Authored by: Ron Cottick, CPC, CHRM
Interviews are usually stressful events for candidates. The hopes are high, expectations good and there is usually a lot of built up anxiety. There is little idea of what to expect and that doesn’t help. What will the INTERVIEW team be looking for, what kind of questions will they ask and how should you prep? Well, glad you asked. I will commence to tell you.
Hiring managers have an objective when they INTERVIEW. That objective is to find the best candidate for their position. They have a number of parameters they use to decide who to select and make an offer to.
Generally hiring managers are verifying your background against your stated background and qualifying you for their position. They are making sure you meet all the qualifications stated on the resume, in the cover letter or from notes from a phone INTERVIEW that may have taken place. They also want to see body language and facial expressions when a candidate is being asked qualification questions.
The INTERVIEW is all about presentation. The old adage of “you only have one chance to make a great first impression” couldn’t be truer. Great “first impressions” are great influencers. Hiring managers are looking to see how you are dressed, how confident you are with hand shakes, your eye contact and how your manners are. They are evaluating you both professionally and personally. You could call this the “chemistry” test.
Part of the test is looking for signs and/or qualities during the INTERVIEW that do not show up on a resume. Those can be your critical thinking ability, how you make decisions, how you process information, your thought process, how you communicate and your ability to handle difficult situations. If they detect or feel you may be lying, you are toast. There is little tolerance for the inability of the candidate to convey an understanding of the job or asking questions about it, having no understanding of the responsibilities, not knowing anything about the company, or even being a poor listener.
Concerns hiring managers have are usually specific to an issue. If they like the answers they get to questions asked, they move on to the next question. If there is a concern with the answer you will likely get additional questions that probe deeper on the issue. When questions are repetitive the Hiring Manager is not hearing what they are looking for. That should alert you to the fact that you have not answered the question with the “correct” answer. Listen carefully during the INTERVIEW, carefully to the questions. You want to stay in the moment where you are at during the INTERVIEW, not be thinking too far ahead or how wonderful it would be to work there. When you emotionally step outside the moment, you lose site of where you are, what you are doing and not capable of listening well. And remember to focus.
Interviewers expect you to be somewhat nervous during the INTERVIEW. This is natural; however, if you are overly nervous, it may come across as a negative. It can be looked at as a lack of confidence or unsure of your answers. Either way, not the impression you want to make. If you exhibit nervousness let the interview(s) know and give reason for it. You could also try to change the tone of the INTERVIEW from the typical question/answer mode to a conversational mode. This generally helps calm things down. Whatever you do, try to maintain your composure and give your best performance.
Show interest in the job, even with what limited knowledge you may have about it. You want to show interest by getting to know the position better. You should have studied the job description and have questions ready to ask. Questions are buying signs and if you don’t ask any, it comes across negatively. You should also understand the company, have read the company mission statement, look at postings on their web site by the senior management and look at the new releases. A good move is to have some good things about you that you want the company to know about. You can work them into the conversation as you get through the INTERVIEW. The INTERVIEW is as much about you interviewing them as it is about them interviewing you.
Whether your INTERVIEW is one on one with a number of interviewers or a panel INTERVIEW, there will have to be a consensus and agreement as to how the company wants to proceed after the INTERVIEW. Their objective is to fill the positions with the right candidate. They will be looking to see that you have the skills and experience necessary to do the job, and be looking for the “chemistry”. If you only have one, you will be toast. A strong skilled and experienced candidate that has poor “chemistry”, toast! A strong “chemistry” candidate with weak skills and experience, toast! Passing on both counts is critical to the success of your INTERVIEW and getting an offer.
During the course of the INTERVIEW your transferable and adaptive skills will become apparent. Hiring managers look for them because almost every environment is fluid and with the transferable and adaptive skills you have, the more value you bring to the party. Your strengths dovetail this to some extend as they can shore up you abilities in key areas. So, know your strengths. You should also know your weaknesses because you may get the question of what you feel they are. Following that kind of question is usually “how are you dealing with them”?
So, the objective hiring managers are trying to achieve out of all this is; are you the “best candidate for the job”! That question must be answered or there will be no offer. You will have had the opportunity to answer lots of questions and illustrate your background. The hiring managers will be looking to evaluate your answers to give them the answer to:
1. Are the skills there for you to do the job?
2. Are you a fit for the organization; is the “chemistry” there?
3. Do you have understanding of the company and its product/service?
4. How do you rate with the competition?
5. Do you have the right attitude (can do) for both job and company?
6. Have you shown you want the job?
If the answers to these six primary questions are yes, you have done a very good job on the INTERVIEW and the prospects of an offer are very good.
How do you get to the point of preparation that will give you the edge you need to pass this test? Well, let me first refer you to a previous BLOG:
“JOB SEARCH: The INTERVIEW! You got the invite, now comes the test! Tips for a GREAT INTERVIEW!”
