on the job than the fabricated you.

6. Make sure you're understood. If you say something that you think may not be clear
or may be misinterpreted, elaborate in a way that leaves no room for doubt.

7. Read the interviewer and respond accordingly. Gauge the interviewer's reactions to
the things you're saying and the way you're saying them. Does the interviewer look
interested? Do his questions and body language say to you that he wants to find out
what kind of person you are and how well you fit the requirements of the job? If
they do, you're probably doing and saying the right things. If they don't, try to find a
way to make the interviewer sit up and take notice. Standard answers to his
questions won't do it. Taking the initiative might. Find an opening, or create one,
and make the strongest possible case you can for your candidacy. Speak briefly,

HOW TO HAVE A GREAT INTERVIEW

forcefully, and with conviction. Your spirit, determination, and confidence may turn an interview that's going nowhere into one that gets you a job.

8. If the interviewer says something and you don't know what he means or wants, don't
be afraid to say so. For example, you might say, "I don't think I understand what you
just said about...." As you utter these words, remember that you can ask for
clarification once without penalty. More than once and the interviewer, though he
may be hard to follow and understand, is likely to think that you have trouble
processing information.

9. Don't plot strategy or formulate replies in your head if it means not listening to the
interviewer.

10. Don't be distracted by other sights and sounds, things that the interviewer says or
does that irritate you, or the interviewer's grammar or accent.

11. If you don't know the answer to a question, don't be afraid to say so.

12. Don't be afraid to disagree with the interviewer, but be diplomatic if you do.

13. If the interviewer disagrees with something you've said, tactfully stand your ground
if you believe in the position you've taken.

14. Don't make any claims that you can't support. For example, don't claim that you like
to take charge of situations, that you like to lead, unless you can support this claim
with specific instances in which you did take charge or lead.

15. Occasionally, you may find yourself being interviewed by several people at the
same time. Think of it as a group interview. Group interviews are used to save
time. They're also used to get an idea of how well you handle a little pressure. Two
features of the group interview can make it hard to handle:

It often lacks flow or continuity. For example, when you're interviewed by one person, you can expect to be asked several questions about your education, then questions about the jobs you've held, then questions about yourself, and so on. In contrast, the group interview can jump unpredictably from one topic to a second, then back to the first, then to a third, then back to the second, and so on. Pretty soon, you don't know whether you're coming or going. This can happen because each of the people interviewing you has particular questions he wants answered, and some may not be willing to wait patiently until the topics they're interested in come up. But that's okay, because they can only ask one question at a time, and all the questions are about you—a subject you should know very

Career Power!

well and like to talk about.

The second thing about group interviews that can make them disconcerting is the inclination of some interviewers to ask you a question while you're answering someone else's question. If this happens, politely tell the person who interrupted you that you'll "get to his question in a minute," then finish answering the question you were originally asked.

16. If you don't like an interviewer, don't let that stop you from doing your best. The
vibrations you'll get from interviewers won't always be good ones. Don't let that
stand in your way—unless the interviewer will be the person you report to if you
take the job. If he is, pack it in and look elsewhere.

17. Don't be intimidated by an interviewer's silence. Occasionally an interviewer will
test your poise by not speaking after you've replied to a question. She'll just sit there
and look at you. Don't lose your composure and blurt out something just to break
the silence. Instead, play her game. Look at her and don't say a word. If she doesn't
respond by speaking, ask her if there's anything else she'd like to know.

18. Don't look at your watch. Wanting to know the time can say several things to the
interviewer, all of them bad:

You're thinking about something else.

You're worried about whether you'll finish in time to get to another appointment.

You're anxious and wish to leave.

Whatever the interviewer thinks, it won't help. What it will do is disrupt the rapport that's been created. So keep your eyes on the interviewer and away from your watch.

19. Don't appear to be desperate for the job. All you'll do is make the interviewer think
it's your last hope. If she thinks that, she won't think much of you.

Phase Three: Being Told About the Job and the Company

Do's and don'ts are straightforward and small in number:

1. Listen carefully. There are lots of things about the job and the company that you'll want to find out. The interviewer will tell you about many of them, but she's likely to miss at least a few. Those are the ones you'll want to ask about when your turn to ask questions comes.

HOW TO HAVE A GREAT INTERVIEW

2. Ordinarily, there'll be several chances for you to ask questions as the interviewer
tells you about the job and the company. Take advantage of them and create a
dialogue. You'll learn more, and it'll make the interview more interesting for you
and the interviewer.

3. Grab any opportunity to display initiative and resourcefulness. For example, if the
interviewer's comments suggest to you a way to do the job better or help the
company, propose it. It'll mark you as special.

Phase Four: Asking the Interviewer About the Job, the Company, and the Community

Do's and don'ts are as follows:

1. Ask clear, precise questions, questions that are easy to understand.

2. If you feel you haven't gotten an acceptable answer to a question you've asked, ask
the interviewer to tell you more. And don't settle for generalities. Try to get the
interviewer to be specific. Just be careful not to push too hard. He may have a good
reason for not answering.

3. Don't ask for information that the interviewer's already given you. It's either a sign
that you weren't listening or that you don't process information very well.

4. Make sure you get answers to all your questions. If you're offered the job, those
answers will help you decide whether to take it.

Phase Five: Wrapping up and Saying Good-bye

This phase includes the interviewer's closing remarks, dealing with a job offer if it's made, and farewells by interviewer and applicant. There are several do's and don'ts that you should keep in mind:

1. Never ask the interviewer how you did. You're unlikely to get an honest answer, and
you'll probably raise doubts about your poise and confidence.

2. If you're offered the job and you want it, make sure you've met the person you'll
report to before you accept. Don't take a job without meeting and getting a sense of
the person you'll work for. While it's unlikely that this person won't interview you
before you're hired, it can happen.

Career Power!

3. If you're offered the job and it's your first interview with the company, don't accept
or reject the offer until you've had some time to think about it. Before you accept or
reject any offer, you want to carefully evaluate everything you've learned about the
job and the company. Unfortunately, the elation you're likely to feel when you're
offered the job will make that hard to do. So thank the interviewer for the offer, then
tell her you'd like a day or two to make up your mind. You'll be making a request
that's reasonable. If the interviewer gives you a hard time, it should raise serious
doubts in your mind about the company as a place to work.

4. Thank the interviewer for taking the time to see you, tell him you've enjoyed
meeting him, look into his eyes, smile, shake his hand, and say good-bye.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT ON-CAMPUS INTERVIEWS

Typically, an on-campus interview is a seriously abridged version of an interview that takes place at a company. The reason why is time. When a company representative comes to a school to interview applicants, it's usually for a day or two. During this time, she often wants to screen as many people as she can. The result is a series of fairly brief interviews. So you have a lot less time to make a case for yourself. With that in mind, come prepared to focus on your strongest points, on the most persuasive reasons why this company should hire you. Then look for, or create, an opportunity to state your case.

If you're invited to interview at the company, don't expect to begin with a screening interview. That's what you sat through on campus. Do expect to participate in a round of interviews, to be interviewed by at least three people. Companies want to hire the best people they can. They also want to avoid hiring the wrong people, people whose job performance will be unacceptable. Believing that a number of opinions, when pooled, will produce better hiring decisions than a single opinion, companies will usually have a number of people interview you. So get ready for a mini-marathon, don't get annoyed if you're repeatedly asked the same questions, and treat each interview as if it's the only one that will determine whether you're hired.

Date: 2015-02-16; view: 1374