By: Gerald Dudley Ph D
The interview. Aha! Nervous? Maybe; maybe not. If you are prepared, if you are enthusiastic; if you know what you want; and know what the employer wants then it’s just a matter of good grooming, a pleasant smile and a firm hand shake. That should do it, right?
Well that’s a good start. Certainly, you arrived early and didn’t keep the interviewer waiting. Certainly you scouted the company; you know everything about what they do, where they want to go, and how you fit into their plans. Certainly, you have tailored your presentation to show how your tangible and intangible skills are the perfect fit for their needs. The rest is easy.
So why are your hands shaking; what’s with the cold sweat—you really want and need this job don’t you. You don’t want to leave anything to chance. So let’s make this the best interview ever. Here’s the game plan:
One, you need to present your skills and show that you can do the job.
Two, you want to show that you have the potential for promotion, that you can grow with the company. If the interviewer doesn’t see you with them down the road then the interview has been unsuccessful.
According to business consultant, Jim Barton, there are seven critical aspects of a good interview:
Your enthusiasm
Business reasons
Company question
Your assets
Maturity
Money
And the close
Let’s take them one at a time.
In brief, there are two types of Enthusiasm you must exude: Overall enthusiasm and Taking control enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is infectious, it helps the interviewer remember you as engaging; the interviewer will like you—see you as fun and interested. It shows your personal chemistry and at the same time your technical ability. Remember, if they don’t like you they won’t hire you. So take control of the interview, don’t dominate but don’t be passive either.
Take an active role, ask questions, show knowledge, be certain to have researched the firm: where the company’s been, where it is going. But please NO LISTS. Reading from a list is a definite show stopper. No name dropping either, he who likes you may not be liked by the interviewer. Ask questions like “what does it take to be successful here?” With that question the interviewer helps you. You are leading him, he will tell you what they want, what he needs—this establishes rapport. Let him talk about the company, what they do, who they are looking for. In this way you discover what’s important to the company and to the interviewer. It gives you direction.
Next, Business reasons: You may be asked, Why do you want to leave your present position, or why are you no longer employed? Do not give personal reasons such as “I hated the boss”; “…too much overtime”; “I’m getting married”; or “the company is getting downsized”. These are negative reasons and impart a negative opinion of yourself and your employability. Instead be positive: Talk about the skills you learned there; the people were great, but that you had outgrown your position, there was no room to move up and improve. Be logical and positive about your past. Tell the potential employer about your skills, your goals in a way that meets their needs.
Company questions help you identify the big picture. With the right questions you steer the course of the interview: you discover the overall picture of what the company is trying to achieve, where it has been, where it is going, and you discover what it takes to be successful in the company. The key here is to mimic President Kennedy’s oration: Ask not what the company can do for you, but what you can do for the company. Avoid self serving questions, but do impart a sincere interest in the company.
Your assets, both tangible and intangible, should come out naturally throughout the interview. Relate your skills to the job; to what the employer is looking for.
Barton says prior to the interview look over your Resume; see it for the first time. Ask these questions about every one of your tangible assets: What did I do; How did I do it; Why did I do it; Where did I do it; With whom did I do it with; and When did I do it. With these questions you can make your assets relevant to you and the potential employer.
Intangible assets include: I am hard working (prove it); I am a quick learner; I am well organized; I like working with people; I am a team player—a people person. Intersperse these intangible assets throughout the interview.
If you are asked about your weaknesses talk about unrelated skills, skills not so relevant to the position, such as “my typing is rusty”; “I’m getting better at programming my Blackberry…”
Maturity is shown by the clothes you wear, by your body language during the interview, through eye contact and good grooming. Dress appropriately. Be clean and neat. Give a firm hand shake. Don’t pick, scratch or squirm. Look the interviewer in the eye—exude confidence. Be on time, say thank you.
Money may be your most important question, but it is not the highest priority with the employer. They may want to get you as cheaply as possible. So don’t turn them off by asking too much. But don’t cheat yourself by asking too little. If the question comes up: “What kind of money are you looking for?” Be realistic, don’t overvalue or undervalue yourself. Turn the question into a positive. Say something like, “Money is important to me, I would like to be paid fairly, but being on the right team, having opportunities for advancement are more important. If the interviewer says “Cut the crap, what do you want?” Say, “Well there is a range given me by other companies that I have interviewed with. They have offered from $35,000 to $45,000 dollars. In this way you have given the interviewer some latitude, he may not come in at your high, but he won’t hit your low either—especially if he wants you.
Close by asking for the job. If you don’t ask for the job, you won’t get it. Also in closing seek necessary feedback, thank them for the opportunity, say it: “This is a great opportunity for me.” And follow up with a feedback questions something like these (both very important): “How soon will you be getting back to me?” Let them know you have irons in the fire. An interviewer wants to hire the last person they interviewed. Make certain you are that person. And please, please, please ask this question: “How do you see me fitting into your organization?” By asking this question near the end of the interview you will get valuable feedback. You will get insight into how the interview went. You may even get offered the job. You certainly let them know you want it.
After the interview, after you shake the person’s hand, look him in the eye and thanked him, scoot home and write a thank you note. Repeat how excited you are for the opportunity. Then, in a week, follow up with a phone call.
The author of this article is co-author of: www.careerfit-test.com