This BLOG was about INTERVIEW prep and interviewing. It is suggested that if you have not seen this BLOG, you go to it and read it over. There is some great information here. You can find it at:
http://jobsearch-rsc.blogspot.com
Not to diminish INTERVIEW prep here, you should be researching the company on their web site. Look at the management team, their profiles and at anything else you can find on them. Then take a look at what news releases that are posted, what messages there are from management to the employees that are posted and new product information. Without a doubt, their product line! What’s old, what’s new and where they stand in the industry. Look them over on their entire web site and study it. You will be doing yourself a favor if you do.
Find their competitors and get to know something about who they are and what they are all about. You don’t need to research competitors to the level you do the company you are interviewing with, but, you will get some points in if you “happen” to know something about the competitors. This will also give you more information and insight into the industry. To find those competitors let me refer you to a previous BLOG:
“JOB SEARCH! The RESEARCH; for better results in your JOB SEARCH, have a plan, execute the plan.”
You will find everything you need to know about research here. Again, I suggest that if you have not seen this BLOG, you go to it and read it over. There is more great information here. You can find it at:
http://jobsearch-rsc.blogspot.com
GOOGLE search the company to see if anything is or what is being said about them. You may find some negative information or positive information. Either could be minor or major but if there is something going on it will likely be posted and you should know about it.
Try to find out who the hiring manager is, and, if possible, who is on the INTERVIEW team. It is very appropriate for you to ask the person who is setting up the INTERVIEW. They should know since they are setting up the interview with the INTERVIEW team. Get their names and positions they hold with the company. With this information, try to find them on the company web site to view their profiles. If you can’t find information there, you can check linkedin. If they are a member, you will likely find them there. Look over their profiles to get to know more about them; a good move.
OK, before we get to questions, let’s recap some here. You know that you should have studied the job description. You also know you need to brush up on you own background to prevent getting caught off guard when questioned about it. You don’t want to get caught off guard and have that “deer in the headlights” moment trying to remember something that should come out instinctively. Be able to give your answers quickly, precisely and concisely. Don’t carry on and start getting out of focus. Remember, concise.
You know you shouldn’t embellish your background although you want to come across as what I call “comfortably confident”. Embellishing sometimes comes across as lying and if it is thought that is the case, it will kill the INTERVIEW instantly.
Know what your accomplishments are, how you did them and what the benefit was to the company you worked for at the time. These are things you may be asked about but if not or overlooked, try to integrate them into the INTERVIEW at the appropriate time. Be prepared to talk about them when either asked or it is appropriate to bring them up. Know your qualities, your strengths and what your past managers would say are your best attributes. If asked about weaknesses, be prepared to state them and what you are doing to overcome them.
You know that if you don’t understand a question to ask for clarity. This is sometimes called “restate and validate”. You will be able to give an accurate and absolute answer to a question you understand versus one you think you understand or are guessing at.
To help quell the probability of nervousness arrive early, take a deep breath, use the rest room and take a moment to clear your mind. Look over notes if you feel the need to do that. Look yourself over in the mirror and be happy with your look and frame of mind. You’ll be fine.
Questions are buying signs and if you don’t ask any you show lack of interest or worst yet, you don’t know enough about the job or them to ask any questions. I wouldn’t suggest you ask a question just for the sake of asking, however, surely you can find something to ask questions about.
Good “chemistry” is almost imperative. Hiring managers know they can train someone to bring them up to speed on anything they may be lacking in skill set and experience. They also know that you can’t train for the “chemistry”. It just doesn’t work that way. Have the “chemistry” and if you have everything else going for you, you are in a good position.
Adaptable and/or transferable skills can be very important and hiring managers know that. They can see the future that you may not know about yet and they can see if you will be able to bring more value to them for the future. If the INTERVIEW places some emphasis on adaptable and transferable skills, don’t be surprised and consider them as important as the skills that qualify you for the position. Those adaptable and transferable skills may be underlying skills you don’t know you need that they are interested in. Hiring managers think ahead with proprietary information while you are thinking in the present.
Think company first and you second during the interview. Hiring managers are not as interested in what they can do for you as they are in what you can do for the company. Sometimes a candidate gets a little to over confident and comfortable during an interview and loses sight of this fact. Your own agenda is noble and understandable, getting the job, however, theirs is to fill their job with the best candidate. Don’t lose sight of it and you can be that best candidate.
One last thing on what hiring managers will be looking for during an interview, the close. You need to close the deal, like a sale. Let them know of your interest for the job and why you want it. Restate your qualifications for it, the value you bring to the company and what you will do for the company. Of course this comes at the end of the interview.
Everything here comes down to ingredients and packaging. The ingredients include things like skills learned from past experiences, education, transferable skills, personal traits and elements that make you who you are. The packaging is how you look to the buyer, how you grab their attention, how you get them to buy. You got the INTERVIEW, now close the deal.
Everything above is about the prep. Why all that about prep? Think about it this way. The more you know on the objective of the Hiring Manager, what they look for and how they make their assessment on the best candidate, the better equipped you will be. In other words, prepped! I can’t do all the prep for you but I can surely give you information that will help you be prepped.
Now on to the questions! You will get questions, because, that is what an INTERVIEW is all about. There are different kinds of questions. The kinds of questions you can expect are basic, behavioral, salary, career development, getting started and more about you. Before I give you some examples, a comment! When answering questions you want to keep your answers positive oriented. When a question is answered starting negatively you will likely turn off the listener and lose them. If that happens it is hard to get their attention back. Think positive!
Now for the examples:
1. Tell me about yourself
2. What are your strengths?
3. What are your weaknesses?
4. Why do you want the job?
5. Where would you like to be in your career five years from now?
6. What did you like least about your last job?
7. When were you most satisfied in your job?
8. Why are you leaving your present job?
9. What do you know about our company?
10. What was the last project you headed up and what was the outcome?
11. Give me an example of a time that you felt you went above and beyond the call of duty at work
12. Have you ever been on a team where someone was not pulling their own weight? How did you handle
it?
13. Tell me about a time when you had to give someone difficult feedback. How did you handle it?
14. What is your greatest failure and what did you learn from it?
15. If I were your supervisor and asked you to do something that you disagreed with, what would you do?
16. What’s the most difficult decision you have made in the last two years and how did you come to that
decision?
17. What salary are you seeking?
There are obviously any number of and types of questions that can be asked. The more prepared you are the better you will be able to respond to them.
The postscript here is follow up on the INTERVIEW with the interviewers. This is the courteous and professional thing to do. You want to stand out from you competition and writing a “thank you for the INTERVIEW” letter this goes a long way in doing that. Surveys conducted on this issue show that 15% of hiring managers will not hire anyone who doesn’t send a letter and 32% of hiring managers think less of candidates who do not. No can be found that is offended when you do. So, do it.
Don’t put off sending the letter. You want to send it to everyone you interviewed with (you did get their business cards, didn’t you?) and do it within the first 24 hours after the interview. An email works as well as a card or letter. Regardless of the mode of delivery you chose to use, you should consider this a “must do”!
About this “thank you for the INTERVIEW’ letter thing”; make this more than its original intent. Turn this letter into a “restate and validate” information letter as well. Address how strong you are as a candidate, the high points of qualification. Touch on the accomplishments you have that fit well with the company and department. Talk about the “chemistry” you have such as team player, dedication to profession, contributor to the bottom line, passion for the product and industry. This is a good place to address areas you want to shore up like areas of concern. Don’t be afraid to address them head on, directly, concisely and positively. That will show strong character. Let them know you are confident that the INTERVIEW went well and restate your interest in the job; reclose the sale.
Some additional comments here about the letter, is, remember that each interviewer is different from the other. DO NOT send the same letter to everyone. Personalize each letter to the person it is being sent to and be sure to address each issue they individually may have had. Keep it short as well. And last but not least, proofread it, not once, not twice but as many times as you feel necessary to absolutely have it right and like it. Walk away from it for 15 minutes and come back to it with a fresh perspective. Put yourself in the position of your audience. Would you like to receive this letter, would it influence your decision? If so, and there are no errors, your good to go.
Errors on resumes, cover letters, letters and other documents are one of the biggest turn offs to hiring managers. You almost can’t proofread for spelling and grammar enough. MS Word is a great help in this area so look your work over carefully and be sure it is what it should be and what you want it to be before hitting the send button or dropping it into a mail box. Here are some actual examples of not proofreading well enough:
1. “Dear Sir or Madman”
2. “Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest chain store”
3. “I am anxious to use my exiting skills”
4. “Following is a grief overview of my skills”
5. “Hope to hear from you, shorty”
6. “Directed $25 million anal shipping and receiving operations”
7. “Strong Work Ethic, Attention to Detail, Team Player, Attention to Detail”
8. “Demonstrated ability in multi-tasting”
9. “My work ethics are impeachable”
10. “I consistently tanked as top sales producer for new accounts”
Once you have gone through the gauntlet of the INTERVIEW process, did the above things, relax. You have done your best and everything you could. Anticipate the results but don’t stop looking for new opportunity. You have only accomplished “your” objective when you get an offer that is acceptable to you.
There is far more to this than what can be covered here. Watch for my other BLOG’s on all topics JOB SEARCH at:
http://jobsearch-rsc.blogspot.com
You won’t be disappointed. If you like what you see and find value in this information, reference my other BLOG’s. Bookmark this site as a favorite to come back often, become a follower and
TELL A FRIEND!
I encourage you to do so.
I welcome comment and if you wish me to address a specific subject let me know in the comments section.
No comments:
Post a Comment